Bachmann's Church Becomes Campaign Issue

WCCO asks, "Does Bachmann's Church Believe the Pope is 'the Antichrist'?" The issue was raised by a website called Faithful Democrats, an online community for people of faith in the Democratic Party. Bachmann's most prolific critics, DumpBachmann.com, brought the issue up in September and Daily Kos posted it to his front page last week. The Star Tribune's Blog House picked it up this weekend, and the Star Tribune ran the full story on Monday.

The issue is pertinent to the public debate on 6th District candidates. Michele Bachmann has spoken proudly and frequently about her church and her religion, and how her faith impacts her decision-making process. In the Humphrey Institute/Minnesota Broadcasters Association "Campaign Dialogue 2006" this weekend, the stance of Bachmann's church was the first question asked:

WCCO's Pat Kessler: "We'll start with Senator Bachmann. Religion and politics. That has crept into this campaign over and over and over again. The Minneapolis-based Star Tribune reports today, Senator, that the church you belong to is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod which, it says, regards the Roman Catholic Pope as the Antichrist. Is this true? Do you share the views of your church? And, why should any Catholic in the 6th District vote for you if it is true?"

Michele Bachmann: "That's a false statement that was made, and I spoke with my pastor earlier today about that as well, and he was absolutely appalled that someone would put that out. It's abhorrent, religious bigotry. I love Catholics, I'm a Christian, and my church does not believe that the Pope is the Antichrist. That's absolutely false. And again, I think it's abhorrent, and I welcome and have as part of our family many Catholic members as well. And so I'm very grateful my pastor has come out and been very clear on this matter, and I think it's patently absurd and it's a false statement."

It's likely not an absurd or false statement. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which Bachmann's church is a member, is very clear and unapologetic about it's stance on the Pope. It is also clear that WELS statement calling the Pope 'the Antichrist' is not a blanket condemnation of Catholics.

Therefore on the basis of a renewed study of the pertinent Scriptures we reaffirm the statement of the Lutheran Confessions, that “the Pope is the very Antichrist” (cf. Section II), especially since he anathematizes the doctrine of the justification by faith alone and sets himself up as the infallible head of the Church.

We thereby affirm that we identify this “Antichrist” with the Papacy as it is known to us today, which shall, as 2 Thessalonians 2:8 states, continue to the end of time, whatever form or guise it may take. This neither means nor implies a blanket condemnation of all members of the Roman Catholic Church, for despite all the errors taught in that church the Word of God is still heard there, and that Word is an effectual Word...

...The Antichrist cannot deceive us if we remain under the revelation given us in the Apostolic...The Antichrist shall not destroy us but shall himself be destroyed—“Whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming” (2 Th 2:8).

We reject the idea that the fulfillment of this prophecy is to be sought in the workings of any merely secular political power (2 Th 2:4; cf. Treatise on the Power and the Primacy of the Pope 39).

We reject the idea that the teaching that the Papacy is the Antichrist rests on a merely human interpretation of history or is an open question. We hold rather that this teaching rests on the revelation of God in Scripture which finds its fulfillment in history. The Holy Spirit reveals this fulfillment to the eyes of faith (cf. The Abiding Word, Vol. 2, p. 764). Since Scripture teaches that the Antichrist would be revealed and gives the marks by which the Antichrist is to be recognized (2 Th 2:6,8), and since this prophecy has been clearly fulfilled in the history and development of the Roman Papacy, it is Scripture which reveals that the Papacy is the Antichrist.

WELS does not call any specific person 'the Antichrist,' only the position of the Pope itself. It's not clear whether or not Bachmann even knows that the Synod her church belongs to holds this position. Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute called Bachmann's defense of her church "a non-response." And that there are real questions that need to be answered.

At least one voter has decided this issue is important. A letter to the editor in the Star Tribune says:

Being a voter in the Sixth District with two children enrolled in Catholic school, my curiosity got the better of me so I did some research by visiting the WELS homepage. I was surprised to find that one of the WELS core doctrines does indeed regard the Roman Catholic papacy as the antichrist. I am thankful for hearing this before casting my vote and know, as a Catholic in the Sixth District, I will not be voting for Michele Bachmann.