Merging politics with religion became acceptable on Wednesday for the cast of CNN This Morning as hosts Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon were joined by commentator Errol Louis as all three sang the praises of Senate Chaplain Barry Black for praying for gun control with Louis urging other pastors to “speak your truth” and do the same.
Collins introduced a clip of Black by hyping it’s “rare” nature, “I want to show this moment, though. From yesterday on Capitol Hill, Senate chaplain, you know, is typically-- this is a really rare statement to hear from him. This is what he said about what happened in Nashville.”
The clip showed Black waxing poetic, praying “Lord, when babies die at a church school. It is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers… Lord deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous.”
After Collins repeated the last line, Louis claimed “That’s my kind of preacher, you know, make it a little uncomfortable sitting there on a Sunday morning—”
Following Collins interrupting to reiterate “That does not happen very often,” Louis continued, “Doesn’t happen very often and you know, it's interesting if you think about it. I don't know who names or can remove the Senate chaplain, but I suspect if there were different majority leader, his job might be in danger. Right now. This is something that you know you wish more clergy would do, which is take a chance. Speak your truth. Try and get people to feel a little uncomfortable and to take action.”
Their job is to speak the truth, not Louis’s opinions. Still, Louis lamented that, “I don't know if his thoughts and prayers are going to be any more effective than anyone else's here because until someone takes action, we're not going to see much in the way of change.”
Outside of Congress, Louis was more hopeful and again cheered the political chaplain “But it is very good to see this and frankly, it's something that would have been unthinkable a while ago and I think for the audience, it's important to keep in mind that you know in the decade or so since the Sandy Hook Massacre you know, you've got Every Town for Gun Safety. You've got Moms Demand Action. You've got March For Our Lives. You've got things like this chaplain speaking out. It's good. This is going to come from below.”
After Louis finished his remarks, Lemon also hyped Black’s foray into politics “Man of the cloth, saying moved beyond thoughts and prayers. That's pretty big.”
It isn’t because Black wandered out of his lane to opine on a public policy issue that is not mandated by the Bible and CNN will not be taken seriously because it is only a matter of time before they label pro-lifers, same-sex marriage opponents, or people who believe that boys are boys and girls are girls as religious bigots.
This segment was sponsored by Visionworks.
Here is a transcript for the March 29 show:
CNN This Morning
3/29/2023
6:35 AM ET
KAITLAN COLLINS: I want to show this moment, though. From yesterday on Capitol Hill, Senate chaplain, you know, is typically-- this is a really rare statement to hear from him. This is what he said about what happened in Nashville.
BARRY BLACK: Lord, when babies die at a church school. It is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers… Lord deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous.
COLLINS: The paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous.
ERROL LOUIS: That’s my kind of preacher, you know, make it a little uncomfortable sitting there on a Sunday morning—
COLLINS: That does not happen very often.
LOUIS: Doesn’t happen very often and you know, it's interesting if you think about it. I don't know who names or can remove the Senate chaplain, but I suspect if there were different majority leader, his job might be in danger. Right now. This is something that you know you wish more clergy would do, which is take a chance.
Speak your truth. Try and get people to feel a little uncomfortable and to take action. I don't know if his thoughts and prayers are going to be any more effective than anyone else's here because until someone takes action, we're not going to see much in the way of change.
But it is very good to see this and frankly, it's something that would have been unthinkable a while ago and I think for the audience, it's important to keep in mind that you know in the decade or so since the Sandy Hook Massacre you know, you've got Every Town for Gun Safety. You've got Moms Demand Action. You've got March For Our Lives. You've got things like this chaplain speaking out. It's good. This is going to come from below.
You know, we've seen and we've exhaustively covered the fact that Congress seems to be stuck, paralysis. But there's a groundswell and that's how social transformation happens. You know it happens gradually, and then it happens suddenly and I‘m encouraged. Despite all of the tragedies that we're living with every day that a lot of people are getting together and making clear that they're going to take some chances the way this chaplain did.
DON LEMON: Man of the cloth, saying moved beyond thoughts and prayers. That's pretty big.
