CNN 'Belief Blog' Hypes Ad by Liberal Christian Group Asking 'What Would Jesus Cut?'
Imagine that Pat Robertson or Dr. James Dobson took out a full-page ad in a mainstream media publication hinting that Jesus himself is squarely behind the Republicans' efforts to curb spending and curtail the size and scope of the federal government.
The media would certainly cover the interesting theological and political claims at hand but they'd also be certain to cite apolitical and/or liberal Christian thinkers who would decry the crass and cynical exploitation of Christ for political matters upon which Scripture is silent, such as the U.S. federal budget.
Yet when it came to the liberal group Sojourners asking "What Would Jesus Cut" in an ad in today's Politico, CNN's Belief Blog failed to report the objections of concerns that conservative Christians and apolitical Christian theologians would raise
From Dan Gilgoff's Feb. 28 CNN.com Belief Blog post (emphasis mine):
A coalition of progressive Christian leaders has taken out a full-page ad that asks “What would Jesus cut?” in Monday’s edition of Politico, the opening salvo in what the leaders say will be a broader campaign to prevent cuts for the poor and international aid programs amid the budget battle raging in Washington.
“They’re talking about cutting bed nets for malaria and leaving every piece of military spending untouched,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis, who leads the Christian group Sojourners, referring to Republican spending proposals for the rest of this year.
“Are we saying that every piece of military equipment is more important than bed nets, children’s health and nutrition for low-income families?” said Wallis, whose group paid for Monday’s ad. “If so they should be ashamed of themselves.”
The ad and the broader campaign are aimed mostly at a spending measure passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives that cuts $61 billion from current spending levels, including cuts to Head Start, the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program and international aid programs.
[...]
“The most corrupt government spending is military spending,” Wallis said. “Its cost overruns, outdated weapons systems, welfare checks to military contractors.”
“This is a biblical choice of swords into plowshares directly and the House Republicans want to beat our ploughshares into more swords," he said. "These priorities that they’re offering are not just wrong or unfair, they’re unbiblical.”
The only opposing point of view CNN.com's Dan Gilgoff quoted was that of Speaker John Boehner, and that briefly at the end of his Feb. 28 post:
On Sunday, Boenher gave a speech that framed the government’s mounting debt as a moral issue.
"We have a moral responsibility to address the problems we face. That means working together to cut spending and rein in government - not shutting it down," Boehner said. "This is very simple: Americans want the government to stay open, and they want it to spend less money. We don't need to shut down the government to accomplish that."
Boehner's remarks were included in a speech he delivered to the National Religious Broadcasters annual convention in Nashville.
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Comments
From each according to his
Submitted by JeffC... on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:29pm.
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needOops, wrong god.
Jesus
Submitted by donabernathy on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:38pm.
would be tell'n da Government to cut out steal'n the citizens money. But maybe I missed the sermon where Jesus told the Roman government to take someone elses's money and give it to someone else. Silly me, I was thinking rob'n the rich to give to the poor was Robin Hood
roflmao
What would Jesus cut?
Submitted by Ashrak on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:35pm.
Taxes.
WWJD
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:39pm.
I believe Jesus would not want us to hand these programs over to our government. I believe Jesus would want us to take them on as individuals or groups that we actively participate in.
Besides, don't we have separtion of church and state? That's a pretty big thing for liberals isn't it?
Agreed on your first point
Submitted by GW on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 12:04pm.
Putting the government in as a middle man removes the giver from the receiver and short-circuits the relationship. Charity is supposed to be an expression of agape love and the more you remove the giver from the receiver, the more you dilute the charity. At least, that's what I think.
All tyranny comes from
Submitted by Edhenry on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:41pm.
All tyranny comes from centralized power
Tyranny results from false gods.
Centralized power has always removed religion and God.
So Jesus would say cut everything, except that which is minimally necessary
Then he would say teach the able to fish and provide only for the disabled.
Liberal Christian
Submitted by cocodrie on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:41pm.
Contradictory words. They go together like hot and cold.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Um, 'scuse me, Rev. Wallis, but.......
Submitted by almostacowboy on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 5:56pm.
...but, since you call yourselves "progressive Christians" (an oxymoron if there ever was one), I thought you might remember that it was a progressive, Rachel Carson, who wrote the book "Silent Spring" that made mosquito nets a necessity (banning DDT), the efficacy of which is much debated.
Second, I would remind you that Mark 12:17 says, "And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him." So, I doubt Jesus would have cut anything.
And as a personal note, Rev. Wallis, you may want to remember what is written in Matthew 7, Verses 22 & 23:
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
For whatever it's worth,
Submitted by Beukeboom on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 6:02pm.
For whatever it's worth, apparently Sojourners is yet another liberal group that George Soros has given funds. See also here. I have also read many allegations from a variety of sources that Sojourners openly holds to Marxist ideology.
Hmmm.....
There is no such thing as a "progressive Christian"...
Submitted by Mike Bratton on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 6:54pm.
...either from a theological perspective or from a political one.
The phrase is akin to "round square" or "gaseous solid."
Is Wallis a progressive? Absolutely.
Is he a Christian? Wallis himself will have to explain what Biblical standard allows him to consider himself to be a twice-born child of God.
All I know is that from looking at Wallis' website, one can learn a lot about Sojourners, but one can't learn a thing about Jesus. I do know that he and his take Revelation 7:9, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," and put it in political, rather than spiritual, terms.
All I know is that one can learn a lot about Wallis' new book (ironically titled "Rediscovering Values") at sojo.net, but one can't learn how to become a Christian.
All I know is that the same article that asks the questions, "What Would Jesus Cut? Who Would Jesus Bomb?" ignores completely other Scripture in the book of Revelation--Scripture like this:
Revelation 19
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
When people ask who Jesus would bomb, those people haven't read very much of the Bible.
At all.
--Mike
The very scripture I was
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:34pm.
The very scripture I was thinking of when the question was poised about beating swords into plowshares. This is God who destroyed a world and remade it saving a handful of people. The same God who destroyed two cities because they were beyond redemption. The same God who told His people to go into the land and slay all who inhabit it.
More liberal wresting of the scriptures:
Submitted by Slyrr on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 8:18pm.
Jesus also said, 'I come not to bring peace, but a sword. For the father shall be against the son, the son against the father, the mother against the daughter...'
He was speaking of the divisions his gospel would cause among believers and non-believers. Concerning that, he warned his apostles, 'You shall be hated for my name's sake', and 'the time cometh that whoso killeth you will say he doeth God service.'
Why? Because the teachings of Christ are anathema to 'the world' and its so-called wisdom. The same worldy wisdom that the left and liberals put all their stock into when they pimped Obama as their 'sort of god who stands above us all'.
Hey libs - how about citing THESE verses?
'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Liberals worship other gods and call it 'multiculturalism'.)
'Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD in vain.' (not only liberals are guilty here. But taking the name of the Lord in vain is something libs don't even think about. To them, blasphemy is a way of life. They use the name of God like a curse word. They defile religious symbols and seek to destroy religious faith by forcing churches to change their doctrine at the point of a sword.)
'Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.' (when was the last time you even SAW a lib in church?)
'Thou shalt not steal.' (Libs steal from everybody and call it 'taxation'.)
'Thou shalt not bear false witness.' (Liberals in politics and media lie all the time and call it 'political savvy'.)
'Thou shalt not kill.' and 'Whosoever is angry with his brother is guilty.' (liberals slaughter unborn babies in the womb without so much as a flicker. They describe this murder as 'freedom of choice'. They also forment anger and hate through the media while insisting that they don't, and saying no one else should have the media access that they do.)
'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' and 'Whoso looketh on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery.' (liberals want to destroy marriage and replace it with 'domestic erotic arrangements'. They also pollute the airwaves with pornography and filth and call it 'freedom of expression.')
'Thou shalt not covey thy neighbor's possessions.' (Liberals covet, they want to take everything from everybody and call it 'taxes'.)
So libs - you're so fond of quoting scripture. Have you taught your acolytes that they should keep and observe all these sayings? Have you????
From all I can find
Submitted by Beukeboom on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 10:40am.
From all I can find concerning the man, Wallis is clearly no legitimate theologian by any stretch of the imagination.
Another very revealing article about Wallis.
Jesus
Submitted by JustAl on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 6:22pm.
cuts the grass and bushes you dumb gringo! Or maybe something else if Jesus is in a gang.
Let's send Jesus home until we can be sure!
Progressive Christian
Submitted by deerjerkydave on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:24pm.
Progressive Christian leaders? What would Jesus cut?
Sounds like the progressive Christian theocracy is already in place. Especially if they view the tax, spend, and regulate policy of the government as doing Jesus' work.
It's time to separate progressive church and state so we can get government out of the powers not enumerated in the constitution.
------------------------
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. -James MadisonJesus would not have condoned stealing
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:26pm.
He would have cut it all out entirely.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
I seem to remember the Messiah,
Submitted by Trix Rabbit on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:28pm.
telling his disciples to go forward without purse or scrip.
Likewise, I think He would tell freeloaders and their apologists to go and do likewise.
For the MSM: In your pomp and all your glory, you're a poorer man than me. As you lick the boots of death born out of fear.
Ian Anderson "Wind up"
Jesus
Submitted by tdabbs on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:33pm.
... would have been severely persecuted by the media, by liberals and Democrats. He represented the "Kingdom of God", definitely a morality code.
What would he abort, libs?
Submitted by Slyrr on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 7:59pm.
I think I can say what he WOULD'NT cut.
He wouldn't cut up babies still inside their mothers' wombs.
Libs don't like citing Jesus when he's saying things they don't agree with. 'Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of them is the Kingdom of Heaven.' 'Whoso shall offend one of these little ones, it would be better if a millstone were hanged about their neck and they were drowned in the depths of the sea.'
Jesus did not say, 'Suffer the little ones who have not been aborted to come unto me.'
What would Mohammed cut?
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 8:41am.
I mean besides your throat.