Religion Evangelicals Are Now Rejecting 'Liberal' Teachings of Jesus

An evangelical leader is warning that conservative Christians are now rejecting the teachings of Jesus as "liberal talking points."

Russell Moore, former top official for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) who is now the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, said during an interview aired on NPR's All Things Considered this week that Christianity is in a "crisis" due to the current state of right-wing politics.

Moore has found himself at odds with other evangelical leaders due to his frequent criticism of former President Donald Trump. He resigned his position with the SBC in 2021 following friction over his views on Trump and a sex abuse crisis among Southern Baptist clergy.

In his NPR interview, Moore suggested that Trump had transformed the political landscape in the U.S. to the point where some Christian conservatives are openly denouncing a central doctrine of their religion as being too "weak" and "liberal" for their liking.

"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching—'turn the other cheek'—[and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore said.

"When the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ' ... The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak," he added. "When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis."

Moore went to to say that he did not think it would be possible to "fix" Christianity by "fighting a war for the soul of evangelicalism," urging his concerned brethren to instead fight "small and local" battles like refusing to go along with the current "church culture."

During an interview with Semafor last month, Moore warned that Trump posed "a unique threat, both to American institutions and to the church's witness." He added that he had provided political and spiritual advice to candidates running against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.

Evangelicals are a key voting block for Republicans. Exit polls of the 2020 presidential election indicated that up to 81 percent of white evangelical Protestant voters cast ballots for Trump over then-future President Joe Biden, according to Gallup.

During an interview on conservative network Real America's Voice in January, Trump lashed out at certain evangelical leaders that he said displayed a "great disloyalty" by being reluctant to back his 2024 presidential run.

"That's a sign of disloyalty," Trump complained. "There's nobody that did more for the movement than I have. And that includes the movement of evangelicals and Christians and the movement very much of 'right to life.'"

https://www.newsweek.com/evangelica...achings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706

This is what happens when political parties weaponize social media and dehumanize both sides to the point where all conservatives are Nazis and all liberals are woke. We are rapidly losing our middle ground and it's scary where this might be headed. When we lose our middle ground, it leaves nothing left for discussion and the only thing left is violence.

Any cult that worships death as salvation and peace is bound to hate life and wallor in suffering until the Pearly Gates open for business....rather than care for the planet and share it with those they call pagans. I'm so sick of Evangelicals and Mullah's trying to dictate their rule of religion as law. It's beyond ridiculous.

Natebishop3 said:

This is what happens when political parties weaponize social media and dehumanize both sides to the point where all conservatives are Nazis and all liberals are woke. We are rapidly losing our middle ground and it's scary where this might be headed. When we lose our middle ground, it leaves nothing left for discussion and the only thing left is violence.

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"Social media is the devil."

This has been going on longer than social media has been around; this is the logical (lol) endpoint of Reagan grifting the evangelicals in the early 80s. Republicans have been hitting that joy button again and again and again to goose their voting numbers, not caring that they were fomenting fascism. Now that fascism is here, republicans are scared. Preachers are scared. But they brought this on us all. And what I hate the most is that they won’t face any due over it.

Everything Beagle said:

This has been going on longer than social media has been around; this is the logical (lol) endpoint of Reagan grifting the evangelicals in the early 80s. Republicans have been hitting that joy button again and again and again to goose their voting numbers, not caring that they were fomenting fascism. Now that fascism is here, republicans are scared. Preachers are scared. But they brought this on us all. And what I hate the most is that they won’t face any due over it.

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True, but IMO, social media has exacerbated the "weaponization" which is what I was responding to.

The Golden Calf is Trump.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 32&version=NIV

yankeesince59 said:

"Social media is the devil."

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Not really. It turns out the Christians of America are the devil.

We've officially entered upside down world.

theprunetang said:

Not really. It turns out the Christians of America are the devil.

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I suppose that could be applied to all religions and their differences...there are so many people/religions in the world that blindly seem to have the "my God is better than your God" belief.

Needless to say, throughout history this philosophy/mindset, creates a lot of problems and needless wars/deaths.

This is one of the reasons I've basically rejected politics over the past few years. As a Christian, the Bible teaches that my citizenship is not of this world. Many too many of my co-congregants have--as Sly alluded--basically made conservative politics and Trump in particular into an idol, and have chosen to align with those standards rather than Christ's.

It honestly hurts me to see what political identity has done to the American church and to the reputation of Christ as a whole. As I'm presently reading through the major prophets, many of the judgments made against Israel then are applicable to the church now. For example:

Jeremiah 8:6‭-‬9 said:

I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. “ ‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?

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Additional passages I pulled from my reading this morning, and my notes thereon that seemed particularly relevant to this topic.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 said:

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

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John 13:12-16 said:

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

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my notes on these passages said:

Jesus had the very power of God at His fingertips constantly. Yet He boasted only in doing the will of the Father. Jeremiah tells us that we should do the same: understand and know the Lord, and treat others in the way prescribed by Him. Jesus demonstrated this by servitude. He didn't say up a political organization...He taught the disciples to set aside all personal pride to get down into the dirt and serve others. This is how God is glorified--not by boasting in our own strength, but by serving in our weakness.

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Interesting, @PtldPlatypus. Not a Christian myself but it's been clear to me that Trump is the opposite of the teachings. Living embodiment of seven deadly sins.

But he hates gays and opposes women's rights. Must be a Christian!

crandc said:

Interesting, @PtldPlatypus. Not a Christian myself but it's been clear to me that Trump is the opposite of the teachings. Living embodiment of seven deadly sins.

But he hates gays and opposes women's rights. Must be a Christian!

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I've read through the Bible a few times, and I don't recall hatred as having been mentioned in scripture as a Christian virtue. I may have just missed that passage though.

What is very interesting to me though is how many times in the First Testament's books of prophecy, the Israelites are excoriated for injustice, for opposing the foreigner and the poor, and for not upholding the case of the fatherless and the widow. Seems like in their haste to magnify their personal piety and self-righteousness, modern-day Christians often miss the repeated emphasis on these items.

My last sentence was obviously sarcasm but sadly true. Fact is, when I meet someone who makes a point of saying they are Christian, my immediate, and all too often correct, assumption is hate gays, outlaw abortion.

PtldPlatypus said:

This is one of the reasons I've basically rejected politics over the past few years. As a Christian, the Bible teaches that my citizenship is not of this world. Many too many of my co-congregants have--as Sly alluded--basically made conservative politics and Trump in particular into an idol, and have chosen to align with those standards rather than Christ's.

It honestly hurts me to see what political identity has done to the American church and to the reputation of Christ as a whole. As I'm presently reading through the major prophets, many of the judgments made against Israel then are applicable to the church now. For example:

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PtldPlatypus said:

Additional passages I pulled from my reading this morning, and my notes thereon that seemed particularly relevant to this topic.

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You're a good person @PtldPlatypus and I enjoy your perspective in this thread.

Organized religion and politics were one and the same for a very long time. Some times it comes from the "Church" to influence politics (The crusades, Spanish Inquisition for example) or from political powers to affect the Church (The creation of the Anglican church, the current American conservative movement).

The issue was never with religion imho, it was always with the "organized" part (the church). Once you insert that part, it becomes an avenue for power and corruption in some way.

SlyPokerDog said:

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Terminator Jesus

The only thing I am shocked by is how long this has taken, I mean how much longer until they replace the hippie long haired Jesus portraits with new more en vogue ones?

If Jesus wants to win the nomintion, he needs to get out and have some rallies, sell some merch, get donations.

Jesus just isn't polling well lately, and I think he's going to be left out of the debates if he doesn't shake up his campaign.

Hard to believe he was once almost as popular as the Beatles.

barfo

Personally, I feel that instead of fleecing the middle class in the US through income tax, churches in the US should have to file returns and finally be taxed like every other business.

Religion in US 'worth more than Google and Apple combined'

Religion in the United States is worth $1.2 trillion a year, making it equivalent to the 15th largest national economy in the world


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...the United States,world, according to a study.

I have a question, when did being aware of others out there become a negative? I see people use the term “woke” as if it’s bad. What am I missing? I literally went out of my way to teach this and ingrain this mentality into my children. Being totally honest on this. Somebody please enlighten @THE HCP

THE HCP said:

I have a question, when did being aware of others out there become a negative? I see people use the term “woke” as if it’s bad. What am I missing? I literally went out of my way to teach this and ingrain this mentality into my children. Being totally honest on this. Somebody please enlighten @THE HCP
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White people don't want to be treated like minorities.

yankeesince59 said:

Personally, I feel that instead of fleecing the middle class in the US through income tax, churches in the US should have to file returns and finally be taxed like every other business.

Religion in US 'worth more than Google and Apple combined'

Religion in the United States is worth $1.2 trillion a year, making it equivalent to the 15th largest national economy in the world


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/15/us-religion-worth-1-trillion-study-economy-apple-google#:~:text=Religion in the United States,world, according to a study.

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Churches generally expend as much as they take in. Any business that has no tax liability, so why should a church?

Churches that generate income through sales activities are taxed on that income. Employees of churches are taxed on their income.

The claim that taxing churches would generate significant tax revenue is a gross misperception.

https://taxfoundation.org/blog/church-taxes/

PtldPlatypus said:

Churches generally expend as much as they take in. Any business that has no tax liability, so why should a church?

Churches that generate income through sales activities are taxed on that income. Employees of churches are taxed on their income.

The claim that taxing churches would generate significant tax revenue is a gross misperception.

https://taxfoundation.org/blog/church-taxes/

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The majority of churches yes but...

These are scamming people, they are the most political, and they should be taxed.

SlyPokerDog said:

The majority of churches yes but...

These are scamming people, they are the most political, and they should be taxed.

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"When churches need money, preachers ask the people for it. When the people need money, the preachers tell them to ask God."

THE HCP said:

I have a question, when did being aware of others out there become a negative? I see people use the term “woke” as if it’s bad. What am I missing? I literally went out of my way to teach this and ingrain this mentality into my children. Being totally honest on this. Somebody please enlighten @THE HCP
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Like critical race theory or political correctness, it's become catchall on the right for what they don't like. Multiculturalism. LGBTQ rights. Cultural diversity. Religion other than Christianity. Respecting people who are different.