AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Rep. Zach Wamp made his message clear with few words: If you are not a Christian, you lack the moral fiber necessary to defend your freedoms. In a gubernatorial election that has seen many references to scripture and appeals to religion, Wamp furthered the tone of religious exclusivity with his July 4 visit to Higher Ground Baptist Church in Kingsport, TN.
In what was clearly a campaign stop to help capture the Southern Baptist vote, Wamp begins by informing those in attendance on his personal Baptist background. He strokes their egos by saying, "This is as good a choir and talent and feel and spirit as you're gonna find anywhere, not just in this state, but in this world. I've been around the world. You should be pleased. You should be grateful." At this point, most of the congregation should have experienced high levels of activity on their BS-meters, but since he was saying things that they agreed with, they let him continue.
Wamp referenced the Founding Fathers and concluded that "There's so much freedom given to the people that unless they adhere to a moral and a religious code, and they were talking about the Bible, the Holy Bible, it wouldn't work." Wamp stated that without a Christian revival in this nation, our liberty would not be preserved. Apparently, for one to appreciate and defend their freedoms, they must fear the threat of eternal damnation first.
Since he was speaking on Independence Day, he of course mentioned our men and women in uniform fighting for freedom and linked their struggle to Christian message of Jesus dying to make mankind free from sin.
He ended on the scariest note of all. With brimstone flowing, he stated resolutely that no man or woman should hold elected office unless their lives are guided by god, and that religion should be present in the formation of every policy. Not wanting to do his words a disservice, I quote that piece of his mini-sermon.
When anybody says to you that they want to be in politics or government or elected office instead of asking them the first question, 'Are you pro-life?', 'Do you believe that a man and a woman should be married to each other?', and those are important questions, ask those second and third. Ask them this one first: 'What is your worldview?' and just wait for an answer. Because if they can't tell you that my worldview is that God is the center of the universe - not man, He made us to serve Him and to serve each other, that the Bible is inerrant, every single word of it is true, it is the foundation, it is the beginning and the end, and it is the only thing that will stand the test of time. And that every policy should stand on those truths. Praise Him.
You can watch the entire video of Rep. Wamp's speech below.
Comments
Staggering arrogance. That he believes ONLY fundamentalist Christians are suitable for public office is downright scary.
Welcome to the Examiner team, Corey! Keep up the great work!
I am sad to say that several Christians are not consistant and do not have integrity, as you probably know. Martin Luther, who had his faults, observed that he would rather be governed by a good Turk/Muslim, than a Christian who was not a person of integrity. I agree.
I just finished watching the video of Wamp's 'sermon' on YouTube. It truly worries me that a person with such a closed view of the world could be a Congressman. It could just be that Wamp is working the crowd for votes, but I've seen too many people spout the same type of message in TN that truly believe their views are the only correct views (all others be damned, literally). I agree with Carol's comment, "Staggering arrogance. That he believes ONLY fundamentalist Christians are suitable for public office is downright scary." It's scary because that kind of arrogance breeds extremism.
Excellent article. Thanks for keeping us informed of this kind of insanity.
Great article Corey! It's good to know that you're still out there producing quality wake-up calls to the world. Here's to hoping it catches with people who need it.
Maybe see you back at AU soon,
Christ be with you.
This guy is nuts. There's no way I want him near the governor's mansion. Before you know it, there'll be mandatory prayer meetings for all TN residents.
I'm glad to be a Christian along with Zack Wamp and hope that God's favor is with him on August 5th....the rest of you obviously need God's grace. All you have to do is believe is that Jesus died for your sins...but you should also progress toward being more like Jesus...and Jesus would never say the types of things you are saying about anyone.
Corey,
I hate to say that you didn't learn the true concepts of journalism in school...to be fair, equal, and impartial. But, then again, 90% of all media and publishing organizations are liberal. God loves you anyway.
Gina,
No one asked you for your blessings. If you want to see how a government full of religion works, check out Iran. I hear they're having a good time with that.
Thank you for your observations on bias in the media. No one cares. Also, I didn't attend school for journalism, as citizen journalism doesn't exactly require that. That being said, I worked for a newspaper for three years, so I have a pretty fair working knowledge of the editorial process.
You obviously really love Jesus and being a Christian, but it isn't enough for you to love it; everyone else has to as well. I choose to live this life as best as I can. If you want to spend your one existence on this earth in constant preparation for an unverifiable afterlife, that is fine. Please do not include me in your plans.
Great writing Corey. It absolutely does matter what one's world view is. This is great. I did not know he spoke at Higher ground. If Christianity was not real, it would not still be standing strong. It is great to see leaders actually lead with their feet grounded. Keep up the great writing... nice to find you... I'm the Kingsport food examiner.
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