To The Reader’s Forum:

A popular “pc” pastor on the left, Rev. William Barber, speaking recently at a conference for a major political party said that the Constitution promotes socialism. He justified his opinion citing the “general welfare” clause in the document. He did nothing more than read his historical revisionism and uninformed opinion into our freedom-protecting anti-socialistic Constitution.

When James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution” wrote a stinging rebuke to those manipulating the “general welfare” clause for government spending any amount it wanted for whatever it wanted, you can tell Rev. Barber never did his homework in understanding the history of our governing document and the intent of the framers. Socialist-leaning clergymen put greater authority of their measly opinions over the fixed principles and government-limiting laws of our founding documents and the sturdy liberty-driven philosophies of our founders.

When you see pastors on the left mangle the Constitution, mangling the Bible isn’t far behind. Sure enough, Rev. Barber asserted that Jesus was a socialist. Why did that pastor say that about Jesus? To justify support for a liberal nationalist health care plan. He contended that Jesus gave free health care to the lepers, blind, and the lame as a pretext for making government-run health care justifiable. Rev. Barber who ought to know better is blind to the obvious difference between Jesus and government.

As the Son of God, Jesus healed freely by the power of his own might, not by the flawed man-made power through government bullying others to submit to it and legally stealing from others in the form of taxes to fund it. Rev. Barber trivialized Christ by comparing him to a phony “free” health care scheme coercively operated by government. Barber’s politicization of Christ would be like politicizing “shalom” to crassly make it mean socialized health care.

A video available online called “Was Jesus a Socialist?” by PragerU counters clergymen like Rev. Barber. It adeptly cites passage after passage in Scripture to substantively refute such trivialization, prevarication and nonsense. The video produced by a conservative Jew, Dennis Prager, outclassed the leftist reverend in exegeting the teachings of Jesus correctly.

For a liberal nationalist heath care plan to work, it must take the socialistic route of coercing everyone to cooperate and participate under force or threat of penalty. You can hardly misrepresent the Constitution, let alone misinterpret the exclusive divine power exercised freely by Jesus, more than what Rev. Barber did.

Pastor Mel McGinnis

Frewsburg