JD Greear urges pastors not to call VP Kamala Harris ‘Jezebel,' but to pray for her
“Greear’s guidance comes in the wake of SBC’s pastors, including SBC Executive Committee member Steve Swofford, referring to the vice president by the term.” - C.Post
Related: RNS, Jan 29 - Some Southern Baptist pastors are calling Kamala Harris ‘Jezebel.’ What do they mean?
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Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry
There could be reasons to compare any powerful woman to the biblical Jezebel. But two factors that are important in this:
- What a pastor says to his congregation privately vs. what he says to the world. If you’ve led a congregation for a while, you have a good idea of what will be understood as you mean it vs. badly misunderstood. Your chances of calling someone famous Jezebel publicly and being understood as anything but hateful, etc., are pretty small.
- A disease that afflicts much of conservative Christianity is that they’ve decided to walk off the field and join the booing section in the stands. All they do is jeer all the time. They don’t look for anything positive to appreciate. They don’t look for ways to work together. They don’t build anything. They have left the field.
- This isn’t a new thing, though I think the politicization of everything has made it far worse. I attended some churches like this in 90’s, only the target of the incessant jeering (and implied self congratulation) was “the neo-evangelicals” or “the world” or “compromisers” or “pseudo-fundamentalists.”
- Regardless of the target, the disease is the same: you can’t edify those who need edifying if all you ever do is attack everyone else. There’s a time to deconstruct, but what ever happened to building something? Whatever happened to being self-critical in the interest of growth?
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
As far as we know, Jezebel didn’t advance her career by sleeping with married guys. As far as we know, Jezebel only killed innocent adults instead of facilitating the murder of (at least) hundreds of thousands of unborn children. As far as we know, Jezebel only suborned justice against one man rather than hundreds.
Using that name for the current Vice President is an insult to Jezebel.
…when John McCain chose Sara Palin as his VP. Many conservative Christians were likening her to Esther. “For such a time as this…” Blah. Blah. Blah.
I hate it when we mix politics with out-of-context religious references. Stupid stuff that does absolutely nothing to advance the gospel. Just like the crazy political pragmatism we’ve seen the last four years in conservative Christian circles.
I actually read that down South , “Jezebel” is in some regards a racial slur. My experience in southern culture is insufficient to determine that. So that plays in here.
My experience is that I’ve not heard of people calling women “Jezebels” except for indirectly—e.g. women complaining about others referring to them in that way. I am no expert in this, for which I am thankful.
That said, what you’re saying when you call someone “Jezebel” is “you are a non-member of our society who aims to bring the worst of pagan society into our land”, no? (even if it’s not a racial slur!) I would therefore concur with Aaron that using the term is an odd way of trying to persuade. Maybe try “we disagree” or “we think this course of action is a great moral offense” (especially vis-a-vis the abortion issue).
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
Is it ok to call VP Harris an unrighteous ungodly person whom no Christian should look to as a role model? Is it ok to say that her policies are an abomination and should be opposed at every opportunity?
[josh p]Just listened this morning to R.G. Lee’s sermon, “Payday Sunday” that he preached over 1000 times. It involves her and I was reminded of how horrible Jezebel was. It’s absurd, and wrong for a pastor to speak that way about our country’s leaders.
That’s 20 years of Sunday mornings. Did he have any other sermons? I’m not against repeating things that are worth repeating, but there is a point where you’ve got to ask whether the preacher is having something of a crisis of creativity!
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
[Mark_Smith] Is it ok to call VP Harris an unrighteous ungodly person whom no Christian should look to as a role model?
As long as you apply this to Donald J Trump as well.
[Oh, SNAP!]
Seems to me you’ve been calling him that for a while!
Snap back at ya!
[Mark_Smith]Seems to me you’ve been calling him that for a while!
Snap back at ya!
So, would that make Trump an “Ahab”? Funny how many Christians didn’t view Trump in that light. Instead, they viewed him practically as their political messiah.
The actions of Trump end of the Trump presidency was tragic. I do not support him for any office any longer. I support many of the policies he promoted over the years however.
[T Howard]As long as you apply this to Donald J Trump as well.
Outside of maybe the Jerry Falwell Jr. branch of evangelicalism (and I’m speculating on that one given what I’ve read), I’ve heard NO preacher call Trump a godly person to whom a Christian should took as a role model, and I’m fairly certain you haven’t read that here on SI either.
Dave Barnhart
Do you support Harris and Biden’s policies to open the border, open up transgender, LGBTQ etc rights? Abortion provisions as well.
[dcbii] Outside of maybe the Jerry Falwell Jr. branch of evangelicalism (and I’m speculating on that one given what I’ve read), I’ve heard NO preacher call Trump a godly person to whom a Christian should took as a role model, and I’m fairly certain you haven’t read that here on SI either.
Dave, from reading some on SI, Trump was the best thing to happen to the Republican party since Reagan. Christians who didn’t support Trump were delusional.
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