Squires: When it comes to abortion, the 'Two Kings Paradox' explains why so many black preachers sound like atheists

A strange phenomenon has emerged in the weeks since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Prominent black preachers across the country have taken to their pulpits to argue that our democracy is under assault because sending the issue of abortion back to the states is an attack on the human rights of American women.

I have viewed countless videos — courtesy of the Twitter account Woke Preacher Clips — of black clergymen making this claim, including William Barber II, Jamal Bryant, and gospel singer William Murphy. Pastor Howard-John Wesley even donned an “I’m With Her” shirt and scolded pro-life Christians who didn’t attend Black Lives Matter protests. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the chorus of black leaders promoting abortion as a moral good when she recently told the NAACP’s 113th convention that support for it is consistent with religious faith.

Much has been made about white evangelical support for President Trump, but the sharp political divides between black and white Christians are much bigger than one man.

Black and white evangelicals today – as well as their secular ideological kinsmen – exhibit different behavior at the ballot box because they have vastly different theological perspectives on the authority, purpose, and power of the government.

I call this phenomenon the “Two Kings Paradox.”

Broadly speaking, black pro-abortion evangelicals see the government as analogous to King David. They see liberal federal and state power as the means to free God’s people, black voters, from the terror of Goliath – the imposing amalgamation of white supremacy, systemic racism, poverty, and mass incarceration. Black preachers in this scenario see themselves in the role of the prophet Samuel. Their job is to call King David to repent for his historical abuse of power and encourage him to use his might for the benefit of the people. These preachers also inform their congregations that voting is the “big rock” in their bag that can be used to aid in Goliath’s downfall. To the extent that they feel persecuted, the black pro-abortion evangelicals today view that opposition as a function of their race, not faith.

White evangelicals today, generally speaking, have a different ruler in mind when they think about the relationship between Christians and their government. While they believe civil government is an institution created by God, they see themselves much like the early New Testament Christians living under pagan Roman rule.

Christian historians believe the emperor Nero persecuted Christians and executed the apostles Paul and Peter. In contemporary terms, white evangelicals see the government and cultural institutions as challengers to God’s definitions, institutions (e.g., family, church), and position as the highest authority in heaven or on earth. To the extent that they feel attacked, the average pro-life white evangelical today views that opposition fueled mainly by their faith, which the broader culture often conflates with their race.

It is impossible to deny the role race and racism have historically played in American religious life. In previous generations, the federal government did play the role of rescuer for black citizens trapped under the weight of Jim Crow segregation. The Two Kings Paradox is not an attempt to whitewash the past. It is an explanation of why social conservative black Christians today support a party whose leaders' highest priorities are “reproductive justice,” LGBTQIA+ issues, and climate change.

The issue of abortion has been a bright red line running down the middle of our two-party system for decades. American culture post-Roe is going to show why that was only the beginning. The current administration believes that counseling gender-confused children to accept their bodies as they were created is “conversion therapy” but puberty blocking hormones, mastectomies, and genital mutilation constitute “gender-affirming care.”

No amount of deflection to Donald Trump’s personal failings or political shortcomings can justify such evil. Urbane Ivy League graduates who think men can get pregnant and want to legalize abortion up until birth are creating Franken-kids by giving teenage girls double mastectomies and removing the testicles of teenage boys.

Introducing “Generation F,” courtesy of the "Build Back Butchers."

The Biden administration proudly flies the Pride flag in the White House and on federal government buildings. The Trump administration banned BLM and Pride flags at foreign embassies. Only one of those banners has returned under the current administration. Today’s Democrats speak the language of Selma with their lips but have the spirit of Stonewall bound in their hearts.

Black Democrats are some of the biggest supporters of Planned Parenthood, even though its founder saw poor black women as unfit for procreation. Margaret Sanger opened her first birth control clinic in Brooklyn and to this day in New York City – which has the largest black population in the country– the number of black babies born and aborted have been roughly the same.

Learning about Sanger’s support of eugenics clearly has not made black voters abandon the party of abortion on demand. There is no reason the same capacity to acknowledge historical injustice while adjusting to contemporary realities can’t be applied to the sins of America’s religious past.

I respect the traditions and historical significance of the black church in America. Many are still preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and calling sinners to repentance. Unfortunately, many others have abandoned that responsibility. The “I’m with her” black preachers use their time, energy, and resources to disciple white people. They blame white people in the suburbs of Indiana for black men killing each other in Chicago.

They claim that the hospital room is too small for a woman, her doctor, and the government. Apparently, it’s also too small for the child’s father because none of their “womb-to-tomb” or “pro-all of life” talking points promote marriage or exhort men to take care of the children they create. These men call on society to turn from its wicked ways and free the oppressed from the yoke of gentrification and income inequality. They seem to forget that the repentant soul is the one that inherits the kingdom. The Bible doesn’t promote trickle-down salvation or paternalistic social uplift.

I recently went undercover at an abortion rally held at a Unitarian Universalist church in Washington, D.C. The crowd was at least 80% white and 90% female. The organizers of the event talked to the crowd about risking arrest at a pro-abortion rally the following day. The crowd that evening looked a lot like the church’s congregation and their website reads like a campaign page of liberal senate candidate. The church performs same-sex weddings and has a “Rainbow Souls” affinity group. The structure was solid, but like many churches today, these buildings are whitewashed tombs – towering edifices hiding spiritual decay.

For a committed Christian, the Bible is the measuring stick that should be used to evaluate every other political ideology, social theory, religious practice, or secular philosophy. Politically engaged Christians must never forget that they have a book which is their sole standard for making righteous judgements. Christians may have different perspectives on capital gains, taxes, and infrastructure spending, but the most hotly contested battlefronts of the culture wars are about biblical definitions that tie directly to God’s role as Creator.

The distinctions in role and function between male and female, the inherent worth of human life, and the institution of marriage are all laid out in the first two chapters of Genesis. These biblical definitions are complemented by observable phenomena in the natural world. Men and women have bodies that fit together for the purpose of fruitfulness. Some couples have trouble conceiving because of age or medical conditions, but the potential for reproduction is found in principle when the male and female bodies are joined together. Same-sex pairings have no such ability, in theory or practice.

Ultimately, Christian engagement in politics is a matter of spiritual conviction, not the race or color of the pastor or congregation. The only thing that matters is faithful preaching and teaching of God’s word. King Jesus reigns supreme and no political movement can exalt itself above him.