It was recently revealed that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was deeply involved in trying to prevent the inauguration of President Joe Biden. The politics of that decision will ripple through 2024 and beyond, but one exchange (of those thus far made public) between Ginni Thomas and then White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, should concern all Christian Americans who do not believe that God is an American or Jesus is a Republican. In other words, if you are willing to see the distinction between Church and State, between Church and America, and between Church and the Republican Party; it is frightening one of the most influential people in the ear of the formerly most powerful man in the world apparently did not. Here is the quote:
"This is a fight of good versus evil. Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it."
{First on CNN: January 6 committee has text messages between Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows}
There are heretical problems with this quote on several levels for Mark Meadows who has publicly, on numerous occasions, declared himself to be a Christian (and has made his public proclamation of being a Christian a central part of his appeal to voters, thus increasing the scrutiny his faith has earned).
1. American political discourse is not 'good versus evil'.
While it may not be blasphemy to declare one's political enemies to be 'evil' (it is certainly false testimony, another sin), it is blasphemy to declare one's own side to be 'good' in the sense that Meadows uses the word. This is apocalyptic, binary choice, type language. Meadows is declaring the Republican party to be Righteous and the Democrat party to be Wicked, in a sheep and the goats, wheat and the tares, type language familiar to those who have read the Gospels. This type of political rhetoric is common, I've heard all my life from people I've known personally, sadly often in church growing up, that 'they' (typically meaning Democrats, liberals, etc.) were 'evil', with the insinuation made, at times explicitly, that 'they' are in league with Satan. If 'they' are on Satan's team, then surely 'we' are on God's team, right? Here's the thing, there are things about the Republican Party, its policies and leaders (now and in the past) that are biblical, moral, and just, AND there are things about the Republican party, its policies and leaders (now and in the past) that are unbiblical, immoral, and unjust. The exact same thing is true of the Democrat Party, and the exact same thing is true of all the parties in all the countries in the world, always has been, always will be. Why? Because they're human creations, led by fallible and fallen human beings, and tempted by the "root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10), that is money.
It doesn't matter what issue Meadows, or anyone else is talking about, the battle between political parties in America is NOT 'good versus evil', it is blasphemy to say so because anyone who does is associating the things of mankind with the will of God, and tarnishing the reputation of God through guilt by association. God is not the exclusive property of any one party or philosophy, period. The Church belongs wholly to Christ, when it fulfills its calling by living righteously, by overflowing with the Fruit of the Spirit, it can rightly claim to be fighting a battle of 'good versus evil'. The Church often fails to live up to this calling, it wasn't given to America, nor was it given to the Republican Party, and neither this nation, nor that political party, are God's representatives on earth, neither are living by faith through the Spirit. The blurring of the line between Christian faith and politics, between Church and political party, has always led to this sad conclusion: blasphemy. Mark Meadows is far from the first, he wont' be the last.
Stop for a moment and consider the affect of this rhetoric on a democracy. Is it any wonder that we're seeing more and more political violence in America when those who are supposed to be responsible leaders are stoking the fires of religious zeal against fellow Americans? If we are 'good' and they are 'evil' the emotional distance one needs to walk to justify killing 'them' is terrifyingly short.
2. The allusion to Jesus' eventual triumph over all things is misapplied, at best.
It is absolutely true that Evil seems to triumph in this world, and it is absolutely true that Jesus Christ will triumph in every way possible when he returns (Philippians 2:9-11). When one makes that allusion, in the context of the 2020 election, it is not the eventual triumph of Jesus that comes to the fore, but the grossly misunderstood Christian Republicanism that assumes that the will of God MUST be that 'our team' wins elections, that 'our team' triumphs in this generation. There is gross arrogance in the assumption that the anyone could understand the will of God for any nation, or in the assumption that God's will and our own hopes/purposes are in alignment, especially when the topic at hand is the power, wealth, and fame of politics. The King of Kings will triumph, that outcome is assured, but it has ZERO to do with any American election.
3. "Do not grow weary in well doing" is Scripture abused, painfully.
Galatians 6:9 New International Version
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
I would give Mark Meadows credit for knowing this verse of Scripture (he appears to be quoting the KJV) if he wasn't using it in a way that would have made the Apostle Paul throw up. Once again we have the false equating of 'good' with Republican party priorities, in this case the retention (against the law) of Donald Trump as President. How can this possibly be 'good' in the sense that Paul intended it? Here is the actual context of Paul's statement:
Galatians 6:7-10 New International Version
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
God cannot be mocked!! A few sentences before the quote that Meadows uses for political purposes is a warning against mocking God! And immediately after the quote is the command to do 'good to all people', especially fellow Christians. Joe Biden is a Christian, attending Mass regularly. Disagree with his politics all you want, but this command from the Apostle Paul applies, and is binding between Mark Meadows and Joe Biden, yet Meadows is using this out-of-context portion of God's Word to urge Ginni Thomas to continue working against the 'evil' Joe Biden. It is a sad commentary on the Church in America that so many self-professing Christians treat each other like foes to be destroyed and not brothers and sisters to be loved, as God commands them to do. God will not be mocked, those who use scripture to prop up partisan goals will stand in judgment before God and answer for it {And don't think I don't hold myself to that standard, every minister of the Gospel will be held to account for misuses of God's Word for personal goals}.
Conclusion:
The text message from Mark Meadows to Ginni Thomas reveals a deeply flawed theology of equating the Republican Party with the Church, the priorities of the Republican Party with the will of God, and the choices/leaders of the Republican Party with 'good'. This is a subset of 'Christian' Nationalism, and is as blasphemous for Mark Meadows to utter as it was for the Pharisees to assume they held a monopoly on understanding the Law of Moses, the Pharisees were blinded by self-righteousness and hatred of their enemies, history is repeating itself here.
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