Rep. Zach Wamp made his message clear with few words: If you are not a Christian, you lack the moral fiber necessary to defend your freedoms. In a gubernatorial election that has seen many references to scripture and appeals to religion, Wamp furthered the tone of religious exclusivity with his July 4 visit to Higher Ground Baptist Church in Kingsport, TN.
In what was clearly a campaign stop to help capture the Southern Baptist vote, Wamp begins by informing those in attendance on his personal Baptist background. He strokes their egos by saying, “This is as good a choir and talent and feel and spirit as you’re gonna find anywhere, not just in this state, but in this world. I’ve been around the world. You should be pleased. You should be grateful.” At this point, most of the congregation should have experienced high levels of activity on their BS-meters, but since he was saying things that they agreed with, they let him continue.
Wamp referenced the Founding Fathers and concluded that “There’s so much freedom given to the people that unless they adhere to a moral and a religious code, and they were talking about the Bible, the Holy Bible, it wouldn’t work.” Wamp stated that without a Christian revival in this nation, our liberty would not be preserved. Apparently, for one to appreciate and defend their freedoms, they must fear the threat of eternal damnation first.
Since he was speaking on Independence Day, he of course mentioned our men and women in uniform fighting for freedom and linked their struggle to Christian message of Jesus dying to make mankind free from sin.
He ended on the scariest note of all. With brimstone flowing, he stated resolutely that no man or woman should hold elected office unless their lives are guided by god, and that religion should be present in the formation of every policy. Not wanting to do his words a disservice, I quote that piece of his mini-sermon.
When anybody says to you that they want to be in politics or government or elected office instead of asking them the first question, ‘Are you pro-life?’, ‘Do you believe that a man and a woman should be married to each other?’, and those are important questions, ask those second and third. Ask them this one first: ‘What is your worldview?’ and just wait for an answer. Because if they can’t tell you that my worldview is that God is the center of the universe – not man, He made us to serve Him and to serve each other, that the Bible is inerrant, every single word of it is true, it is the foundation, it is the beginning and the end, and it is the only thing that will stand the test of time. And that every policy should stand on those truths. Praise Him.
View his entire speech below: