In the wake of the acquittal of President Clinton by the Senate, Peter Weyrich, a prominent conservative and head of the Free Congress Foundation in Washington, D.C., wrote a letter to several hundred conservatives in which he said, "I no longer believe that there is a moral majority." He wrote, "If there really were a moral majority out there, Bill Clinton would have been driven out of office months ago."
Whatever one thinks of the conduct of the President (I don’t hear anyone applauding it), I have always been amazed by the phrase "moral majority" on the lips of Christian conservatives. This was, of course, the name of the political organization began some years ago by Rev. Jerry Falwell. He should know better. He, of all people, should know that to speak of a "moral majority" is to be guilty of Christian heresy.
The Bible says there is no such thing. To quote Romans 3:10 (which is in fact quoting Psalm 14): "There is no one who is righteous, not even one." Of course, we Christians believe there was one who was righteous, but only one. He makes up the moral minority. All, the rest of us, Democrats and Republicans, Americans and otherwise, belong to the immoral majority.
Weyrich argues, that it may be time to "drop out of this culture"--perhaps even abandon efforts to influence the American political system. This is being echoed by other conservatives. Gov. David Beasley of South Carolina, while acknowledging that Christians should be engaged in politics, said that "too many in the Christian community expect that through the political arena we can solve America’s problems." Of course, this view has not just been held by conservatives.
Perhaps the time is ripe for us all to gaze anew upon the One who chose to rule from a cross, not from a throne. He was hung there by those who perceived themselves to be moral. The truth is that the only one on Calvary who could look down on anyone was the One hanging on the cross. He, the only moral one, hung there for the immoral majority--for you and me.
©1999 C. David Hess
Whatever one thinks of the conduct of the President (I don’t hear anyone applauding it), I have always been amazed by the phrase "moral majority" on the lips of Christian conservatives. This was, of course, the name of the political organization began some years ago by Rev. Jerry Falwell. He should know better. He, of all people, should know that to speak of a "moral majority" is to be guilty of Christian heresy.
The Bible says there is no such thing. To quote Romans 3:10 (which is in fact quoting Psalm 14): "There is no one who is righteous, not even one." Of course, we Christians believe there was one who was righteous, but only one. He makes up the moral minority. All, the rest of us, Democrats and Republicans, Americans and otherwise, belong to the immoral majority.
Weyrich argues, that it may be time to "drop out of this culture"--perhaps even abandon efforts to influence the American political system. This is being echoed by other conservatives. Gov. David Beasley of South Carolina, while acknowledging that Christians should be engaged in politics, said that "too many in the Christian community expect that through the political arena we can solve America’s problems." Of course, this view has not just been held by conservatives.
Perhaps the time is ripe for us all to gaze anew upon the One who chose to rule from a cross, not from a throne. He was hung there by those who perceived themselves to be moral. The truth is that the only one on Calvary who could look down on anyone was the One hanging on the cross. He, the only moral one, hung there for the immoral majority--for you and me.
©1999 C. David Hess
