to the Editor of the Chautauquan Daily

He that serves God for money will serve the Devil for better wages.   Sir Roger L'Estrange

Dear Jordan:

My wife and I were in Chautauqua for week 3 and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Did take sufficient exception to Ralph Reed’s remarks enough to write you in case it’s appropriate to reprint in your ‘letters to the Editor’ section.

In hearing Ralph Reed for the first time, I must admit as a Canadian, I was astounded that anyone could claim to speaking on behalf of 37% of the American electorate. Knowing just about 100 Americans myself, I dare say that I could speak for any one of them, let alone 37, but Ralph Reed, as Founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, insisted last Thursday that he speaks for 37% of the electorate, the majority of whom are law-abiding American evangelicals.
In ruminating on his remarks, I woke up this morning convinced the one evangelical he isn't speaking for is Christ himself. 
In his remarks, Reed called for a return to shock and awe tactics in confronting ISIS, contrary to Jesus’ love your enemies’ and 'turn the other cheek’ policies. 
His argument for dual citizenship is in severe conflict with Christ’s insistence that we only serve one master. 
His opposition to increased government funding to those reliant on social assistance, if followed, would put the Feds in jeopardy on judgment day - a day evangelicals insist we must all face someday - should the question be posed: ‘when I was hungry did you feed me?’ 
There was little of ‘welcome the stranger’ in Ralph's immigration remarks and more ‘fear’ than ‘fear not’ in his diagnosis of what’s ahead. All at odds with Christ’s teaching.
So as much as Ralph Reed may be a good spokesperson for Donald Trump, he is less so for anyone claiming to follow Jesus, let alone Jesus himself.
His remarks reminded me that faith does well to inform our politics but not so well when we insist that our politics and God’s politics are the same.

Thanks Jordan!
Sincerely,


John Deacon