NRB & Debt

Over the weekend, Speaker of the House John Boehner spoke to a gathering of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), an association that has become increasingly political in recent decades. During his remarks, Boehner called the national debt "immoral." He added:

We have a moral responsibility to address the problems we face. That means working together to cut spending and rein in government. ... It is immoral to bind our children to as leeching and destructive a force as debt. It is immoral to rob our children's future and make them beholden to China. No society is worthy that treats its children so shabbily.

Boehner's remarks echo a growing recognition among many evangelicals that the national debt should not be ignored or pushed aside by social issues. Hopefully, evangelicals will speak prophetically about the moral implications of our national debt and not merely side with one political party.

Boehner's presence as the one to deliver that message at the NRB also says something about the organization and its political influence. The NRB receives several mentions in my new book (Presidential Campaign Rhetoric in an Age of Confessional Politics) as Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush addressed NRB gatherings during their campaigns. The political influence of the NRB--especially among conservatives--should not be ignored. As Boehner's speech helps demonstrate, the NRB is a key player in our age of confessional politics.