Benham Brothers on Clinton Running Mate Tim Kaine: Many Professing Christians Act Like 'Functional Atheists'
Many Christians today, such as Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, are actually "functional atheists" because they won't stand up for their biblical values in the public square, the sibling real estate team "The Benham Brothers" said this past weekend.
In an email interview that was published by the Conservative Review, Christian twin businessmen and authors Jason and David Benham discussed their second book Living Among Lions: How to Thrive Like Daniel in Today's Babylon and their thoughts on Hillary Clinton's running mate, a Catholic who personally opposes abortion but will not stand in the way of a "woman's right to choose."
News broke last week that Kaine, who has a history of supporting bans on taxpayer funding to abortion and parental consent laws, made a private agreement with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to not stand in the way of her quest to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bans taxpayer funding for abortion.
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Kaine has historically been a supporter of the Hyde Amendment, a measure attached to appropriations bills since 1976 that bans Medicaid funds from being used to cover abortion.
After Kaine was accused of flip-flopping on the issue, a Clinton spokesman told the Wall Street Journal: "The senator is not personally for repeal of the Hyde Amendment. But as he's made clear, he is committed to carrying out Secretary Clinton's agenda." Three days later, Kaine told CNN that he hasn't changed his position.
Regardless of what Kaine's position on the Hyde Amendment is, the Benham Brothers, who had their HGTV show cancelled for standing by their opposition to gay marriage, say that Kaine has fallen into the same trap that many other Christians in America have fallen into.
"This is a trap into which many Christians fall today. Unfortunately, we have many professing believers but functional atheists. In other words, they claim to have faith but refuse to make it a framework through which they live faithfully to God ... in every area of life," the brothers wrote. "We cannot divorce our faith from the decisions of life (marriage, finances, raising children, education, civic duty, etc.). In light of that, God's word is clear that His people are to be a voice for the voiceless. So if Tim Kaine ignores this vital aspect of his faith, what other parts will he ignore as he seeks to lead this country?"
The Benham Brothers stated that they were not surprised to see the 2016 Democratic Party platform call for a repeal of the Hyde Amendment and other taxpayer restrictions on abortion, such as the Helms Amendment, which says U.S. foreign aid can't pay for abortions.
"It doesn't surprise us. When the DNC held their conference in our hometown of Charlotte in 2012, they removed all references to 'God' from their platform," the brothers explained. "After eight years of the most liberal president in American history, coupled with a rapidly declining moral culture, we'll continue to see the Democratic platform be shaped by the sexual revolution."
The Benham brothers were also asked if they had advice for Democrats who consider themselves Christians.
"Why are you a Democrat, with a platform clearly bent on killing babies?" the brothers asked. "But if you're gonna be one, then stand strong and speak up for those who can't speak for themselves! Don't fear. Don't hold back. Don't be silent. Be strong and speak — the babies deserve your voice."
Last week, David Benham posted a video on Facebook criticizing Christian Democrats and urging them "not to associate with this kind of garbage."
"If you call yourself a Christian, and you're voting Democrat, here's what you're voting for. The Democratic National Platform wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits my tax dollars from directly paying for abortion," Benham said. "They want to force your money and my money to directly pay for abortion."
