Published on August 6, 2024, 12:31 am

In a recent sermon, Pastor Luke Barnett of Dream City Church drew a bizarre comparison between Kari Lake, a pro-choice Republican politician, and the biblical prophet Deborah—a parallel that can only be described as misleading at best. The pastor’s endorsement of Lake and his likening of her to Deborah raised many eyebrows, as it tilted the scales unfavorably towards the sacred scriptures’ narrative essence.

“Our honored guest this morning is Kari Lake,” echoed Pastor Barnett in his sermon. He then went on to make waves by saying, “the Lord put on my heart that you are in a Deborah season.” It was disturbing enough to see church authority commending someone who supports pro-choice policies; however, equating such an advocate to an actual biblical judge – someone upholding God’s law – crosses boundaries into a realm far from being prophetic or insightful. This could merely be seen as political sycophancy materializing at its worst.

Lake’s support for pro-choice stances is well-known. Yet Barnett conveniently neglected these details when drawing parallels between her and “prophet Deborah.” Could supporting abortion rights have been part of Barnett’s version of what Deborah stood for? Surely not! Lake stated earlier this year that even though she “personally chose life,” she does not believe in imposing this choice on others through banning abortion.

Barnett’s audacious assertion that “God blesses and anoints you [Lake] in this season,” is not merely absurd but also demonstrates contempt towards those who hold biblical teachings sacred.

By presenting the misguided analogy of Lake with Deborah to his congregation, Barnett not only distorts scripture for political purposes but also damages the integrity of God’s revealed word. It was deceptive at best and outright blasphemous at worst.

Deborah was known as a prophetess and judge who led Israel with divine wisdom – far from supporting policies fundamentally opposed to a Christian worldview. Unfortunately, although perhaps lesser than many Democrat counterparts according to some, Lake clearly does. Such dangerous instances of scripture distortion for political benefit should be discouraged and checked.

As global citizens seeking truth through real news and trusted news outlets, we must remain cautious about misleading interpretations of scriptures that may serve personal or political purposes rather than maintaining the accurate representation due to religious texts rooted in a Christian worldview. Breaking news often unveils controversial issues, yet it is up to readers to discern fact from fiction with critical thought.