Archive — politics

Question: Folks like Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo often accuse religious conservatives of placing too much priority on the pro-life issue, supposedly forsaking other issues like poverty. We asked Richard Land about that.

Richard Land: “…To criticize pro-lifers for saying we are too focused on the pro-life issue would be like criticizing Dr. King for being too focused on the issue of racial justice and racial reconciliation. Dr. King dealt with other issues but he kept “the main thing the main thing” as long as his people were being denied their basic constitutional rights…”

“…our forefathers did not assert a private right to rebel against the crown. They asserted that, based upon their understanding of the British common law and their understanding of inalienable rights, that the civil magistrate had forfeited the right to their obedience…”

“Well, I would start with Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Alito. We now have two young, healthy conservatives on the court, and the court has gone from having a 5 to 4 majority that was moderate to a 5 to 4 majority on most issues that’s conservative. That’s a huge thing…”

“I was led to the Lord, nurtured in the faith, called to preach, and trained to ministry in a Southern Baptist context. When I was 19, I had the opportunity to go to (what was then) the headquarters of Campus Crusade…I learned more about the Bible and about what Christians believe and why we believe during those two weeks than I had in 19 years of going to Southern Baptist churches, and I had several perfect attendance pins. At that point, I became a theologian…”

“I don’t think ministers should endorse candidates. I don’t. I know that technically, legally people have the right to do it as private citizens, but … I have an obligation and a responsibility to try to minister to all Southern Baptists…”

“If you look at the Civil Rights Movement, if you look at the abolitionist movement, if you look at the labor reform movement, if you look at the child-labor reform movement, every major successful reform movement in our history has been significantly led, peopled, and supported by people of religious faith and, certainly, ministers being a significant portion of that number…”

I get emails from some folks saying,

“Dr. Land, have you endorsed Mitt Romney?”

I write back and say,

“No. Thank you for asking. Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers. A lot of it’s wrong. If you have any questions, email us, call us, write to us. Give us an opportunity to clarify the record.”

“…I’m running for president, not pastor, not theologian. Talk to my church if you want to know what my church believes on these issues. I would ask you to evaluate me on my record. It’s clear that the constitution says there is no religious tests for office and I think the American people would resent the media trying to impose one…”

“After the 2004 elections, the Democrats came to understand that they are going to have a very hard time winning a majority in the county if they ignore people of religious faith. So, all of the Democratic candidates have people who are in charge of “outreach” to Evangelicals…”

“…it is giving the American people the impression that the country is more divided than it is. Now the country is divided, but I don’t think it is as divided as you would assume by watching all of cable news shows with their 24/7 shouting matches.

Americans are being lead to believe by the media that they are more divided than they actually are and I think a lot of people when they listen to these shouting matches, after a while they say, “Eh, a pox on both your houses! Nothing is ever going to change!” and they pull out of the process…”