The Georgia Senate race between GOP nominee Herschel Walker and Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock has a belligerent nature of combativeness that will go down to the wire on Nov. 8.
When Walker first announced his candidacy in August of last year, I, like many native Georgians, was intrigued by his decision to get into politics, since I was a huge fan of his football-playing days at the University of Georgia.
I remember meeting Walker many years ago as a bright-eyed, 11-year-old girl in 1981 when I was on a shopping errand with my mother. We just happened to run into him at an Eckerd’s Drug Store that used to be on Baxter Street on the west side of Athens. With the Bulldogs still basking in their national championship season, I was in awe of Walker’s college superstar status, and my mother had to ask him to sign an autograph for me, which he graciously did. This was a time when Walker was undeniably admired by almost everyone, but he certainly knows by now that his former ’80s gridiron glory in UGA’s Sanford Stadium is not enough to carry him to victory.
As Walker enters the seventh-inning stretch of his campaign this month, he finds himself embattled in a controversy revolving around his Christian faith. He has now admitted that he sent an ex-girlfriend $700, which she alleges she used for an abortion in 2009. Walker denies he sent the money for that purpose. GOP evangelicals have come rushing to Walker’s defense about as fast as he used to outrun linebackers, with many claiming that his personal failures should not disqualify him from office. On the left, of course, the finger-pointing has gotten nasty, as commentators angrily charged Walker and his Christian supporters with flagrant hypocrisy.
A thought-provoking question that I took some time to ponder was raised by Bill Press in a contributing column for The Hill: “What would Jesus say on Herschel Walker?” Press maintained that Jesus would sternly condemn Walker for his transgressions and paraphrased Matthew 23:27-28, claiming the Lord would say something along these lines: “Woe to you, you who pretend to be Christians, you who appear righteous to others, but, in reality, are nothing but political hacks wrapped in religious garb.”
Press illustrates a well-known tenet in Scripture: Jesus preaching against sin. And the verses in Matthew 23 are directed toward the scribes and Pharisees, religious leaders who were highly egotistical and who were leading people astray spiritually due to being focused on self-righteousness.
Now, only God knows what’s truly in Walker’s heart, so there is also the possibility that Jesus would admonish him to “repent and bear fruit.” I mention repentance because Jesus called for all to repent in Matthew 4:17 at the beginning of His ministry and before He issued His firm rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees.
In our present cultural sphere of piercing public denunciation of those who we think have committed the most egregious offenses, the Bible still proclaims that the compassion of Christ does not fail. This applies to Walker and anyone else. I emphasize bearing fruit due to Walker’s apparent desire to serve as an elected official.
For those like Walker who profess to be Christians while serving their communities and the nation, fruit-bearing found in Galatians 5:22-23, which includes love, gentleness, meekness and temperance, should be on full display for all to see.
However, a Christian cannot truly produce this fruit if he or she does not submit to God as the Vinedresser, which is taught in John 15. Using the illustration of us as branches and Him being the Vine, Jesus explains that God has to prune us, meaning cutting back the things that stifle our spiritual growth.
I believe that the harshest critics of Walker and other Christian politicians who have been plagued with personal scandals are actually looking for the manifestation of this spiritual fruit in the lives of those who profess to follow God. Many critics and pundits may not fully believe in the teachings of Scripture, but they definitely hold those who claim they do to its standards.
So, as Election Day draws near, I hope Walker takes a sincere examination of himself. I know he wants to win, as all candidates do, but God is looking at something much more important, which is the trajectory of his life. Losing his soul is not worth the gratification of dishonest political gain.
Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at The Ohio State University-Lima. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @JjSmojc. Her opinion does not necessarily represent the views of The Lima News or its owner, AIM Media.
