Reviews, Interviews, News, Commentaries, Excerpts, My Top 5 Books, Wilson's Bookmarks, Book AwardsQ & A: Nikki Haley on Faith, the 'War on Women,' and Why She Would Say No to VP
The other side is we need to expand the worker visa program, because we've got industries in our country—agriculture, construction, any of those service-related industries where they're having trouble finding somebody—that need workers so they continue to be strong. But we should make sure people are here legally.
There has been a lot of concern on Shari'ah laws recently. Do you think it's important or unhelpful to focus on these anti-Shari'ah laws? Could passing these laws lead to a precedent for other areas of religious freedom?
It's a conversation that always has to go back to the will of the people. If the people are concerned about it, then yes. In South Carolina it has become something of an issue, and we have said we are going to stay focused on it and make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we're not finding any sort of relationship to Shari'ah law. I think right now it's a state-by-state issue.
We always have to be careful. There is that freedom of religion that we revere in this country and we want to make sure we can do that. At the same time, we have to make sure we're protecting the people of our states. So it has to be on a case-by-case basis where you look at the laws.
How would you respond to Christian relief organizations that have expressed concern over the government cutting funding to programs that aid the world's poor?
Government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people; it wasn't intended to be all things to all people. When I look at the fact that we need to strengthen law enforcement, government does that. But then what I'm doing is going to the charity side, the private sector side, to take care of those who are in need. It's not that Republicans don't care—Republicans just don't think government should pay for it, and there're other ways to accomplish these things.
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Related Elsewhere:
Previous Christianity Today interviews with politicians include:
Q & A: Mitch Daniels on the Economy, His Quiet Faith, and a Social Issues Truce | Why the governor of Indiana is ambivalent about "compassionate conservatism," sees fiscal responsibility as a moral issue, and still wants a truce on social issues. (October 3, 2011)
Q & A: Michele Bachmann on Cuts for Aid Relief, Obama's Faith and Credibility, and Francis Schaeffer | The Tea Party caucus chair talks to CT about recent military actions in Libya, why she opposes governmental steps to combat global warming, and her potential presidential candidacy. (April 14, 2011)
Q & A: Rick Santorum on Muslims, Religious Freedom, and 'Walking' for President | The former senator from Pennsylvania talks about what he thinks Obama got right and becoming a target of the gay community. (April 5, 2011)
CT also follows political developments on the politics blog.
Streaming This Weekend, May 24, 2013
Boy Scouts' Membership Change May Grow Christian Youth Clubs
You Can't Think Your Way to God
Building Peace in the Heart of Darkness
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Ben Montgomery
(continued) In the American freemarket, studies have shown that (in particular, during the Reagan years and immediately following) people tended to remain in the lower economic classes for 10 years or less. In other words, poor people had the ability to build wealth. The government that has the ability to feed you also has the ability to starve you and control you.
Ben Montgomery
Christine, there is so much wrong with your post that I don't have the time or the energy to address, but I will say this: Conservative values (in particular to your post, conservative economic values) create opportunity for people to create their own wealth based upon their hard work and ingenuity. Socialistic programs, although they sound so people friendly, enslave people to the government because they create a system where the people depend on the good will of the government for their daily bread. This is clear if you will consider two examples: 1) the native American experience. The resistance against the U.S. advancement into Indian territories was holding its own until the U.S. started supplying the Indians with food (cattle) and clothing. When the native Americans became dependent on the government assistance they lost the war. 2) The European experience. In the socialist governments of Europe it is essentially impossible to rise up in class. (continued)
LLOYD OMDAHL
It is important that we remember that politics is secular and not Christian. If we read the Bible carefully, we will find that there is no calling to worldly politics. Christians who go into politics become swallowed up in the secular nature of game and look as mean-spirited as those without a Christian profession. Political Christians are not very good witnesses for Christ's love and truth. That is why their claim of being called into politics is just an echo of their own desires and not a call from God at all.