ERICKSON: Evangelicals' time for choosing
Many up and coming evangelical leaders pride themselves on eschewing politics. For most of them, instead of finding some moderate balance, they have overcorrected in the opposite direction and are just as sinful in their pride of eschewing politics as their predecessors were for coveting earthly power at the expense of advancing the kingdom.
The newer evangelical leaders remind me of the good Baptist who had a sheriff's deputy show up at his doorstep. "Sir," said the deputy, "a flood is coming. You need to evacuate."
"God will take care of me," the Baptist said.
As the waters rose, a boat came by. "Sir," the boat captain said, "we can rescue you."
"God will rescue me," the Baptist said.
Still higher the waters rose and the Baptist had to climb to his roof. A helicopter lowered a lifeline and the pilot called down, "Hold on to the rope. We will save you."
The Baptist pushed aside the rope and declared God would save him.
When he stood before the throne and bowed before the Lord, the Baptist asked his Savior why he did not save him.
"I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter; what more would you have me do?" God asked.
Younger Christian evangelicals, so turned off by their predecessors' covetous relationship with power and, in some cases, scared that they, too, might grow covetous of access and power, have withdrawn to their rooftops to pray and wait for God to rescue them, the unborn, marriage and culture.
When they stand before the throne and ask their Savior why he did not save the unborn, protect the Christians in America from secular harassment and turn culture toward him, their Savior will reply, "I gave you a constitutional republic, a stable political process and candidates from which you could choose. What more would you have me do?"
In fact, many new evangelical leaders have hitched their wagon to Marco Rubio because he seems to be the evangelical who does not drag his faith into politics. They look at Ted Cruz and bristle with contempt because of his courting of the old guard who the new evangelicals think are outmoded and harmful to the kingdom's cause.
These evangelicals are about to be confronted with a reality that three to four Supreme Court justices are on the line, Rubio is floundering, and if Trump wins South Carolina he could pick up enough momentum to sweep the primaries and gain the Republican nomination. From what we know already about Trump's judicial thoughts, he views his pro-abortion activist sister as an ideal Supreme Court pick. Until recently, Trump declared himself fully pro-abortion and supported late term abortion. His change came upon meeting an accomplished person who had almost been aborted, suggesting he does not value life so much as accomplished life.
Rubio is a great guy, a friend and the man most of my family intends to vote for. Evangelicals, including members of my family, are going to have to decide if they keep giving him the benefit of the doubt and encourage him on, or does doing so risk Trump getting the nomination. I cannot answer that for any of them, but they are going to have to answer it. I hope by March 1, I will not have to choose between Rubio and Cruz because I call them both friends. But I am also mindful that only one of them has thus far won a state and Trump must be stopped. The ticking clock must be answered.
Erick Erickson is a Fox News contributor and radio talk show host in Atlanta.
This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 9:37 PM with the headline "ERICKSON: Evangelicals' time for choosing ."