What's the Matter with Kansas?

What’s the Matter with Kansas?
by Dr. Jim Garlow

In 2004, Thomas Frank wrote a bemoaningly titled book, What’s the Matter with Kansas? He lamented that Kansas, once progressive, had now become too conservative, caring about such things as abortion and gay marriage.

Obviously, I, in contrast to Thomas Frank, was elated that Kansas had left behind its perceived progressivism (if it ever truly had such) and had moved to what I would label a more biblical and godly understanding on the nature of governance. (I am not convinced that Thomas Frank’s view of the older Kansas is accurate.)

Putting the book aside, the title of the book is still relevant. I have been asking myself lately, “What’s the matter with Kansas?”

Allow me to establish my credentials for caring about a state to which most of you have never been. I have lived many places, including the East Coast (for my final masters degree and doctorate) and the West Coast (San Diego, California for the last 31 years). When I hear people talk about Kansas, they always bring up “Dorothy” from the Wizard of Oz, and cite one line, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” (I am personally quite underwhelmed by that line, having heard it several thousands of times.)

People don’t tend to go to Kansas. They go through it, usually on I-70. Or the fly over Kansas. They don’t often land there. And they are missing out.

The rolling waves of golden wheat (now largely replaced with drought tolerant corn and soybeans) viewed from the cab of a John Deere combine on a hot June day is an amazing site to behold. The sound of a center pivot irrigation system “walking around” 160 acres of irrigated corn is a moment to savor. The shucking, husking and silking or an ear of corn, then boiling it, and eating it hot, loaded with lots of butter and salt, is one of the greatest delights of life. The smell of freshly plowed ground behind a three bottom (we had small equipment back then) 16 inch moldboard plow (I guess that makes me a maximum tillage guy) is something one never forgets.

As you can tell, I grew up on a farm, in North Central Kansas, near Concordia, Kansas. I went to a one room country school, with all eight grades in one room. When I began first grade (we did not have kindergarten and pre-K back then, thank goodness), I was the first grade. It was just me, at least initially.

I attended all my life, until I left for college, a one room – well, we actually had three “rooms” – country church. It never even had running water. It had an outhouse. (Some of you may not be quite sure what an “outhouse” is.)

I grew up in a godly and happy house. My parents loved God, each other, farming, music, discussing theology and politics (yes, the two things people think you are not supposed to discuss!), learning and laughing. Thus Kansas, for me, was a delight.

And we were proud of our state.

For starters, near Council Grove, Kansas was the site of the first martyr for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Juan de Padilla chose to stay behind, leaving the Coronado expedition, for the purpose of evangelism of the Indians. He was killed by the native Americans in 1542. A marker notes the location. This is a sacred site.

It was a Kansan – Dwight D. Eisenhower – who led D-Day. He would later, as president, add “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, and make “In God We Trust” our national motto. Along with fellow Kansan Senator Frank Carlson, whose farm was four miles from ours, he would launch the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, later renamed the National Prayer Breakfast. Kansas would produce the remarkable Sam Brownback as well.

But something happened. Kansas now might possibly elect Adam Hamilton to the U.S. Senate. That would be a horrific mistake.

I am a pastor. Adam is a pastor. One might think I would support him. Not so. Both of us have pastored what are called “megachurches.” But, for good reason, I do not trust him, as a pastor, or as a potential senator.

In this article, I am not even going to deal with Hamilton’s more fruitcake ideas that you must repent for eating beef, driving a car, or being white. Those are so bizarre, that sane readers of this article know how erroneous those statements are. I care more about some other obvious biblical issues.

Hamilton violates Scripture. Not incidentally, he claims the Bible contains mistakes.

He claims that all, every person, will enter heaven. He claims that he does not believe in universalism, while using casuistry to defend his unbiblical positions.

Hamilton supports the dismembering of babies in the womb, even without anesthesia. When Hamilton talks about justice and compassion, ask him about Kansas’ murdered babies.

Hamilton supports destroying God’s clear definition of marriage. He supports that for which God destroyed Sodom. (To understand the Hebrew words of Genesis 1 & 2 on this matter, see here)

Hamilton choses to identify with the political party that believes you can cut off a little boy’s private parts and call him a little girl.

Consider this: Much (most?) of what Adam Hamilton now believes would have been considered heretical by all the major church councils of the last 2,000 years of church history.

Hamilton was a key figure in splitting his own denomination, the United Methodist Church.

Allow me to state why I would comment on this topic. I am a product of the Wesleyan (formerly called Wesleyan Methodist) Church. John Wesley is the founder of Methodism from the 1700s in England. I am a graduate of four institutions which define themselves within the Wesleyan theological heritage. I did my Ph.D. in historical theology from an institution which houses one of the largest (if not the largest) Wesleyana collections in the nation. I wrote my dissertation on Wesley, on British Methodism, and to a lesser extent, American Methodism.

I have only met Hamiton on two occasions, once when we were speaking at the same conference and rode to the airport together, and once when I visited his church, both of these occurring in the late 1990s as best I can recall. (By the way, I have never met, or been in contact with Hamilton’s Senate opponent, nor have I communicated with him or his office in any way.)

Hamilton, who once held biblically orthodox views, apparently migrated to unscriptural views sometime in the early 2000s. Since Hamilton was selected by Obama to give the inaugural sermon, and since Obama would never have had Hamilton speak unless he was thoroughly vetted and in compliance with Obama’s radical views, Hamilton apparently made a shift sometime before 2012. Hamilton preached that sermon January 22, 2013. By then, Obama, entering his second term, had established himself as “the most pro-abortion president ever” and then introduced “transgenderism” into the American mainstream.

That being the case, Hamilton supported the violation of historic biblical teaching on human sexuality. In spite of Hamilton telling the story of his parents considering aborting him (a very moving story) when he was in the womb, he now inexplicably embraced the murder of preborn children.

What is more, the United Methodist Church’s official Book of Discipline advocated one man-one woman marriage. But Hamilton, after a failed vote to support homosexual (so-called) “marriage” at the UMC’s General Conference, told his church, according to members of the church who were present for that sermon, that he would no longer abide by his own denomination’s official polity.

Thought to ponder: If a pastor will not abide by the Bible, will he, as a senator, abide by the U.S. Constitution? If a pastor will violate his own denomination’s official rule book, will he, as a senator, obey the laws of the land? The core issue is obvious: Hamilton lacks integrity.

What leadership did Hamilton give to the UMC during this time? He was instrumental, a key leader, in forcing over 7,000 congregations to leave the denomination. Think of that. Not 7,000 persons. But rather, 7,000 local churches or congregations. Forced out. Of the church to which they had been sacrificially giving – financially and otherwise – for decades, or longer.

He will contend that they left of their own free will. Not so. The denomination stopped following its own laws. People of conscience were forced out because of good conscience. Because of integrity. Because of biblical orthodoxy. Hamilton helped lead the charge that crushed any biblical orthodoxy left within his once great denomination.

Tragically, many of the congregations were trapped inside the now antibiblical denomination and could not leave. Some were deceived into thinking they “could get out later.” But they could not.

Other congregations did make it out, but at what price? The UMC “machinery” was brutal. Congregations had to buy (technically “re-buy”) their buildings, after they had already paid for them!

In other words, a congregation, which had been paying their tithe money on Sundays, which were used in part to pay down the mortgage on the church building (and in some cases, they were paid off), had to pay millions of dollars to the corrupt “mother church,” in order to have the very buildings that they had had already paid for once.

Simply stated, some congregations had to pay for their buildings a second time, leaving the remaining heretical “mother church” flush with cash. A few congregations were able to escape this vile travesty, but very few.

Who was the pastor of the largest U.S. Methodist church helping to lead the charge against the orthodox, Bible-believing Methodists who were forced out of their once orthodox denomination? Adam Hamilton.

In spite of claims of being “the great uniter,” he is the epitome of “the great divider.” Remember that each time he deceptively claims to lead from “the middle.” That is a mirage. Worse, it is a lie. He led from the left. Or rather, from “The Wrong.” That is who he is. Kansans need to know this now, before it is too late.

There are many persons who are running for office who have believed or done evil things. That is not unusual. There are many who are running for office who are advocating for murdering babies and sodomite unions. That is not unusual.

There are many campaigning for the irrationality of so-called “transgenderism.” (For the record, “trans” does not exist. You are either XX or XY.) None of that that is unusual.

However, and this is key, Adam Hamilton is running as a pastor. He portrays himself as a “man of the clothe.” Well, he is, in realty, what the Bible calls a false prophet. He is not to be theologically trusted. Or politically as well.

Hamilton claims he was a Republican. Then he claimed he would run as an Independent. That was likely bogus. Not surprisingly, the man who helped split his denomination over his pro-homosexual, pro-trans, and pro-abortion views, who identified with Obama, is running as a Democrat.

So, what are the differences between the Republican and Democrat parties? Several years ago, Bishop Art Hodges of San Diego, California contrasted the Republican Party Platform with the Democrat Party Platform. Writing several years ago, perhaps around 2022 or so, here were his observations (Note: “x” stands for times):

“One mentions Morality, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Strong Families, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Religious Liberty, the other doesn't.
One mentions Traditional Family, the other doesn't.
One mentions Inalienable Rights, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Traditional Marriage, the other doesn't.
One mentions Sanctity of Human Life, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Traditional Family Values, the other doesn't.
One mentions Traditional Religious Beliefs, the other doesn't.
One mentions our Judeo-Christian heritage, the other doesn't.
One mentions the Declaration of Independence, the other doesn’t.
One mentions God Bless America, the other doesn't.
One mentions Christian 8x & Muslim 1x; the other mentions Christian 1x & Muslim 8x.
One mentions Praise 2x and Protest 0x; the other mentions Protest 4x and Praise 0x.
One mentions God 15x and LGBT 0x; the other mentions God 1x and LGBT 26x.
One mentions Bible 3x, the other 0x
One mentions Morality, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Strong Families, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Religious Liberty, the other doesn't.
One mentions Traditional Family, the other doesn't.
One mentions Inalienable Rights, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Traditional Marriage, the other doesn't.
One mentions Sanctity of Human Life, the other doesn’t.
One mentions Traditional Family Values, the other doesn't.
One mentions Traditional Religious Beliefs, the other doesn't.
One mentions our Judeo-Christian heritage, the other doesn't.
One mentions the Declaration of Independence, the other doesn’t.
One mentions God Bless America, the other doesn't.
One mentions Christian 8x & Muslim 1x; the other mentions Christian 1x & Muslim 8x.
One mentions Praise 2x and Protest 0x; the other mentions Protest 4x and Praise 0x.
One mentions God 15x and LGBT 0x; the other mentions God 1x and LGBT 26x.
One mentions Bible 3x, the other 0x.”

The differences are astounding!

Adam Hamilton chose which group with which to identify. Candidly, I care very little about political parties. They come. They go. They are not my source of truth. God is. His Word is.

There are some Republicans who are as antibiblical in their views as Democrat Hamilton is. The issue is never partisan. It is not about pollical parties. When sodomite marriage was affirmed by the U.S. Congress in December of 2022, 12 Republican Senators and 39 Republican House of Representatives voted with Sodom and Gomorrah. They, although part of the GOP, are as antibiblical as Hamilton, the Democrat.

The issue for me is not partisan. It is not Republican vs. Democrat. It is not even Right vs. Left.

It is Right vs. Wrong. It is Good vs. Evil. It is Light vs. Darkness. It is Biblical Truth vs. Antibiblical constructs. It is the things of God vs. the Evil One.

Adam Hamilton, while posturing himself from the pulpit, has shamefully identified with the dark side. He did not have to. He could have run for office, advocating for holiness, righteousness, biblical justice (as opposed to social justice which, at its core, is Marxism, built on envy, “I want what you have.”), and truth.

But he didn’t. He chose the antibiblical side of issues. He chose to support Sodom’s sin, “affirm” (key word) it, rather than bring the glorious transformational hope and redemption of the Apostle Paul’s remarkable message (“and such were [past tense] some of you,” 1 Cor. 6:11).

Hamilton chose to support the slaughter of innocents, 66 million and counting. He claims abortion should be “rare and safe.” Really? Safe for whom? It is surely not safe for the baby who gets torn to pieces, limb by limb. It is most assuredly not safe for the mother. The evidence is overwhelming that abortion is physically, psychologically and spiritually harmful.

Hamilton, with his warm personality and oratorical skills, could have risen to be a great prophet of God, advocating for holiness and righteousness in a Congress and a nation which desperately needs both.

But he didn’t. He chose the pathway of a false prophet, shamelessly leading people to destruction.

Kansas, beware. He is lethal. His views are toxic.

Yes, I know he is likeable. He is affable. He is cute-sy in his answers (“Adam, are you a conservative or a liberal?” “Yes,” says Hamilton, duping many of his listeners as they all laugh at his quick wittedness.)

Kansas, beware. Do not let a false prophet represent you in Washington, DC. It is not his party. I care not about his political “party.” It is about his lack of a moral compass which would have kept him focused on true holiness, righteousness, (biblical) justice, and truth.

People who never knew the truth are called pagans. People who once knew the truth, but walked away from it, are called apostates.

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