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Christianity Today, August, 2007 |

Q&A: Richard Land

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission talks about his new book, The Divided States of America?

Interview by Collin Hansen | posted 7/30/2007 08:26AM

Do evangelicals treat some political issues as black-and-white that should be categorized as gray?

God may not have a position on the precise nature of the tax burden on the American people. But I believe ...

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John G.

Posted: August 01, 2007 8:50 PM

The three previous commentators have displayed much venom but little understanding or Christian love. "Disgusted Reader" obviously has some special insight to know who is "part of the problem." If by "problem" he means racial issues, that wasn't even under discussion. And he tars all Southern Baptists with a very large brush. Mr. Marshall fails to define how he believes that Mr. Land is "responsible for such division," and incidentally, since when is interviewing someone the same as "promoting"? Also, he dismissed Mr. Land as a non-Christian by putting the word "Christian" in quotes. Mr. Pike is simply outright disrespectful (read 1st Peter 2:17). And he fails to understand the nature of the tax cuts and economic matters. I'm glad that most Christians I know personally are more understanding, forgiving, and willing to listen to reason than you three are.

Matt K

Posted: August 01, 2007 8:49 AM

I think Dr. Land is misleading in his first answer. While it may be true that Government revenues are back up on a growing economy, it has not equalled a balanced budget or improved the state of poverty in this country. I'm not a Clinton apologist, but the truth is that poverty levels in America have risen and risen every year since 2001. Increased revenues are only being wasted away on no-bid contracts in Iraq, middle-class entitlements, and a bloated bureaucracy (both military and civilian). Bush tax cuts have not helped the poor and are only endangering our children's future as we pass on massive defecits to the next generation. Dr. Land is a smart man, but he got in bed with the Republicans along time ago. I hope he'll find the integrity to break rank.

PeaceWarrior

Posted: July 31, 2007 5:05 PM

Dr. Land may be Southern Baptist, but any person with any idea of United States history can testify to the fact that the ol' USA WAS founded on Christianity... and now more than ever it's divided. For any person to say "It's not clear... there are Biblical mandates for Christians to translate Scriptures into law"... then that person has absolutely NO understanding of the Bible at all, and must not accept the Bible as God's inerrant "Breathed" Word. I DO NOT and advocate of multiculturalism, but those who chose not to accept God's gift will without a doubt get their reward. God destoyed a couple of cities for possibly less than what goes on in the USA. I'm so glad there is more than ONE person here that is Godly... and I'm glad we have people such as DR. Land that serve as a perverbial "Lot" to guide us be the wayside. I only feel for those who don't listen and turn back to look!!!

Bill	Posted: July 31, 2007 12:22 PM

I think that the comment from Mr. Pike is unfortunate. Although I am sure he thinks that referring to Dr. Land as "Dickie Land" is very clever...not really. Mixing together the Bush tax cuts with Iraq is also not particularly intellectually honest. Dr. Land does not say in the interview that Bush is a better President than Clinton. He does say that his tax cuts seemed more productive than Clinton's.Whether the increased revenue should have been spent on Iraq or not is a separate issue. The idea that Dr. Land should not quote Dr. King is ludicrous. I, for one, am happy Dr. Land is not trying to have the U.S. called a Christian nation and is looking for protection for religious beliefs amid multiculturalism.

Greg Marshall

Posted: July 30, 2007 7:34 PM


It is not at all surprising to me that Land believes he is an authority on "The Divided States of America." He is certainly one of the "Christians" most responsible for such division! Why is Christianity Today promoting the ideas of a person like Richard Land?

Michele M.

Posted: July 30, 2007 5:49 PM

While I am certainly no fan of the SBC or "Pastor Politicians", I don't believe there is enough content in this interview as it is published here to even incite a good debate about Mr. Land's opinions (yes, I said 'opinions'). I'm not saying I will actually read his book (we're all entitled to write one), but, anger aside, we need a little more info. Notwithstanding, it is not clear to me there are Biblical mandates for Christians to "translate Scriptural principles into law". I understand my job description to be to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." This may include the world of government and politics....but I am just not so sure of the endpoint of going down that path as so many Evangelicals seem so prone to do.

Jan Thomas

Posted: July 30, 2007 4:09 PM

My goodness! Mr. Disgusted Reader lumps a whole bunch of folks in a category that seems to be 180 degrees away from what most of us believe. I would have been privileged to have had Martin Luther King as my pastor then--and now. Many SBC churches are pastored by African-American pastors and many are either multi-cultural or black. Mr. Reader needs to get off his high horse and visit a good SBC church sometime.

chas pike

Posted: July 30, 2007 2:00 PM

dickie land hands us this statement:" Now, I think there are some tax policies that work better than others in terms of results. The Bush tax cuts have produced more revenue for the government than Clinton's tax increases did. So the question has to be asked: Which economic system works?" i scratch my head at this. i am no clinton apologist, but hadn't he balanced the books and all but eliminated the national debt? how did georgie b's tax cuts to the wealthy give the government more money to spend? look at the debt, look at all the money borrowed from our great grand chlidren that he is pouring into iraq. dickie, you my friend are not getting enough oxygen.

Disgusted Reader

Posted: July 30, 2007 1:20 PM


Richard Land quoting MLK ??!! What can be more perverse? It's up there with Lenin quoting Adam Smith, or Hitler quoting from the Talmud, Bin Laden quoting Gloria Steinem or Satan from the Holy Bible I guess! To all Southern Baptists, ... hands off MLK's legacy! You were, and still are apart of the problem, not apart of the solution. Shame on Christianity Today !!!

Raymond Takashi Swenson

Posted: July 30, 2007 1:13 PM

One of the political views expressed by some American Christians that is not in fact based on the Bible is their flat out opposition to political candidates who belong to minority religions. The New Testament shows that the Church grew up in a political environment where the rulers were not Christian, and that, looking forward to the eventual return of Christ to reign over all the earth, Christians did not seek political power or object to it being exercised by those who were not of their religious community. Objecting to a candidate of moral integrity solely on the ground that he or she is a Jew, a Mormon, a Buddhist or a Muslim has no precedent or charter in scripture. Those who claim that such prejudice is an obligation of Christians are blaming God for their own intolerance. They are following the Ku Klux Klan in preaching a Christian tribalism, not the loving message of the Savior who taught that the Good Samaritan fulfilled all the law and the prophets.

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