Evangelical Professor Challenges Fred Thompson's Faith
Bets $100 that Thompson is a "Lapsed Member"
Thompson has yet to formally announce his candidacy, but is expected to so do around July 4th. According to an article on WorldNetDaily.com (WND), Professor Mark Elrod of Harding University, a school associated with the Churches of Christ, charged that Thompson is a "lapsed member" of the denomination. Elrod, quoted by WND, said he doubts that Thompson "is filling out an attendance card at a Church of Christ on Sundays."
The issue is important because Thompson may need the evangelical Christian vote in order to win the nomination. Elrod's comments follow on the comments of Dr. James Dobson, head of the Christian Focus on the Family organization, who recently expressed doubts that Thompson is even a Christian.
In the WND article, Elrod said he has failed to find any indication that Thompson belongs to a local congregation in Tennessee, the state where Thompson once served as a United States Senator.
The Thompson campaign denies Elrod's charge. A spokesman, quoted by WND, said that Thompson, who is currently an actor on NBC's "Law and Order," is "indeed a Christian. He was baptized in the Church of Christ." Thompson, according to WND, attends a Church of Christ when he visits his mother in Nashville.
In his search for evidence of Thompson's church involvement, Elrod is asking for any evidence of church activity on the part of Thompson: teaching a Bible class, for example, or presiding at communion services, greeting, or even leading singing ("If it was 728b and you can prove it, I'll give you $100, he said. The page reference was to a hymn, "Our God, He is Alive," which, says WND, is "considered an anthem in the Churches of Christ.")
The Churches of Christ is a very fundamental denomination, especially concerning the role of women in marriage, a role which emphasizes subservience to the husband. Women, according to a David Pharr, a Church of Christ preacher, are also restricted in what they can do during a worship service. "There are some things women are not allowed to do," he explained. "They are not allowed to pray, teach or even ask questions when such would be usurping authority over men," he is quoited by WND.
Thompson's first marriage ended in divorce, a practice not approved of by the Church of Christ. WND reports that when Thompson married his present wife, Jeri, it was in a congregation of the United Church of Christ, a very liberal denomination compared with the Church of Christ.
Sources:
www.wnd.com/news/article.asp
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849154/posts
Published by Bible Doc
I am a (mostly) retired minister. I spent a few years teaching Bible courses in a Christian school. One of my goals is to write. I see Associated Content as a step toward fulfilling that goal. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentMy evaluation of Fred has little to do w/ his personal religiosity. I just feel the Evang. Christians have jumped the gun on Fred.
My quick eval: 1). No executive management experience--NONE. 2). no real legislative production as US Senator--only embarrassing very, very small stuff 3). I really don't like his DC years nick-name: the "Tennessee Stud". There maybe a few women who are waiting to
pounce on this former playboy. 4). The "reputation" for being lazy is poor for a president. This IS especially so when there is evidence that it is true: A).See h s yearbook quote. B). senate advisors noticed such C).80% of his earnings for 18 yrs before he ran for the senate averaged $30K per year as a DC lobbyist. I am embarrassed for him on this. D). Way too many other people in Fred's life motivate or nudge him in career directions: wife's family toward law school, appointments by Howard Baker, as well as other nudging for the senate seat and now the prescy, Fred's home town school teacher
Not true to faith = not true to what else? I need someone who is consistant with all aspects of their life, values included. Right on Greg for your posting of where his intrests really lie; his intrest certainly isn't toward Americans. I want to be free of the Rockerfellers of the world. Heck, I certainly ain't for one world government neither.
Note from Bible Doc. I received a message from Professor Mark Elrod, the professor who allegedly offered $100 to anyone who could provide proof of Fred Thompson's church attendance. He told me that the article I referred to for my article was based on an article on his blog. He said the blog article was simply satire and not to be taken seriously. He also said he was not a fundamentalist, a term used on source article.
The most devout, church-involved "Christian" can at the same time be a truly lousy political leader and vice-versa. I think Thompson needs to be evaluated on what his leadership skills are. Voting for a key political office should leave religion out of the equation altogether.
He's running for political office not vying to become and Elder or Deacon.
Maybe he can just not waste his time with legalistic denominations such as COC. I'm with Fred too, Kimberly. :) Well written, by the way, Bible Doc.
I hope that the heavy-duty evangelicals will be more interested in Thompson's views on immigration and national security than they will be on whether he warmed a pew regularly. Frankly, I don't think we have the luxury of debating about the evangelical hot buttons of homosexuality and choice during a time of war. But I do understand your point, and it's a very well made one at that. ;-) This is very nicely done. www.imwithfred.com