David Brat’s Biblical Views Shape His Tea Party Politics (Christianity + Capitalism)

Time ^ | June 11, 2014 | Elizabeth Dias

[Mrs. Don-o]

The Republican primary race in Virginia’s 7th district was a David and Goliath story from the beginning. [snip]

Brat’s spiritual life has long been as central to his identity, even though it has also been difficult to pigeonhole. He currently attends a Catholic church, but he also identifies as a Calvinist, and he lists four churches as affiliations on his resume: St. Michael’s Catholic, Christ Church Episcopal, Third Presbyterian, and Shady Grove Methodist. He earned his bachelors from Hope College, a Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Mich., which is historically affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a Protestant denomination that sprouted during the 17th century. He got a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school, but while there wrote a thesis on logical positivism and its impact on economic science—not a typical choice for someone earning a ministerial degree. He then switched his focus and earned a Ph.D. in economics from American University.

Through all of that, one aspect of his faith has been constant: Brat takes the Protestant work ethic seriously. Like many of his Tea Party colleagues, Brat is an Ayn Rand enthusiast, and coauthored a paper assessing the moral foundations of her writings in 2010. [snip]

He argues: “Church folk and my liberal pals are always preaching about inclusiveness and diversity. . . . However, a real test for liberal Christian types is whether they will reach out to capitalists!”

The thing that comes last in his plan? “Finally, I think Jesus told us to help our neighbor when they get in a bind,” he writes. “But that comes last in my little story here, not first.”

[Mrs. Don-o]

Fire insurance! Cool.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The author certainly has a snide attitude, but I think this info makes Brat all the more interesting, at least.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“I’m a little bit nervous about the idea of being affiliated with four different churches.”

I don’t have a problem with it. Sounds like he is a serious Christian and dissatisfied with either the local church or certain items in a given denomination.

I am Catholic, but have taken to attending a Bible Church because my local priest is a racist and a communist of the South American variety.

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[Vigilanteman]

Agreed. If nothing else, it shows him to be open-minded. We have a local Catholic College (St. Vincent) which is considered one of the better conservative colleges in the nation and a sharp contrast to the Marxist theorists who call themselves Jesuits.

The term "Calvinist" is also highly generic. They range from some of the very tolerant (or traditional in the conservative sense) Presbyterian sects to the "my way or the highway, anyone who doesn't believe exactly like me is going straight to hell especially Mormons and Catholics" who haunt this forum from time to time.

Religious bigotry is a libtard value, not a conservative one.

[Alex Murphy]

The term "Calvinist" is also highly generic. They range from some of the very tolerant (or traditional in the conservative sense) Presbyterian sects to the "my way or the highway, anyone who doesn't believe exactly like me is going straight to hell especially Mormons and Catholics" who haunt this forum from time to time.

LOL name one!