Contending For Religious Liberty: Russell Vought

I'm so glad that Bernie Sanders wasn't elected president!  My initial concern with Senator Sanders was his commitment to socialism, which is un-American and immoral.  But yesterday it became apparent that there's another reason that Sanders is unfit for the presidency.  He opposes religious liberty -- the first freedom protected in the Constitution!

Sanders' hatred of Christians came to light yesterday in a confirmation hearing for Trump's choice to become the second-in-command at the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought.  It was brought to Sanders' attention that Vought believed that Muslims do not know God, and stand condemned because they do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  For this reason, Sanders concluded that Vought was unfit for public office!  In other words, Sanders concluded that if you are a Christian, then you are unfit for public office.

This is called a "religious test," and it is unconstitutional.  It's when a person is excluded from public office because of their religious beliefs.  For those who don't know the law, and history, you can't do that.  America is built on religious liberty.

Bernie Sanders seemed surprised that Russell Vought believed in the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ.  This highlights Sanders' ignorance.  This is a basic, fundamental, classic doctrine of Christianity.  It is found throughout the Bible, and even in the very words of Jesus (Lk 10:16; Jn 5:23; Jn 8:42; Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 Jn 2:23; 2 Jn 1:9).  The only way someone can be an authentic Christian and not hold to this doctrine is out of ignorance.  Otherwise there's no way to get around it.

Responding to Senator Sanders, Russell Moore (President of the ERLC) said,

“Senator Sanders’ comments are breathtakingly audacious and shockingly ignorant—both of the Constitution and of basic Christian doctrine. Even if one were to excuse Senator Sanders for not realizing that all Christians of every age have insisted that faith in Jesus Christ is the only pathway to salvation, it is inconceivable that Senator Sanders would cite religious beliefs as disqualifying an individual for public office in defiance of the United States Constitution. No religious test shall ever be required of those seeking public office. While no one expects Senator Sanders to be a theologian, we should expect far more from an elected official who has taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution.”

You may not be interested in politics, Christian, but politics is interested in you.  And there are those in our society who are currently and increasingly attempting to use the power of the state to silence, marginalize, and punish Christians.  If stories like this don't motivate you to get involved in politics, then nothing will!  And if Christians don't get involved, then eventually it will be against the law to exercise your religion, and by then it will be too late to do anything about it.

Petitions are now going around to urge Sanders to stop this madness.  He is completely in the wrong.  If you want to read more about the story, go here.  If you want to watch the video clip, I recommend this video commentary by Wretched Radio.  For more information on this exchange, see this article in The Atlantic by Emma Green.