President Joe Biden recently held a campaign event at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, denouncing white supremacy and casting his vision for a second term as president.
Notably, Mother Emanuel has been a historic part of the Reconstruction era and Civil Rights movement. It is also the place where a racially motivated mass shooting claimed the lives of nine people in 2015. Remarkably, surviving members of the church went to court to offer forgiveness to the white supremacist killer.
After the event, some conservative commentators were critical—but not at Biden. Instead, their ire was cast toward the evangelical leaders who in 2021 had denounced Robert Jeffress’ First Baptist Church in Dallas for giving Donald Trump the microphone during a Christmas service but had nothing critical to say about Biden’s event at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
Are these two events the same thing? Or are there fundamental differences? This week on the podcast, we discuss.
We also look ahead to what promises to be a politically volatile year in 2024. In our discussion, we grapple with how Christians should engage in politics as we look to the presidential election in November.
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REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
WATCH: President Biden Delivers Remarks at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina
WATCH: Christmas Sunday With Greeting From President Trump | First Baptist Dallas