Paul's Big But

The Gospel's Irreligious Message

Romans 5

Years ago on Capital Hill Russell Vought, President Trump’s nominee to be deputy director of something-something, caused a sleepy session on CSPAN to result in raised eyebrows and spawned social media memes.

Senator Bernie Sanders turned to Russell Vought and, literally wagging his finger, shouted:

"Do you think that people who are not Christians are condemned?

Russell Vought, repeatedly, responded, ”I’m a Christian.”

To which Bernie raised his voice and bellowed at the nominee:

”I understand you are a Christian, but there are other people who have different religions in this country and around the world. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are condemned?”

Behind Bernie’s soapbox assault was a blog post Russell Vought wrote a year prior in support of his evangelical alma mater, Wheaton College. Wheaton had suspended a tenured professor whose views contradicted the school’s statement of faith and, during the ensuing controversy, Vought weighed in that “all are condemned apart from Jesus Christ.”

After wagging his finger, Bernie threw up his hands at Vought’s professed belief in the centrality of Jesus Christ for salvation and declared that his faith claims disqualified him from serving his country through civil service.

Wheaton College’s Statement of Faith isn’t substantively different than the confessions of any other Christian tradition. Wheaton College might put differently than the United Methodist Church, but neither Wheaton nor Vought said anything contrary to what we say when we recite in the Apostles Creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord…who will come again to judge…”

I’m not a Bernie fan; I only have room in my life for one socialist Jew. But what Christians said in response to Sanders, to Bernie’s inflammatory rhetoric, fell short.

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention pointed to the Bible, “Christians don't believe that we are constructing our faith. We believe that it's been handed to us by God.”

Okay. That’s true.

Still Christians bypassed the creeds and pointed to the Constitution and the manner in which Bernie’s religious prejudice violated the Constitution’s religious protection.

Again, that’s true even if it’s a tepid Christian response.

Vought himself said he believes “that all individuals are made in the image of God and are worthy of dignity and respect regardless of their religious beliefs.”

That’s vanilla and generic but still, it’s correct.

But I’m surprised those were the only types of answers offered by Christians.

"Do you think that people who are not Christians stand condemned? I’m a Jew, do you believe I am condemned as well?”

Bernie asked.

And of course, the simple answer, the straight-up answer, the direct and unambiguous answer, the Gospel which Russell Vought and Russell Moore and Pope Francis and Mother Theresa and the Apostle Paul all proclaim— the answer is “Yes.”

Yes, you stand condemned.

Yes, they stand condemned.

And so do I.

I stand condemned.

And so do you.