Christian conservative commentator and author Allie Beth Stuckey came under criticism for a tweet urging Christians not to vote Democrat.
One year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Stuckey commented on a post by former President Barack Obama on how the nation had changed following the landmark decision.
"After Roe v. Wade was overturned, voters in Michigan, California, and Vermont helped enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions. And governors in states like Nevada, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania have signed executive orders to protect abortion access," Obama tweeted in part.
In a follow-up post, the former president urged his followers to support pro-choice activists and organizations and vote in future elections.
"It's the best way to turn a setback into far more lasting progress. So let's keep working," he concluded.
Now it’s time to join the activists who have been leading this work for years and do even more.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 24, 2023
That means volunteering in your community. It means supporting organizations like @PPFA, @USOWomen, and your local abortion fund that are doing great work. And it means voting in…
Stuckey, who hosts The Blaze podcast Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey, responded to Obama's post in a tweet.
"Evil man, evil ideology, evil party," she wrote. "Christians have no excuse to ever support these people. There is no 'both sides' argument."
Evil man, evil ideology, evil party. Christians have no excuse to ever support these people. There is no “both sides” argument. https://t.co/y7X3rD9Ewo
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) June 24, 2023
According to The Christian Post, several Christian activists denounced Stuckey for her remarks.
"In other words, 'We get abortion partially right so you must agree with us on everything even when our leaders show a lack of concern for the lives of immigrants, Black men killed by authorities, pregnant Black women, the uninsured poor and create laws that make it harder to vote,'" Justin Giboney, a black Democrat Christian strategist and the president of the AND Campaign, wrote in response.
Thou shall vote Republican is not in the Bible.
— Justin Giboney (@JustinEGiboney) June 25, 2023
I’ve voted for both parties and have plenty of criticisms of Democrats, including abortion and immigration. But this narrative is wrong and extremely disrespectful to millions of faithful Black Christians.
Meanwhile, former NFL player and outspoken pro-life activist Benjamin Watson responded to Giboney by arguing, "the type of Christianity she espouses includes voting records for membership.
"In her world, she creates the standards for how [Christians] are to behave," Watson continued. "That's a dangerous role to assume. She is creating addendums to orthodoxy and tampering with idolatry," he concluded.
Stuckey caught wind of Watson's comments by describing them as a "very strange response" to her tweet.
"If I said, 'anyone who supports the Holocaust is evil,' am I adding to Christianity and worshiping an idol? What about chattel slavery? Is 'it's evil to support slavery' an addendum to the faith?" she asked.
In response to Stuckey's question, Giboney wrote, "his point is you're setting a partisan standard for faithfulness that isn't scriptural."
The type of Christianity she espouses includes voting records for membership. In her world she creates the standards for how Christian’s are to behave. That’s a dangerous role to assume. She is creating addendums to orthodoxy and tampering with idolatry.
— Benjamin Watson (@BenjaminSWatson) June 25, 2023
"I didn't even say people who vote Dem are evil. But yes, as I've said many times, I definitely don't think Christians should vote for the party of human dismemberment and chemical castration of 12-year-olds. I guess that's idolatry!" Stuckey shot back.
Giboney further added that he had voted Democrat and Republican in the past and has criticized both political parties.
"Thou shall vote Republican is not in the Bible," Giboney added. "I've voted for both parties and have plenty of criticisms of Democrats, including abortion and immigration. But this narrative is wrong and extremely disrespectful to millions of faithful Black Christians."
On Monday's episode of her Relatable podcast, Stuckey addressed both exchanges with Giboney and Watson.
"I said nothing in this tweet about having to vote Republican to be a Christian," she asserted. "I did say that Christians shouldn't vote Democrat."
"That is not the same as saying that you must vote Republican," she added. "I don't have to jump through any logical or theological hoops to say very confidently that a Christian should not vote for the party that celebrates dismembering children and chemically castrating preteens."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jason Kempin/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
