What does Mitch Romney, Louisiana Pentecostals, Politics and the Trinity all Have in Common.

I was reading Astonished , yet at Home post on his spiritual conversion experience. He talks about how he comes from a "oneness" Pentecostal tradition. I find that pretty interesting because he is from that tradition in Louisiana. I hope he talks more about this because I think the Trinity is really under attack. Once you get fuzzy on the Trinity, then it opens the door to all sort of error. How many times do we hear," all you need to do is to believe in Jesus don't worry about all that Trinity stuff". I hear that all the time in Internet chat rooms. That is so not true.

In Louisiana politics there is a particular part of the Pentecostal vote that is so so important to get. That is because there is a segement of it that is very political. It also is one of the few mostly "white" demographics that vote in bloc. Now there are different kinds of Penetecostals. But in Louisiana the "Oneness" leaning Pentecostals in areas are a political force. Pentecostals are conservative in their political social views. There is no doubt of that. However it is a darn hard vote for Conservative "religious right " republicans to pick up at times. The Louisiana Pentecostals were huge backers of the famous Edwin Edwards. In 2002 we were told that Republican Suzie Terrell in her Senate Campaign had the Pentecostal vote in the bag. Well it was clear that wasn't the case when the numbers came in form the Parishes that are the bastions of this faith and it went to Pro-Abortion Mary Landrieu . The main leader of this group was a loyal supporter of Bill Clinton and those votes were delivered to him. There are reasons for this and it is another case of being careful in thinking that you can put religious folks in a box. The area where much of this is powerful is the land of Huey and Earl Long. This is an area where there was a socialist movement. It is very populist and these particular Pentecostals often share these concerns. In Fact if one wanted to look at what group of non Catholics often share a Catholic social gospel outlook I might suggest this group in certain areas.

Pentecostals are often sterotyped. You would think that all these women and skirts and long hair must all be some types of conservative dullards. I suggest you go to a Pentecostal service. In a word it is raw. I have seen the most conservative looking women jumping out and dancing and playing musical instruments. There are reasons that Pentecostals and those associated with it in various offshoots like Marvin Gorman and Jimmy Swaggert get into sex scandals. There is at times a real sexual energy or undercurrent that is felt.

Now I want to be clear I am not bashing the Charismatics or Catholic Charismatics. In fact the Preacher to the Pope is one. He also wrote a outstanding Book on the Trinity recently. The Pope's have made statements that this movement is a fruit of the Church. Catholic Traditionalist need to deal with that. In this same area in Louisiana I am describing comes one of the most Saintly Bishops I have known. That is Bishop Sam Jacobs that is also a Charismatic and very much involved in that Catholic movement. His former Diocese of Alexandria is going gangbusters partly because of his past leadership.

What does this have to do with Mitch Romney you might be asking? When one goes to a Penetecostal service one is struck pretty quick that something is off. This comes across in the preaching. Pretty soon you realize that their view of the Trinity is really off and depending where you go non existant. If you don't have a time machine to go back to the early days of the Church and meet some real live Arians or Modalist , then just go to one of these Churches.

Are these people Christians? Well to be honest I don't think you can call them that. That seems harsh but the traditional and the historic Christian faith is Trinatarian. That is a non negoitable position. Pretty much Christians have been those that adhere to the main main tenents of the Council of Nicea. Does that mean that God is and Christ himself is not working among Pentecostals? Of course not. I have seen too much evidence to the contrary. However when you think about it , how is Mitch Romney's Mormon faith much different politically than this Penetecostal situation I describe. I keep hearing that Evangelicals will not vote for Romney because he is not a Real Christian. However in Louisiana as to this vote it is not a issue. Now I am not naive. There are differences of course between Louisiana oneness Pentecostals and a Mormons but the concept is the same. I have rarely heard 'Don't vote for that Penetecostal because he doesn't believe in the Trinity". Don't vote for for them because they are not true Christians" To do so would be rude and cross a unspoken line.

I think it comes down to an unwritten social contract. In my town there are 20 different churches that believe quite different things. Sometimes in major opposition to each other. One might think your neighbor is going to hell but gosh we all interact with each other and involved with other in a million different ways. I think that even the evangelicals(the person in the pews) gets nervous when a line is crossed when an a person's religion is made a political issue They want to know that you believe in God and Jesus(this is actually more complex because Evangelicals vote for JEWS-See Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne) . Beyond that they live within this social contract. If it is crossed I think people consider that rude and they punish people associated with doing it.

I think this a fair warning to the GOP field , and their supporters not to do it, as to Romney's faith. I am glad to say that my hopeful MIke Huckabee has shown he will not do it.

Mormonism is again different. Americans are going to have to get introduced to it some. But in the end I think Romney's problems are not going to be with his faith.

Update- For those that take an interest in Louisiana Politics and want to read about what I am talking about a suggestion. The book is sort of dated but the THE LAST HAYRIDE by John Maginnis goes into the facinating aspects of the Penetcostal vote in Louisiana. This book is a good read anyway and covers the the 1984 Edwin Edwards/Treen race and all of Louisiana politics that year. The book was indeed on to something as to the title. It was indeed the Last Hayride for Louisiana politics in all its glory as we knew it. Soon the Oil bust hit and times were changed forever. I is one of my favorite books and now I am getting inpired to go try to find it again.