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Alabama Governor's Statement has non-Christians Fuming

Mike

Mike

Member
I'm putting this here because it has general social issues as well as political issues.

For anyone who missed the brouhaha, Governor Bentley, just sworn into office, made a bold statement. Appropriate or not appropriate? This might or might not be significant, but he was at a rally on MLK Day to celebrate MLK.

Official footage of the speech is illegal to show on youtube, and regrettably, or maybe not regrettably, this one from MSNBC is the one I found.

[video=youtube;ywYDgx4hKpU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywYDgx4hKpU[/video]

I wouldn't like to post anything from MSNBC, and further, the liberal anchorwoman gives her liberal spin on this. This might work well though, since we'll have two sides of the story. Hers and ours (who are Christian).

After watching the video (only about 1/2 minute long), here are some things I'd like to consider...

  • Should we say this at all?
  • Should he, as an elected official say this at all?
  • If you answered "NO" to the last point, should he have worded it differently?
  • Should he retract the statement?
Well, in the aftermath, he did issue an apology saying basically that he apologizes if anyone was offended by his remark and said he just feels strongly about his Lord.

 
Not the proper setting for that kind of talk.




MLK did some bad stuff he did some really good stuff. In my view he gave his life for freedom. Freedom so kids could just go to school. How do they show value to his life give the kids a day off school. go figure
 
Okay. If this were not at the MLK rally or he wasn't a politician, would this be wrong to say?: "If you do not have Jesus in your heart, you are not my brother/sister."

If you believe it would be more appropriate if he wasn't the governor of Alabama, which allegiance should come first? To his government or his God? I would say he chose the wrong place and time to say something very true. Under other circumstances, he could have worded it differently or elaborated. Say something like...

"My firm belief is that in being brought to faith in Christ, I have been grafted into the Family of God. Everyone else who believes are also members of this family, and they in turn are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are set apart uniquely and forgiven our sins. If anyone rejects Jesus as his Savior, he is not my brother in the spiritual sense, which is most important. As followers of Christ, we are called to reach out to everyone, and my desire is that you come to be a part of this family."

I don't know. I'm not the most eloquent with words, but that's off the cuff.
 
Mike, are you familiar with the saying attributed to Confucius, "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire." The Golden Rule right? Many a pastor has weaved many a sermon around the fact that Confucius' spin on the Golden Rule is in the negative, whereas Jesus' statement, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you" is in the positive.

The way the Scriptures handle our adoption into the family of God is in the positive as well...positive uplifting statements of including all, Jews, Gentiles, males, females, slave and free are brothers and sisters in the family of God.

I found a good reprint of Bentley's actual words:
"There may be some people here today who do not have living within them the Holy Spirit," Bentley said. ''But if you have been adopted in God's family like I have, and like you have if you're a Christian and if you're saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister."

He added, ''Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."

New Alabama Governor Says Non-Christians 'Not My Brother, Not My Sister'
Click to expand...
It is a plea to hear and accept the gospel yes...but I can see how it is being skewed as something offensive...mainly because Bentley put the gospel into the negative rather than into the positive.

Is most of the reaction political hay...probably. But, since Bentley was at the event in his capacity as Governor of the state of Alabama, it was probably not the time to issue an "altar call".

I'm not saying that Bentley cannot share his faith now that he is governor. What? Are we going to say that our elected officials can only uphold free speech by denying themselves the right to it?

I'm just saying that he needs to put a lot of thought into how he shares his faith when he is officially acting as governor.

Having said that...I would imagine that any white governor speaking at an event honoring a black man in Alabama was going to get lambasted for something by someone or some group. Some things are just inevitable.
 
good answer to your question!

"My firm belief is that in being brought to faith in Christ, I have been grafted into the Family of God. Everyone else who believes are also members of this family, and they in turn are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are set apart uniquely and forgiven our sins. If anyone rejects Jesus as his Savior, he is not my brother in the spiritual sense, which is most important. As followers of Christ, we are called to reach out to everyone, and my desire is that you come to be a part of this family."
Click to expand...
 
He may have been better to say the kingdom of heaven, God, is made up with people from every race, tribe, tongue, and we are all equal in Gods eyes, and being part of the family of God, this was made possable because, and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

and the invitation to be part of this family goes out to every one, the door is still open.

johnny
 
handy said:
I'm not saying that Bentley cannot share his faith now that he is governor. What? Are we going to say that our elected officials can only uphold free speech by denying themselves the right to it?

I'm just saying that he needs to put a lot of thought into how he shares his faith when he is officially acting as governor.
Click to expand...

Mike said:
I would say he chose the wrong place and time to say something very true. Under other circumstances, he could have worded it differently or elaborated.
Click to expand...

Dora, I think we're in agreement, aren't we? :)
 
I think he spoke without putting a lot of thought into it, but you know, politicians of old would invoke the name of God or Jesus at the drop of a hat. And nothing was said about it. I think it was the wording that Bentley used. And also people think that God is not into politics, well I am here to tell you that, that is not true, because through out the Bible God was involved with the political affairs of his people. I am actually glad to see a out spoken high ranking government official who is not afraid to speak out like many of the others are. He is the kind of official that you need to put the Ten Commandments back in the courts, where one court down south I forget where, had it removed off the front lawn.
 
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i posted a thread that is similiar in concept to this
that a soldier is forced to take a religious test

yes that is the truth, as i have been told to take that test.

please comment.
 
maddow is such a filthy pig. That was a really 'neat' caption at the bottom right of the screen, too. I feel like msnbc is violating my civil rights with that caption. I feel the need to cry a river now. Woe, be my civil rights. MSNBC has alienated me from it's family. That spelling error is not innocent.

My only problem with the governor, is that he backed out of his statement when he apologized.

Typical leftwing nut jobs sensationalizing things. Civil rights? He said that unbelievers are not his (spiritual) kin. So what? How does that rob people of 'civil rights?' So, because the man is a public official, he had to adopt the entire state in the intimacy of kinship? Give me a break. No, civil rights are not infringed by this statement. The leftist nut job wants to infringe on the first amendment, though, it seems.

Civil rights do not preclude the first amendment. No where is there a law requiring politicians to Embrace deviants on the intimate personal level. These people arent even among those who voted for him. They belong to his rival's 'family'. The "democratic" family.
 
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johnny botwright said:
He may have been better to say the kingdom of heaven, God, is made up with people from every race, tribe, tongue, and we are all equal in Gods eyes, and being part of the family of God, this was made possable because, and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

and the invitation to be part of this family goes out to every one, the door is still open.

johnny
Click to expand...
Most of the time these "invitations" sound like Threats. What's more they don't just sound like threats Usually it turns out they function like threats too backed up with exclusion, discrimination, neglect or violence as I can attest ¬.¬
 
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