A Baptist pastor criticized South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s use of religion, saying his appeals to Christianity were not anti-capitalist enough.
“Buttigieg has said that his Christian faith encourages a ‘skepticism of the wealthy and the powerful and the established.’ But one might rightly suspect the strength of his commitment to that skepticism,” John Thornton Jr., a socialist, said in an article published by Vox on Tuesday.
“Buttigieg’s invocation of his faith might enliven a small number of progressive Christians in the party, but his politics remains standard fare for Democratic politicians courting the whims of the wealthy while attempting to appeal to the masses’ religious values. His political religious vision elides struggle and, in turn, victory.”
“If there is to be a religious left, it will not be founded by answering the question, ‘Are you skeptical of the rich?’ But: ‘Which side are you on?’” the North Carolina pastor said.
Buttigieg has made religion central to his pitch to win the Democratic presidential primary.
“I think anybody in this process needs to demonstrate how they will represent people of any faith, people of no faith, but I also think the time has come to reclaim faith as a theme,” Buttigieg said in March. “The idea that the only way a religious person could enter politics is through the prism of the religious right, I just don’t think that makes sense.”
“The time has come for more of a Religious left to emerge in our country that lets people know they are not alone when they look at faith,” Buttigieg said.
In April, Buttigieg questioned whether President Trump was a sincere Christian.
“I’m reluctant to comment on another person’s faith, but I would say it is hard to look at this president’s actions and believe that they’re the actions of somebody who believes in God. I just don’t understand how you can be as worshipful of your own self as he is and be prepared to humble yourself before God,” Buttigieg said. “I’ve never seen him humble himself before anyone. And the exaltation of yourself, especially a self that’s about wealth and power, could not be more at odds with at least my understanding of the teachings of the Christian faith.”
Thornton wrote: “What worries me is the way Buttigieg’s brand of Christian leftism plays into the hands of the religious right. For decades, their pastors, theologians, and politicians have preached and organized around a theology that connects the everyday, moral struggles of millions of believers with a larger political struggle — one that proclaims that God wants to transform and save not only their souls but the soul of a nation.
“The language of spiritual and moral strife animates the religious rightI recently attended a local Southern Baptist megachurch worship service one Sunday morning. Knowing the overwhelming support for Trump among white evangelicals, those on the outside might expect patriotism and right-wing political propaganda to saturate the morning’s sermon.
“Instead, I was surprised at how so much of the messaging dealt with personal and moral struggle and emotions like anger, guilt, desire, jealousy, worry, and sadness.”
