Democrats in the US House of Representatives enraged by Christian pastor's invocation

[Vambram]

Dems enraged by Christian pastor's House invocation | WND | by Bob Unruh

A coalition of Democrats in the U.S. House, led by self-proclaimed atheist Rep. Jared Huffman, has written to Speaker Mike Johnson to express members' rage over a Christian pastor's recent House invocation, and to express their intolerance for his views.

www.wnd.com

A coalition of Democrats in the U.S. House, led by self-proclaimed atheist Rep. Jared Huffman, has written to Speaker Mike Johnson to express members' rage over a Christian pastor's recent House invocation, and to express their intolerance for his views.
It was Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills who had been invited to deliver the invocation and, as a Christian, spoke of a "coming day of judgment."
Democrats responded by claiming Hibbs is "radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and [who] has a long record of hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community."

 

[Yttrium]

So they expressed intolerance of the pastor's intolerance, huh?

I'm thinking that intolerance of intolerance isn't necessarily a bad kind of intolerance.

 

[Fantine]

If what Democrats say is true, the pastor in question is not really Christian.
There must be thousands if "real" Christian pastors they could have chosen without all that baggage.
And isn't using "prayer" to deliberately offend others and create discord a sacrilege? Weaponizing prayer is a new low.

 

[Vambram]

Liberals never cease to amaze me.

 

[The IbanezerScrooge]

Liberals never cease to amaze me.

Yes, most liberals are truly amazing people.

But there's good people... on both sides.

 

[Vambram]

So they expressed intolerance of the pastor's intolerance, huh?

I'm thinking that intolerance of intolerance isn't necessarily a bad kind of intolerance.

I'm thinking that when a pastor believes what the Bible consistently and constantly teaches that he is not being intolerant at all.

 

[iluvatar5150]

If the OP had treated us to a source better than the garbage that is WND, perhaps we would've been able to read the transcript and see the letters written by the concerned representatives. Had we had those documents, we could've seen that the concern was less the invocation itself and more Hibb's history of troublesome comments.

Here's a higher quality source,:

House members raise questions about Johnson’s invite of ‘hate preacher’ - Roll Call

A guest appearance by Jack Hibbs, who led the House in prayer in January, has captured the attention of Jared Huffman and other Democrats.

rollcall.com

which includes a link to the invocation,:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5104513/guest-chaplain-rev-jack-hobbs-opening-prayer-house

House guidelines on inviting chaplains,:

https://huffman.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Sponsor%20a%20Guest%20Chaplain,%20Office%20of%20the%20Chaplain.pdf

and the letter from Huffman et al:

https://huffman.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Final_Huffman%20Letter%20Opposing%20Speaker%20Johnson%20Guest%20Chaplain.pdf

 

[Vambram]

Had we had those documents, we could've seen that the concern was less the invocation itself and more Hibb's history of troublesome comments.

i.e., the concern was about an Evangelical pastor who preaches consistent truth and doctrines from the Bible.

 

[wing2000]

i.e., the concern was about an Evangelical pastor who preaches consistent truth and doctrines from the Bible.

Clearly, that is what you believe their cocern is....

What did the representatives write?

From the lead paragraph:

"The undersigned members write to express our concerns about Speaker Johnson’s sponsorship of Pastor Jack Hibbs as the Guest Chaplain of the House of Representatives. Pastor Hibbs is a radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and has a long record of spewing hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community. He should never have been granted the right to deliver the House’s opening prayer on January 30, 2024."

 

[Hans Blaster]

Clearly, that is what you believe their cocern is....

What did the representatives write?

From the lead paragraph:

"The undersigned members write to express our concerns about Speaker Johnson’s sponsorship of Pastor Jack Hibbs as the Guest Chaplain of the House of Representatives. Pastor Hibbs is a radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and has a long record of spewing hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community. He should never have been granted the right to deliver the House’s opening prayer on January 30, 2024."

Beyond any concerns about the content of the "invocation", the whole thing violated the rules of the House for guest chaplains. (For starters Hibbs wasn't from Johnson's district as the rules require.)

Here is another, more accurate report than the one in the OP.

Congress members call out "ill-qualified hate preacher" who gave invocation

 

[Fantine]

i.e., the concern was about an Evangelical pastor who preaches consistent truth and doctrines from the Bible.

Does the Bible address pastors supporting insurrections against one's government in order to overthrow the winner--by an 8 million vote margin--of a legal election? Whatever happened to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's?"

Does the Bible encourage hatred of immigrants and refugees, when the infant Jesus and his young parents fled for their lives to Egypt in order to save God made man?

Those are two very important deviations from the Bible. Don't members of Congress, who are responsible for weighty decisions, deserve an invocation given by someone who not only has a sterling reputation but whose prayer is respectful of all the religious traditions represented in that body?

 

[Larniavc]

I'm thinking that when a pastor believes what the Bible consistently and constantly teaches that he is not being intolerant at all.

Apart from all the anti gay stuff, obviously.

 

[JustOneWay]

Liberals never cease to amaze me.

You knew how others would react before you posted the topic, and once again presented a thread without providing any opinion to help guide the discussion. It only took two posts of opposition to the OP before a sweeping blanket statement towards liberals was pronounced. Rightists (like you) never cease to amaze me.

 

[BCP1928]

I'm thinking that when a pastor believes what the Bible consistently and constantly teaches that he is not being intolerant at all.

Or he may just be wrong about what the Bible "consistently and constantly teaches."

 

[essentialsaltes]

led by self-proclaimed atheist Rep. Jared Huffman

You (well, WND) can just call us atheists.

Everyone here has self-selected their little faith identifier in their profile, and the same goes for everyone else in the world whose religion is public knowledge. We don't call Jack Hibbs a "self-proclaimed Christian".

 

[Hazelelponi]

Dems enraged by Christian pastor's House invocation | WND | by Bob Unruh

A coalition of Democrats in the U.S. House, led by self-proclaimed atheist Rep. Jared Huffman, has written to Speaker Mike Johnson to express members' rage over a Christian pastor's recent House invocation, and to express their intolerance for his views.

www.wnd.com

Hey, don't link to that site. There's plenty of better sites to link for the story, that site is buggy. My phone doesn't need STD's.

Here the letter that was sent, it's the attachment

 

[Hazelelponi]

Or he may just be wrong about what the Bible "consistently and constantly teaches."

Have you heard the prayer?

There's nothing inconsistent with Scripture in it. No one asked you to attend his church, and if someone did, the polite answer if you don't want to go is simply no thank you.

He wrote out and read the prayer because he had to keep a word limit but the prayer was an appropriate prayer. Nothing unscriptural about it.

 

[MForbes]

You knew how others would react before you posted the topic, and once again presented a thread without providing any opinion to help guide the discussion. It only took two posts of opposition to the OP before a sweeping blanket statement towards liberals was pronounced. Rightists (like you) never cease to amaze me.

....just another half-truth OP from Vambram. We really shouldn't be amazed by this. It's his modus operandi.

 

[BCP1928]

Have you heard the prayer?

There's nothing inconsistent with Scripture in it. No one asked you to attend his church, and if someone did, the polite answer if you don't want to go is simply no thank you.

He wrote out and read the prayer because he had to keep a word limit but the prayer was an appropriate prayer. Nothing unscriptural about it.

If there had to be an Evangelical Christian invocation that one seems harmless enough and not overtly political Critics need to be careful of not edging into Donatism.

 

[Hans Blaster]

There's nothing inconsistent with Scripture in it. No one asked you to attend his church, and if someone did, the polite answer if you don't want to go is simply no thank you.

And members of the House didn't ask for his church to come to their chamber. It has no pace in the People's House.