Apparently, it is becoming a thing for certain pastors to run for political office and bash the Bible in the process. These are not evangelical pastors, of course. They are pastors who hail from churches that follow some form of theological liberalism.
Probably the most notable person in this category at this writing is James Talarico. He is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas. His view is that the Bible teaches that Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth was to create social, moral, and systemic revolution. He believes Jesus came to transform human society, not to save humanity from sin.
But Talrico is not the only pastor running for political office. Meet Adam Hamilton. He is the pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, the largest United Methodist Church in America. He is also running for the U.S. Senate. You can read about him at https://washingtonstand.com/article/kansas-pastor-running-for-senate-calls-bible-full-of-errors.
Hamilton, for his part, made waves by stating that the Bible is “full of errors.” That said, he wants to also assert that it does not contradict itself. So to get around that seeming problem, he has created a system to justify his beliefs. To do that, he lumps Scripture into three buckets:
- texts that reflect the timeless heart of God,
- texts that were applicable only for a specific time and culture, and
- texts that never reflected God's heart (such as passages condoning slavery, violence, or oppression).
So, if someone makes a claim that his views are contradictory, he simply says, “No, they just fit into different categories.”
Now maybe you have already picked up on what this approach leads to. It creates a situation where he gets to be the one who decides what the Bible really means. If there are things he does not like, then it is obviously not a text that “reflects the timeless heart of God.” Rather it is either something that was “applicable only for a specific time and culture,” or “ something “that never reflected God’s heart” in the first place.
As he attempts to apply Scripture to daily life, particularly as it relates to his politics, there are several causes he promotes. Most evangelicals would say that his causes are contrary to Scripture. However, since he has assigned himself the responsibility for deciding how the Bible should be interpreted, he can justify his support for them. In particular, the causes he personally promotes include:
- poverty alleviation and food security
- racial justice and reconciliation
- LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality
- Immigration reform and human decency, and
- Environmental stewardship
Now it is important to note that some of these things are, in some respects, consistent with the teachings of the Bible. Christians should be sensitive to people who are poor and in need of food. Christians should recognize all races and ethnicities as persons created in the image of God who are individuals of worth. Christians should love people, even those who have lifestyles that the Bible characterizes as sinful. After all, they, too are persons of worth made in the image of God. Christians should be concerned for people who live in difficult circumstances in other countries, and should consider them worthy of our love and help. Christians should be concerned with the health of the earth’s environment and be good stewards of it.
But when Hamilton speaks of these things, he does not consider them places where Christians should use various means to share their faith with those who need to know God. For him, alleviating these various societal problems is the very purpose of the Christian faith.
That is simply not true. That is not what the Bible teaches. While God is certainly concerned with the material needs of human beings, that is not his first concern. His first concern is their eternal spirit. Everything He has done for mankind, up to and including taking care of their material needs, is for the purpose of drawing people to Himself. The eternal concern is first. Meeting the material needs is, on the other hand, a means for pointing people to Him.
Hamilton, though, is not in the least concerned with people’s personal relationship with God. His purpose is purely material. And he believes that if he can help people have a better material life, he has fulfilled God’s purpose.
But that materialist focus expresses a form of godliness without expressing the heart of God. Even non-believers can have compassion on hurting people and meet their material needs. It is not a bad thing, but it is not what God is ultimately trying to accomplish.
One of the really sad outcomes of Hamilton’s “ministry” is that not only is he trying to accomplish the wrong thing, but he is leading hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people down his non-biblical road, all the while causing them to believe that they are following God’s will. While holding on to the facade of the Christian faith, he is actually promoting a false religion masquerading as Christianity.
Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.
You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.
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