Finally Finding Faith at the RNC
This morning I was all set to write a post about how hard it is to blog about faith at the Republican Convention. After all, there hasn't been any video or transcripts of religious panels or prayer invocations or benedictions or anything of the sort. So I was pleasantly surprised to get a point in the right direction from Dan Gilgoff at God-o-meter and Reuters' Ed Stoddard.
Calling it "a very Christian convention," Dan says
The Democratic National Convention may have gone to extraordinary lengths to showcase its new faith-friendly ways last week. And John McCain has often seemed tone-deaf on matters religious. But make no mistake: evangelical Christians are still a huge and growing force in the GOP. The Republican Party might not be issuing press release after press release about it, as are the Democrats, but just turn to C-Span and see for yourself.
Thanks Dan. Interesting that it was explicitly Christian, as were some but not all of the prayers at the Democratic convention. We'll be on the lookout for nods to pluralism. Here's some of that C-Span footage -- prayer and remarks on Hurricane Gustav, humility and character by evangelist Miles McPherson:
Comments
It is wonderful that we have a man of color who is the president elect of this country. But the long exhisting problems of the black community can not wait for trickle down effect solutions to stop black crime, violence, economic, political and social deprivation that continues for people of color today. I know that we are a people of faith and the first Christians as well as the true decendands of the tribe of Judah and people referred to in Deutoronomy 28. Now with all that said remember, The Bible Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Now it is time to Unify efforts and put action with our faith. Let's pool a small portion of our work efforts and devlop an organization that will receive an offering of .25 Cents a week from each African and African American in the United States today. We can build bakeries, meat processing and packing plants, tennis shoe factories and penal institutions that will all earn and generate great profits to create jobs for African American men comming out of penal institutions and returning to our communities. With businesses that don't pay corporate officers outrageous salaris but uses those extravigant salaries to pay the employees a salary that will diswayed them from particpating in crime and negative activities because we provide them with alternative by sharing and creating conditions they can live under.
Posted by: Michael X. Ben Leonard Powers | November 30, 2008 04:40 PM