People of faith reject Sen. Loeffler’s attacks against Rev. Warnock and the Black Church
Senator Kelly Loeffler
The Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock is a Baptist pastor who embodies the prophetic tradition of the Black church -- preaching nonviolence, righteousness, and justice from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
It's clear that Rev. Warnock is an inspirational leader for Georgians from many places, races, and religions, which is why his opponents in the Senate runoff election are hurling racially charged attacks against his faith and even the Black church itself in a cynical attempt to divide us and keep power.
Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and her allies have twisted Rev. Warnock’s words, particularly those in support of the late, great Rev. Dr. James Cone -- the pioneer of Black liberation theology. This misrepresentation is not new: For decades, Republican politicians have tried to claim a non-existent monopoly on faith, using religion and race as tools to divide Americans while distorting and dismissing moderate and progressive people of faith.
We cannot allow these immoral attacks to stand. Add your name now to show that people of faith and allies support Rev. Warnock’s commitment to nonviolence and racial justice, strongly condemn Senator Loeffler’s racially charged criticism of Black liberation theology, and affirm that all prophetic faith traditions are welcome in the U.S.
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To:
Senator Kelly Loeffler
From:
[Your Name]
As people and organizations of faith, we applaud the Rev. Raphael Warnock for preaching our shared values of nonviolence, righteousness and justice in the prophetic tradition of the Black church, following in the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his predecessor at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
We also appreciate Rev. Warnock’s work keeping alive the ministry and legacy of the late Rev. Dr. James Cone, one of the most pre-eminent Christian theologians of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Senator Kelly Loeffler’s desperate attacks against Rev. Warnock and Dr. Cone are an immoral and dangerous attempt to hijack religion for dishonest, hateful political purposes. Dr. Cone condemned racism, shared the Christian teaching that God broke into human history as a working-class person of color to lift up the marginalized, and welcomed allies of all races to the fight against white supremacy. As Americans of many faiths, we call on Senator Loeffler and her allies to cease these baseless attacks at once.
Rev. Warnock is right to stress the nonviolence that characterizes so many of our faith traditions. He is equally right to stand with Dr. Cone against the injustice of white supremacy, which has historically cloaked itself in the words of our faith traditions and must be constantly rooted out.
Taking Rev. Warnock and Dr. Cone’s words out of context to score cheap political points and divide Americans by race and religion draws on a long history of bigoted attacks against the Black church. To smear the pastor of a prominent mainstream Black church like Ebenezer Baptist Church just to win an election is shameful, disingenuous, and harmful to the fabric of our democracy. It is this very faith that has helped sustain Black Americans through countless injustices and that has led Black churches to frequently play a critical role in holding our nation together.
Senator Loeffler and her allies must apologize to people of all faiths and stop these immoral, racially charged attacks on Rev. Warnock’s prophetic ministry at once. Such smears divide Georgians, denigrate citizens of faith, and undermine the crucial role that religion can play in building a more ethical and just nation. We call upon the senator and all officials to show respect for the crucial role our multifaith traditions play in building a more ethical and just nation, and expect them to focus on the issues Georgians care about: tackling the COVID-19 crisis, expanding access to affordable health care, and building an economy that works for all Georgians.