Why Romney's Religion Matters Politically

Protestants move freely from one denomination to another depending on the preacher, the programs of the congregation, and the politics of the group. Religious doctrine seems not to matter. We no longer live in the seventeenth century.

But religious doctrine matters in the Republican primaries. Many Republicans believe that Mitt Romney is not a real Christian and prefer other candidates for those reasons. Thus evangelicals met in Texas to rally around a single candidate to stop Romney. To be sure, those evangelicals doubt Romney’s dedication to conservative principles as well, but the religion of the candidate was explicitly an issue for the evangelicals.

Why? As I understand it contemporary Mormons accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and they believe that Jesus is God, but they do not believe that Jesus is co-equal with the Father. For them, the traditional conception of the Trinity is a fourth century invention.

There is much in scripture supporting the view that Jesus did not think he was co-equal with the Father. Consider the prayers of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. The noted scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown deals with this by arguing that Jesus did not realize he was God until after the resurrection. I do not know how evangelicals deal with the troublesome passages, but they clearly adhere to the Nicene Creed.

But what difference does it make? If Romney and the Mormons accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, aren’t they certifiably Christian? From the evangelical perspective, the answer is no. As I understand it, evangelicals believe that justification is by faith alone; Christians are required to bring others to Jesus; and the faith that is required is belief in the divinity of Christ, a divinity that is co-equal with the Father.  As Mark Silk discussed yesterday (here), from the perspective of evangelicals, Romney becoming President would help legitimize a false religion in perhaps more powerful ways than Tim Tebow helps to promote evangelical Christianity.

Of course, Romney’s views are alien to Catholics as well, but I would guess (I have not seen the numbers) that Romney does far better among Catholic Republicans than Republican evangelicals. If so, I would think that the influence of the doctrine of justification by works leads to less concern over differences in religious doctrine.

Ironically, the best defense of the Christianity of Mormons comes from Father Hans Kung. Kung’s views about the divinity of Christ would be more problematic for evangelicals than those of Romney. Kung affirms that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus rose from the dead, and he subscribes to the teachings of Jesus. But he denies the divinity of Christ altogether. He argues that God caused Jesus to rise from the dead, and that belief in the divinity of Christ is not essential to being a Christian. Whatever one thinks of this particular contention of Kung, his bestselling On Being a Christian which develops this position among many others is a great book and ought to be read by anyone with an interest in Christian theology. As I say, I think it offers the best defense of the Christian status of those who follow Christ.

Nonetheless, I do not expect the issue to be aired in a serious way in political campaigns. It is to Romney's interest that the issue not be taken seriously and that those who deny his Christianity or think his religious is a negative are importing bigoted views into politics. Those who question his Christianity risk being labelled as bigots. 

Nonetheless, I must say if I held the religious views of the evangelicals (I do not), I do not see how I could support Romney. The puzzle is how any serious evangelical supports Romney. It seems to me that the politics of the evangelical leaders who met in Texas follow smoothly from their religious beliefs.   

Comments

[Jimbino]

Though no evangelical, I grew up as such. Simply stated, a Mormon is no worse than a Jew or a Roman Catholic.

Evangelicals are faced with:

Romney: Non-Christian and non-conservative who wears funny underwear.

Gingrich: Roman Catholic non-Christian who cheats on his wives.

Santorem: Roman Catholic non-Christian.

Perry: Baptist Bigot.

Paul: Libertarian Protestant who wants to "live and let live," anathema to Bible Thumpers who want to control the lives of others.