KAMALA HARRIS: A PICTURE OF PROGRESS OR INJUSTICE?
SHOULD CHRISTIANS PUBLICLY REJOICE OVER MINORITY REPRESENTATION EVEN IN THE FACE OF ABORTION INJUSTICE?
Key Facts
Sam Collier, a Christian pastor, speaker, writer, and musician, posted to Instagram a picture of a young black girl watching Kamala Harris on TV with the comment beneath, “Sometimes when you see yourself, you believe you can do it. This isn’t about policy, this is about progress.” [1] He since deleted the post followed by a response on Twitter stating, “Yesterday, I tried to separate policy from progress racially in America. I realized that in this country there are MANY that will not and can not see anything good in a person if their policy doesn’t align with theirs. That kind’ve thinking is so dangerous for our nation.” [2]
On November 6, Lecrae, a prominent Christian musician, posted a picture of himself with Joe Biden and Barack Obama as well as pictures with other prominent black leaders. In his statement he wrote, “I have had a front row seat to black history… yes it is possible to care for the unborn, the poor, the disenfranchised, the orphan and the widow all at once.” [3]
Kamala Harris co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act (S.1645, 2019; and S.510, 2017) which sought to strip states (and any government) of their ability to write any Pro-Life laws whatsoever. This would legalize abortion until birth, and make abortion the mandatory standard in all 50 states. [4]
Key Scriptures
Romans 1:32 “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Luke 1:41 “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor.”
Application
While voting is over, the election still finds its way into many of our conversations. Christians from all political positions are attempting to respond biblically to the projected Biden/Harris administration. Multiple religious leaders have taken to social media to express their excitement over the projected Kamala Harris vice presidency in particular. Harris would be making history as the first woman and woman of color to be vice president. At the same time, Harris has also been a notorious advocate of abortion and actively opposed bans on late term abortions. Should Christians praise the progress of equality for women and people of color, or should they mourn the potential movement into leadership by someone who advocates such atrocities.
A symbol of progress or oppression?
We’ve addressed a similar topic before as we looked at the controversy of statue removals. In this article, we addressed the question of whether owning slaves or holding to racist beliefs marred a person’s image too much to be celebrated for their good deeds. One obvious example of a figure too tainted to be celebrated is found as we think back on Nazi controlled Germany. Hitler is not celebrated for his progress on environmentalism because his horrendous acts of evil outweigh any good he might have accomplished. This example helps to show us that significantly evil actions can rightfully overtake a leader’s image. The country has wrestled with similar questions surrounding the racism of America’s founding fathers---many of whom had once been viewed as symbols of progress and American innovation. Today we face a similar dilemma. There is no doubt that historical landmarks for women and people of color are amazing milestones as we look back on the history of our nation and the world. However, if the leader of one of these milestones holds to an evil belief, or worse, is actively legislating that belief, should we still celebrate them?
For Christians who recognize the violent nature of abortion, a leader’s support for this can certainly be significant enough to make other positive actions in their leadership insignificant. As we examine the murder of hundreds of thousands of babies each year, this major injustice will often take precedence over a desire for representation in office. While some Christians may be excited about the first woman of color in that position, her stances are likely to be considered too violent and unjust for other Christians to celebrate her step in the history of gender and racial equality.
What does the Bible say?
First, the Bible shows us that abortion is wrong. Other articles address this concern in more depth, but here we can simply look at God’s active working of forming each individual in their mother’s womb to recognize that abortion is a major injustice (Psalm 139:13). Taking the life of a child in the womb is such a serious offense because each person is made in the image of God. In the Old Testament murder is a capital offense because man is made in the image of God (Gen. 9:6).
Second, fighting for justice and speaking out for the voiceless is an integral part of the Christian life (Mic. 6:8; Prov. 31:8-9). The fight for racial and gender equality, while a noble goal, should not come at the cost of marginalized groups such as the unborn. Justice is not true justice if it merely redistributes oppression. As Christians seek racial and gender justice, they should remember that it is not justice if it results in violence toward others.
Third, Christians should be careful to not give their approval to evil acts and those who perpetrate them (Rom. 1:32). Approval for unrighteousness can take many forms. However, as one considers their response to a certain injustice or evil act, the response should be disapproving of evil rather than excusing, justifying, or ignoring the evil.
Fourth, as we address issues not written about specifically in the Bible, we will need discernment from the Spirit. John 14:26 reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a Helper who “will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you.” As we lean on the Spirit for guidance, it will help to illuminate issues that we do not know how to address.
Finally, Christians should always be cautious in their public statements because they do so as a representative of Christ (Col. 3:17). Many Christians have praised the projected Harris vice presidency on social media and other major outlets. However, many have not fleshed out how this functions in relation to their anti-abortion stances. We run the risk of apparent hypocrisy when we call abortion the largest genocide of our lifetime and then the following week praise someone who has fought for its furtherance. As we post on social media and present ourselves to the public, it should be apparent that we do not value one group at the expense of another. We should be wise with our words so as not to create confusion or be hypocritical.
What should Christians do?
Many Christians may decide that Kamala Harris should not be praised as a symbol of equality because of the harsh acts of inequality she has fought for. Normally, as Christians, our love for one another should result in our excitement to see America’s historic steps for women and people of color. However, as a result of the great injustice of abortion and a Christian’s desire to speak out for the voiceless, this may be a time in which we do not celebrate. While we hope to see many different people, all made in the image of God, taking office and holding positions of honor, many Christians may not view Harris’s projected movement into leadership as celebratory in any way. These Christians should examine their hearts to ensure that misogyny or racism are not the motivating factors for not celebrating the Harris vice presidency. Misogyny or racism should be in no part motivating factors for mourning her projected office (Gal. 3:28).
Other Christians may feel the freedom to praise Harris’s historic steps for people of color and women despite their disagreement with her abortion advocacy. These Christians should be careful to avoid any form of approval for the actions and efforts in legislation that Harris has put forth concerning abortion. Not only should they be conscientious to avoid approving of it, but recognizing that to many, Harris is a figure of abortion. They should be clear to disapprove of the injustice. We can give qualified support. If Christians do not find that fighting to further abortion is egregious enough to mar a public figure’s image, then they might see fit to publicly support or praise certain actions of that individual. However, a Christian who approaches the issue this way should be very cautious to avoid approving of evil acts (Romans 1:32).
Conclusion
Christians are called to love one another and to love justice. Progress can be a fantastic thing. However, we are not biblically commanded to seek social progress for its own sake. We are commanded to seek love and justice. Therefore, progress should always be secondary to our fight for love and justice. Many times progress can go hand in hand with love and justice. Even so, in the case of the Kamala Harris vice presidency, the two have come into tension. Unequivocal public praise of progress in the form of the Harris vice presidency can be confusing and can expose our faulty priorities. Justice for the unborn children made in the image of God should never appear to be secondary to the progress America has made on the issues of race and gender equality.