Dusty Deevers is an Oklahoma pastor, state rep, complementarian (which 99 percent of the time equals Christian sexist), forced-birther who wants women who get abortions tried for murder, and a Christian theocrat who opposes no-fault divorce (bad news for abuse victims!) and thinks we need to regress earlier than the 1800s to get to a godly society. And his interpretation of the Bible says Americans should break the law if it’s contradictory to what he thinks God wants.
I’m sure that like Mike Johnson he will not admit that his is not a “Biblical” worldview, it’s an “interpretation of the Bible” worldview. Unless he’s claiming the same inerrancy as Holy Scripture itself (I don’t believe it’s inerrant myself but it seems he does) then whatever he claims God wants is just an opinion, no more binding of valid than any other Christian. It’s the self-righteousness of believing otherwise that makes the First Amendment necessary.
But there’s a particular quote that jumped out at me from one of the links above: “Deevers asserted that forcing non-Christians to live in country governed exclusively according to the Christian nationalist interpretation of the Bible is an example of Christian “grace,” as such a system of government leads to “the best life for anyone and everyone whether they believe in [God] or not. They’re getting a measure of grace from being in proximity to the true Christianity,” Deevers declared. “Whenever Christians are voted into office, it’s not just good for Christians, it’s good for the wicked as well.”
Note the contrast there between “Christians” and “the wicked.” It’s the same old mantra the religious right has been chanting since the Reagan years, that they really are holier than thou (or me). The Moral Majority, as Jerry Falwell’s political group used to call themselves. They’re allied with God, we’re allied with Satan.
If that were true, the Catholic church wouldn’t have operated for decades as a pedophile-enabling conspiracy. The Southern Baptist Convention wouldn’t have covered up rape and abuse. White evangelism wouldn’t be a cesspool of racism and pretending not to see color. We wouldn’t have so many church leaders exposed as groomers. The Duggars wouldn’t have protected their TV career by covering up their son Josh sexually assaulting his sisters. Etcetera, etcetera.
There’s an old saying that Christians aren’t better or more saintly than other people, they’re just forgiven. Which is a healthy attitude, a humble attitude. Unfortunately it clashes with the conviction many Christians have that their Biblical worldview can’t possibly be wrong, ergo they’re entitled to rule. And people who are not Christian are not worthy to lead. And eventually everyone who does not conform to Deevers (or whoever’s )specific “Biblical worldview” will be pronounced not Christian. Because that’s how it always happens.
