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Evangelicals Afraid of the Tea Party Movement?
March 12, 2010
As an evangelical who works closely with the tea party movement, I feel the need to comment on today’s Politico article, Tea Parties Stir Evangelicals’ Fears. First of all, I’m not afraid of the tea party movement. In fact, I embrace most of them (save those with crazy conspiracy theories) because I feel that if the movement becomes long term and sustainable, it can bring about great change in this country.
There’s no other way to say this except I feel that a certain amount of ignorance was displayed by some quoted in the article, but again, I blame that more on limited interaction with tea partiers. Many of the tea partiers are religious. Many of them are socially conservative and very much pro-life and for traditional marriage, but the tea partiers cannot be neatly packaged into a little box: they are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Liberterians. Many are pro-life, but some are pro-choice. Many are for traditional marriage. Some aren’t. Some are a little like “crazy uncles” and I’ve told them as much. But the one central point of agreement for all involved: limited government. They to a person will agree that government has gone well beyond its proper limits. I know this because American Majority did 151 trainings in 26 different states last year and interacted with thousands of them and I’m always fascinated to hear their concerns and why they are involved. I also have the privilege of interacting with hundreds of local tea party leaders and 9.12 leaders, many of whom would agree with the sentiments I just expressed.
People ask me, who makes no bones about how I feel on being very pro-life and very much for traditional marriage, why American Majority leads and is focused purely on the ideas of free enterprise, limited government, and individual freedom. I’ll tell you why: because I believe that the most important freedom is not religious or political. It is economic. If you don’t have economic freedom, you are a ward of the state. As a ward of the state, you are neither religiously or politically free. If America continues down the path of statism, which I fear we are on, we will cease to be a free people. The fight right now is to stop the onslaught of statism and return government back to its proper role. That’s what the tea party movement is about, and that’s why evangelicals should embrace them because many times they are embracing fellow evangelicals and embracing allies in the fight to push back an ever invasive government that will eventually, if unchecked, destroy life and marriage.
Just a question. Is your training offered on facebook or via the internet. Is there a place where we can go to see your videos for training” Thank lyou.
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Royce, we train in communities around the country, host a collection of resources on this website, and will be launching new media webinar series soon.
Royce, make sure to check out the webinars, but take a look at our Resource page. Podcasts, manuals, etc. Thanks!
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Ned
I agree with much of what you are saying, and would just add this. Social issues are matters of the heart as much as of law – and require persuasion as much or more than force of law. Indeed, I think many of our nation’s divisions are a result of legislating social rules at the national level.
But you don’t need to have a pro-life/pro-choice view to see that the massive growth of the Federal government, its taxes and its regulation is a threat to our personal freedoms, our sustainability as a nation, and our economic health.
In a way, the TP movement is a step back from the social divisions (which reflect genuinely held beliefs) and a focus on the underlying economic and constitutional crisis we all face. If we don’t solve those interlinked problems – the social issues won’t matter much.
Our friends in the religious community have nothing to fear from the TP movement – we’re about Freedom. And American faithful love and need freedom to thrive. The division this article mentioned is another bit of wishful thinking by a media elite who cannot believe we haven’t fallen for their utopian visions.
Thanks for the excellent resources at AM.
You say evangelicals are afraid of the tea party movement. I am evangelical attend a sleepy mega church and most haven’t a clue that our country is about to go socialmax. When you mention it, they have a glazed over look. The preacher sets the pace and the members stay herded in the flock. Plus there’s this thing called the IRS which dictates the preacher keeping his little social security to himself without being taxed and if the preacher and his minions even speak the on what should be right in regards to our government then they could loose their tax status. Do you see a pattern. It’s called the IRS plus I can’t wait to they see how the IRS is intertwined with the ObamaCare legislation/bill! Eyes will open when it affects them.
Joe
I feel your pain. You are at Ground Zero of what is coming with these statists running our country. I am a California Refugee living in Reno. I lived in Oakland for 3 years, Berkeley for 5 years, and around the Bay for much of the rest of my life – so I feel your pain.
Not all churches are afraid (yet) – they haven’t seen what you have seen in by the Bay. And the churches that thrive in your neighborhood are largely already in the pocket of the Social Justice crowd. And as those folks (and the Administration) are all about re-distribution, they are fully in bed with using the IRS as a means to enforce their ends.
The ObamaCare bill puts the IRS square in the middle of health care financial collections and information acquisition. Just saying the words frightens many Americans – and we’re setting them up to be the Enforcers for this nightmare. If this horror passes, we’ll need to exchange secret handshakes and passwords to be able to walk down College Avenue without a federal shakedown.
Good luck.