John Kerry, a Roman Catholic, gave a “speech” at Baptist Church in Saint Louis today (Sunday), and used James 2:14 to attack President Bush. Presumably the “speech” was part of the predominately black church’s morning worship service.

Kerry never mentioned Bush by name during his speech at New North Side Baptist Church, but aimed his criticism at “our present national leadership.” Kerry cited Scripture in his appeal for the worshippers, including James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?”

“The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” Kerry said. “When we look at what is happening in America today, were are the works of compassion?”….

Kerry told worshippers in the largely black congregation that the country’s leadership has served the privileged while ignoring people across America who live in neighborhoods like theirs.

“Today we are told that, after 3 million lost jobs and so many lost hopes, America is now turning a corner,” the pending Democratic presidential nominee said. “But those who say that, they’re not standing on the corner of Highland Street, where two 15-year-old teenagers were hit in a drive-by shooting last week.”

This is a good example of eisogesis, coming to scripture with your own idea, and then forcing that meaning into a passage. Senator John Kerry looks at James 2:14 and reads his liberal ideas into it. He sees “good works” as the federal government redistributing the wealth from the rich to the poor. He sees “good works” as the government “creating” jobs by intervening in private business.

But by any reasonable reading of of the book, you realize James isn’t talking to the government at all, but rather than to people within the Christian church. To treat the passage as if it is advocating a liberal government is to read your own ideas into the passage.

And what in the world is any church doing letting a politician “speak” to the congregation on a Sunday morning? What is a Protestant church doing giving the pulpit to a Roman Catholic as part of their worship service? And why isn’t the black congregation insulted that John Kerry would say he wants to be the “second black president”?

You can understand a politician twisting scripture to their own advantage, but why would any Christian church give part of their morning worship as a platform for this pandering?