On The Silence Of ‘The Lamb’s Agenda’: An Open Letter to Rev. Samuel Rodriguez

Dear Rev. Rodriguez,

I hope this finds you well.

Some friends made me aware of your statement on the reelection of President Obama. I read it through multiple times, and each time I tried to put my metaphorical finger on what it is that leaves me so mystified and disappointed. My mystification may arise from recalling when you were introduced to the national stage as a centrist evangelical.

You treat President Obama as an impious abortion enabler. That’s the clear implication of your prayer that he come to recognize God’s image in the “unborn”: you mean to say that his current position is unacceptable.

You pray that he will “strengthen families,” and later you write of “strengthening marriages,” but of course the president is already strengthening families in multiple ways: through the great moral achievement of the Affordable Care Act, his signing of the Lilly Ledbetter equal pay measure, his embrace of marriage equality, and his very strong commitment to greater access to higher education. As you well know, there are only two ways today through which our young people can advance economically: They must have either a union card or a college degree—or (preferably) both. I believe that our 44th president understands this well. Or is there a particular kind of family you think needs to be strengthened—and that our president is falling short on that agenda?

I believe your viewpoint is clear from what follows. Along with advancing the cause of immigration reform and the alleviation of poverty (which we agree are both “givens” in Mr. Obama’s second term), you expect him to advance the cause of religious liberty—defined by you and your fellows as deference to religious dogma in public policy—and you expect him to “protect our Judeo-Christian value system.”

You mention, rather dramatically, “the agenda of the Lamb.”

We are both ordained Christian ministers. I do not presume to know what the “agenda of the Lamb” in fact is. But you do presume to know.

The rest of this open letter may be found on Religion Dispatches. Theologian William B. Lindsey has shared his thoughts on this matter here.