Having been raised in a mainline Protestant denomination, I spent years watching very clumsy combinations of church and state. For me, abortion and the Gospel were presented as practically synonymous at times, and even now, when I have the guts to look up my old church online, I see photos of the present congregation turning out for Pride and pro-abortion events.
You see, the Left is not concerned about the mingling of church and state as it is the church and the cause. If the right kinds of churches support the right causes, there is nothing to see here, and you should move on. But I doubt the Left will be so dismissive of Ralph Reed and the organization Faith and Freedom.
Politico notes that the group has budgeted $62 million to get evangelicals to the polls for the 2024 election. Efforts will include voter registration, texts, calls, door-knocking, and handing out literature at an estimated 125,000 churches. In 2020, Faith and Freedom spent approximately $52 million. The operation should be working at full steam sometime in mid-July. To Reed's knowledge, it is the largest such effort ever undertaken, with some 10,000 staffers and volunteers hitting the streets. Or pews. Faith and Freedom will handle the lion's share of the work as it is a 501(c)(4) organization. The balance would be taken up by Americans of Faith, which operates under 501(c)(3) status. Neither type of group can directly advocate for a specific candidate, but a 501(c)(4) operates under fewer restrictions.
Democrats traditionally outspend Republicans during campaigns, and Trump's continued legal woes threaten to leave him extremely short on funds. Reed is not unmindful of this and told Politico, “In this business, you’re paid to worry, and we certainly have seen in recent cycles — particularly in the statewide races and especially the Senate races — we’ve seen the spending gap become overwhelming, serious and debilitating.”
This is the nightmare scenario about which Rob Reiner's "God and Country" warned people. At last check, the offering had a dismal performance at the box office since most Americans are not convinced that Christians have a secret plan to enforce toxic masculinity while making sure women stay in the kitchen in their third trimester, staring at a pot of stew and wondering where their shoes went. One of the film's premises is that there is a vast and well-funded network lurking in the shadows that funnels money to activists so they can chain an unsuspecting nation to a cross. Faith and Freedom will set up the perfect opportunity for the filmmakers and their supporters to say, "See? We told you so!" Probably in the same hushed and intellectual tones used in the film to convince the viewer that some sort of Evangelical Christian Doom Squad is crouching just around the corner, ready to baptize unsuspecting people with a firehose, tie them up in an AWANA vest, and force them to vote Republican.
But Reed's efforts are targeted at mobilizing evangelicals who have likely not seen the movie and who have probably made up their minds at this point. The lines have been drawn, and the only thing left, barring a surprise announcement at the DNC convention, is to wait and see what happens on election night.
On the other hand, Faith and Freedom may have its work cut out for it in certain sectors. The Post Modern movement in the church made some significant inroads during its day, and the younger generations of evangelicals, navigating the maze of CRT, LGBTQ, and abortion, are also susceptible to left-wing ideas. In some cases they may sympathize with those causes. And, as Megan Basham has pointed out, progressive groups have invested time and money in infiltrating churches.
On a related note, on March 3, none other than Merrick Garland took center stage at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate Bloody Sunday. Garland talked about the DOJ's Election Threats task force. You can read Garland's speech here.
I'm no fan of bringing politics to the pulpit, even if I happen to agree with the politics in question. And if the Left wants to keep it that way, fine. They can go first.
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