Like Rats On A Sinking Ship

The opinion piece "Finding compromise between Republicans and evangelicals" (Sunday Outlook) was striking, not just for the blatantly political character of the message, but it's conclusions regarding the direction of the Republican Party, whose interests Pastor Robert Jeffress claims to have at heart. Jefress opines that in order for the Republican Party to remain politically relevant and for Evangelicals to advance their moral agenda, they should embrace Democrat policies on issue like ObamaCare and higher taxes. On this, two observations:
 

1) Republicans - and, I believe most Evangelicals - believe that there is an explicit moral component in opposing ObamaCare and higher taxes, specifically, that it is wrong to pursue such selfish policies because they saddle future generations with a crippling debt, destroying not just their prospects for a good life, but perhaps their very existence.

2) With his give-and-take approach, Jefress pursues an explicitly political agenda, something that is - or ought to be - anathema to Christians of all stripes. Jesus said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's"; He didn't say "compromise with Caesar on taxes so you can have your way on gay marriage".

It's strange to think that any conservative Christian should so embrace the philosophy of Secularists, given that these same folks have spent decades reviling Evangelicals not just for their beliefs, but for any effort on their part to organize themselves politically. It's hard not to conclude that Jefress - by embracing ObamaCare and higher taxes - desires not only to be politically relevant, but to sell out some core Christian beliefs in the process.

All in all, a bizarre epistle from a man of God.