Jim Burroway: Ron Paul’s Easy Appeal to Christian Reconstructionists
Texas Congressman Ron Paul ended up with a strong showing in Iowa’s GOP presidential sweepstakes. It wasn’t quite as strong as his supporters had hoped, coming in at third place after several polls predicted a stronger showing. But what remains surprising is the strength of Paul’s evangelical support. CNN’s entrance/exit poll has Ron Paul collecting 19 percent of the evangelical vote. That trails Sen. Rick Santorum’s 32-percent support among evangelicals, but it is well ahead of Perry, Bachmann, and Gingrich, who actively courted the prized GOP demographic. It’s an interesting split, and Warren Throckmorton seems to have found what may be the key to Ron Paul’s support among one evangelical segment, Christian reconstructionists, while simultaneously being spurned by another segment, dominionists:
But back to [New Apostolic Reformation dominionists] vs. Christian reconstructionists; the focus of control is different. The NAR folks want to rule America as a Christian nation from the seat of centralized power in Washington DC. The Christian reconstructionists want to deconstruct central government in favor of state or local control of law. Bachmann and Perry promise to govern biblically and impose their view of Christian America on the nation. Paul promises to dismantle the federal government in favor of the states.
In fact, the Christian reconstructionists are afraid of the NAR dominionists. Recontructionist Joel McDurmon wants biblical law in place, but he thinks the NAR approach is a dangerous power grab.