Many progressives and progressive Baptists are celebrating the election of Baptist Pastor Raphael Warnock to the United States Senate.
He is the first African American Senator elected from Georgia and the first African American Democrat to serve from the southern states.
As a Christian and a member of the clergy, should we feel confident supporting him, should we be celebrating? Is this a victory to the cause of Christ?
His election has helped secure the Democrat supremacy in the White House and the Congress.
But who is he and what does he stand for on the issues that are critical to our faith?
He came to prominence in Georgia as a leader in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state, a rather needed program that helps with medical costs for people with limited income and resources.
As a Christian I believe that all people should have access to medical care regardless of their income.
He supports increased COVID19 relief funding, opposes the concealment and carrying of firearms and opposes the death penalty—a biblical tick in my opinion.
However, there are many things we need to be concerned about
Warnock was endorsed by Planned Parenthood as a proponent of abortion rights.
Staci Fox the head of Planned Parenthood’s Atlanta based chapter, called Warnock a ‘dedicated champion’, “who will fight new abortion restrictions in the United States Senate.” You can find the quote here:Georgia Senate: Abortion rights group backs Warnock’s bid to unseat Loeffler (ajc.com)
Fox said earlier this year, “The people of Georgia are done seeing the Trump Administration and the current senators try to use every trick in the book to chip away at health care access and safety net programs and are ready for a bold leader who will fight back against these harmful policies,” she said.
A rather deceptive way of saying that Warnock, a Christian Pastor, who preaches the same Bible that teaches that God has formed us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), only to allow murder of that precious creation and to chip away at any protections the unborn have.
A lack of scriptural integrity and a lack of integrity of the man himself was also exposed in bodycam footage obtained by Fox News.
Allegations of domestic violence by ex-wife
Rather extraordinary footage obtained by Fox News of a bodycam footage can be seen here: Tucker Carlson Shows Police Bodycam Footage Of Raphael Warnock’s Dispute With Ex-Wife | The Daily Caller.
His rather distraught ex-wife Ouleye Ndoye was in tears telling police that Warnock ran over her foot with his car and told police, Warnock is a ‘great actor’ who is ‘phenomenal at putting on a really good show.’
Ndoye told police in the dashcam footage back in March, but obtained by Fox news in December, “This man’s running for United States Senate, and all he cares about right now is his reputation.” Ndoye is seen on the video telling police, “I’ve been trying to be very quiet about the way that he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation. I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So that is what is going on here. And he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
The importance of being beyond reproach?
Warnock deflected questions when asked about the matter on Boxing Day.
Warnock said in a statement: “I’m going to stay focused on my family, which includes their mother, and I am going to stay focused on the people of Georgia,” before attacking his opponent Senator Kelly Loeffler over her lack of action in the COVID stimulus package.
As a Pastor I understand the importance of being beyond reproach.
It’s not enough to do the right thing, you have to be seen to be doing the right thing, any hint of wrongdoing is a potential stumbling block that affects your witness.
Any questions regarding Warnock’s character as a man, a Christian, a family man and a leader should seriously be investigated.
His position on abortion, which for Warnock as a Pastor and an African American to support, is astounding. Black women are five times more likely than white women to undergo such a practice. Abortion has been characterised by racism and white supremacy since its inception. His advocacy for abortion, as well as his Anti-Israel statements which he compared to apartheid, conflict biblical teaching.
It’s extraordinary that some Christians overlook his lack of integrity in his family life, ministerial and political life, simply because he supports their politics.
Warnock’s election to the United States Senate earlier this month is not a win for the church nor for the unborn.