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After Biblical Protestations, Expelled Tennessee Lawmakers Find Support Among Clergy

posted on April 11, 2023

Bob Smietana and Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service report that two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the state legislature last week after a protest in support of gun control are marshaling biblical teachings in their defense. Justin Jones, one of the expelled representatives, read from the book of Jeremiah on the House floor during his expulsion proceedings. “They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wounds. They give assurances of peace where there is no peace.” The Rev. William Barber, a prominent pastor and the leader of the Poor Peoples Campaign, announced a protest in Nashville planned for later this month that will highlight the state legislature’s inaction on gun violence. He said, “As clergy, we can no longer just do the pastoral work. We must do the prophetic work of changing policy.”

Read at Religion News Service