Seriously, People?! Second Edition - Jim Demint: “Tea Party movement will bring spiritual revival”

I’ve tried to write this blog post for days now, but found myself so irritated that I couldn’t type fast enough. I’ve since taken a deep breath…wuuuu saaaah…Now on to my rant!

Last week, while being interviewed by David Brody of CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) News, Sen. Jim Demint said the following words regarding the current Tea Party Movement:

…I really think a lot of the motivation behind these Tea Party crowds is a spiritual component. I think it’s very akin to the Great Awakening before the American Revolution. A lot of our founders believed the American Revolution was won before we ever got into a fight with the British. It was a spiritual renewal.

Some context: The Great Awakening, occurring in Colonial America from about 1730-1760, had a two-pronged effect. First, God sparked a revival that caused the colonists to realize that much of their religious experience was a “going through the motions” instead of a true, heartfelt desire to worship God. Many colonists were Puritan or Anglican at the time, but this revival resulted in an awareness of freedom in worship and the establishment of new houses of worship. Secondly, this new religious freedom spurred a desire to be free from the clutches of England entirely. Having been shown by God that they could be bold in worship, the colonists began to be bold in their political rhetoric as well, thus creating the atmosphere that led to the American Revolution.

So if I follow Sen. Demint’s logic, the Tea Party movement is a result of a spiritual awakening in this country, and Tea Partiers are like the Colonists - rebelling against tyrannical rule.

My oh my, where do I begin? Well let’s start here:

First, any “Spiritual Awakening/Revival” that is God’s doing will FIRST produce a desire to become closer to Jesus Christ. Take the awakening that occurred after Pentecost (Act 2). The presentation of the Gospel of Christ by Peter resulted in 3,000 souls being added the Kingdom of God in ONE DAY. In fact, it says in verses 42-47 that those new awakened converts devoted themselves constantly to instruction in the faith, they united together, they sold their possessions and dispensed the money amongst those in need, and assembled together with gladness of heart, constantly praising God. Sounds just like a Tea Party gathering! NOT!!

Yes, Sen. Jim Demint, there’s a real “spiritual component” at these Tea Party Rallies. Here’s some highlight film from some of these protests:

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And what kind of “spirit” is this, Sen. Demint?

A real revival causes those in the revival to exhibit a greater “Christ-likeness”, and causes others to want to know Christ more intimately as well. What I see, I’m not going to bite my tongue about it, is a bunch of hate-filled, angry, racists - Period. I find it abhorrent, offensive, and insulting as a Christian Believer that someone would draw a correlation between what is happening in these Tea Party rallies, and what happens when a true move of God happens.

Secondly, where were these so-called “Tea Parties” in the summer of 2008 when at least two of the major initiatives that they are gnashing their teeth about first happened – the big bank bailouts and TARP? Nowhere. But it is awfully strange that the election of the first African-American President, a Democrat who is no more of a Democrat than President Clinton or President Carter, has caused such uproar. Makes you just go “hmmmm” doesn’t it?

So Seriously, Sen. Demint? You may win the award for one of the most idiotic statements of the year. Congratulations!