On Saturday's AM Joy on MSNBC, during a discussion of President Donald Trump's appearance at the Values Voters Summit, host Joy Reid fretted over MRC bumper stickers criticizing the liberal media while also griping about flyers for a book exposing the dangers of homosexual behavior that were given out. Reid reacted: "I mean, the stuff that they're distributing there, it feels so counter to the core message of love in the Christian Bible that it's hard for me to believe that they read that Bible and they get that out of it."
Reid also misleadingly recalled an Alabama ballot measure from 2004 to suggest that GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore supported racial segregation in schools. And her guest -- left-wing Christian Bishop William Barber -- railed against the Christian Right and suggested that they promote "heresy."
After beginning the segment with a clip of President Trump speaking at the event, host Reid began:
President Trump became the first President to address the Values Voters Summit annual gathering of conservative leaders just after undermining health care access for millions of Americans. Among the other speakers, Alabama Senate candidate and former Judge Roy Moore.
After relating that Judge Moore had gained support by defending the display of the Ten Commandments at his courthouse, she continued:
But you may not know that in 2004 Moore also helped to defeat -- get this -- a bipartisan effort to eliminate sections of the Alabama constitution mandating school segregation and poll taxes.
Reid then pushed the idea that Moore is a segregationist as she turned to her guest and posed:
On that last point of Judge Roy Moore -- it is interesting he is a darling of the Christian Right, but, reading this article this week about how he once stood steadfast against removing segregation and poll taxes from the Alabama constitution -- and yet he fits in fine. Why is that?
But the ballot measure in question would have done more than simply remove segregationist language -- which is legally unenforceable -- from the Alabama state constitution as it also attracted some opponents who argued that other language in the proposed amendment would make it easier for activist judges to raise taxes and mandate more spending on public schools.
Bishop Barber decried the Christian Right and suggested that its members are guilty of "heresy" as he responded:
I just can't call it "Christian Right," it's so wrong, it's not Christian. You know, gun-waving politicians that support segregation is not Christian, it's crazy. And people are somehow being fooled. And it's time really for there to be a major challenge to this kind of public heresy that we see going on that is so counter to the real values of Christianity.
Reid then seemed to find it shocking that Christians would oppose homosexual behavior and criticize the liberal media as she followed up. She also misleadingly gave the impression that Moore had been holding a gun on stage at the Values Voters Summit as she commented on stock footage of the GOP Senate candidate holding a gun at a campaign rally.
Reid:
When you see it, you know, we're looking at pictures of him waving his tiny pistol around, you know -- at this Values Voters Summit, there is a flyer being circulated -- an anti-gay flyer -- that says "The Health Hazards of Homosexuality" -- which we, if we could show that.
They're handing out things like bumper stickers -- "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media." I mean, the stuff that they're distributing there, it feels so counter to the core message of love in the Christian Bible that it's hard for me to believe that they read that Bible and they get that out of it.
According to the Obama administration Centers for Disease Control, in 2014, homosexual and bisexual men accounted for 70 percent of new HIV infections, so it is hardly unreasonable to argue that there are health consequences to homosexual behavior.
Bishop Barber argued that conservative political views are ant-Christian, and accused Values Voters Summit participants of supporting "heretical extremism" as part of his response:
The so-called Values Summit is not about Judeo-Christian values, it's not about Christianity, but the values of a heretical extremism funded by a whole lot of money perpetrating a fraud on the American people.
Near the end of the segment, the liberal bishop not surprisingly managed to work in a reference to slavery:
So this is a con, and it's been going on a long time. Everybody needs to -- it's as old as the slave master who had people endorse slavery and found theological ways to do that. It's as old as those people that challenged Dr. King and said that he needed to stop challenging. It's just wrong, and we have to challenge it.
Reid agreed: "Indeed."
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Saturday, October 14, AM Joy on MSNBC:
10:52 a.m. ET
JOY REID: President Trump became the first President to address the Values Voters Summit annual gathering of conservative leaders just after undermining health care access for millions of Americans. Among the other speakers, Alabama Senate candidate and former Judge Roy Moore. He became a darling of the Christian Right for once refusing to remove the Ten Commandments monument from his courthouse. But you may not know that in 2004 Moore also helped to defeat -- get this -- a bipartisan effort to eliminate sections of the Alabama constitution mandating school segregation and poll taxes.
Joining me now to discuss all of this, Bishop William Barber of Repairs of the Breach. And, Bishop Barber, I just want to -- on that last point of Judge Roy Moore -- it is interesting he is a darling of the Christian Right, but, reading this article this week about how he once stood steadfast against removing segregation and poll taxes from the Alabama constitution -- and yet he fits in fine. Why is that?
BISHOP WILLIAM BARBER, GREENLEAF CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Well, I tell you, Joy, I just can't call it "Christian Right," it's so wrong, it's not Christian. You know, gun-waving politicians that support segregation is not Christian, it's crazy. And people are somehow being fooled. And it's time really for there to be a major challenge to this kind of public heresy that we see going on that is so counter to the real values of Christianity.
REID: I mean, when you see it, you know, we're looking at pictures of him waving his tiny pistol around, you know -- at this Values Voters Summit, there is a flyer being circulated -- an anti-gay flyer -- that says "The Health Hazards of Homosexuality" -- which we, if we could show that. They're handing out things like bumper stickers -- "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media." I mean, the stuff that they're distributing there, it feels so counter to the core message of love in the Christian Bible that it's hard for me to believe that they read that Bible and they get that out of it.
BARBER: Well, actually, from Jeremiah 22, to Jesus and Matthew 25, Christian values for nations and political leaders has to do with love and justice and equality, stopping exploitation of the vulnerable, caring for the poor, caring for children, welcoming immigrants, helping the sick and loving all. And, by these standards, the so-called Values Summit is not about Judeo-Christian values, it's not about Christianity, but the values of a heretical extremism funded by a whole lot of money perpetrating a fraud on the American people.
Their values are cash and not Christ, greed and not grace. And much of this has been documented, particularly in books like One Nation Under God by Princeton scholar Kevin Cruise. And what the President did, Joy, was irreligious. It is an anathema to Christian values. He boasted about taking health care -- that's not Christian. He boasted about taking subsidies for poor people -- that is not Christian. He boasted about Merry Christmas while pushing policies that would hurt the Mary, Jesus and Joseph of Christmas who were poor.
(...)
All through the scriptures, the Bible calls for a correction to inequality that is produced by government policies. In fact, Isaiah 10 said, "Woe unto those who legislate evil and rob the poor of their rights." Secondly, you have no authority to claim that you want the family and the church to do all these things when the policies around tax cuts and the policies around denying health care and the policies around blocking living wages that you promote actually hurt families.
So this is a con, and it's been going on a long time. Everybody needs to -- it's as old as the slave master who had people endorse slavery and found theological ways to do that. It's as old as those people that challenged Dr. King and said that he needed to stop challenging. It's just wrong, and we have to challenge it.
REID: Indeed.
