Former Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview with Russell Moore—the former chief of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission—praised Jimmy Carter for being a “born-again Christian” and even admitted to voting for him during his early years as a Democrat youth coordinator.

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Pence fondly recalled thanking Carter in person years later, despite acknowledging their “differences” on issues over time. Yet, in a moment of bizarre reverence, Pence described Carter’s faith as a “blessing to the nation.”

Strange bedfellows? Jimmy Carter—whose political career was marked by policies and positions that align more with the endless human depravity laid bare in Romans 1:24-32 than anything resembling a mind that has been transformed and renewed in Christ—has somehow become a figure worthy of evangelical admiration.

And, as usual, Russell Moore, ever the eager enabler, provides the perfect platform for such profane nostalgia.

How does this happen and why is it so common in Evangelicalism? How do men like Pence and Moore—who claim to stand for Christ—find themselves applauding a political figure whose party’s platform celebrates and institutionalizes the very sins that God has handed people over to in judgment?

Look no further than Romans 1. The Democratic Party has become the embodiment of the downward spiral described by Paul, beginning with the suppression of truth and escalating into idolatry, sexual immorality, and every imaginable form of wickedness.

Carter may have worn the label of “born-again,” but his policy positions on pretty much every issue, from abortion and sexual immorality to even wealth redistribution and social justice, reveal a troubling comfort with the moral chaos that defines his party. And for Pence and Moore to commend him as a man of faith? That’s not just naive—it’s complicity.

The Democratic Party platform isn’t shy about its rebellion against God. It celebrates sexual perversion, normalizing relationships and lifestyles that Scripture explicitly calls dishonorable and unnatural. It wages war on the unborn, endorsing their slaughter under the guise of “choice.” It glorifies greed and envy, institutionalizing theft through policies cloaked in the language of equity and justice.

And yet, according to Romans 1:32, the real indictment isn’t merely on those who do such things, but also on those who “approve of those who practice them.” By their nods to Carter and others like him, Pence and Moore signal their tacit approval of this godlessness, all while draping themselves in the language of faith and virtue.

And let’s not pretend this is just an isolated incident. The evangelical elite—of which Moore is a card-carrying member—have a habit of cozying up to those whose faith serves as little more than a veneer for political pragmatism. It’s as if they’re allergic to standing firm in biblical conviction, favoring instead a kind of squishy, accommodating religion that flatters everyone and offends no one. But faith divorced from truth is no faith at all. It’s a hollow echo, a clanging cymbal, a spiritual counterfeit.

The most disturbing part of all this isn’t merely their praise for Carter. It’s the broader message their words convey—that one can play footsie with evil, tip their hat to its champions, and still claim the moral high ground.

This is the kind of duplicity that turns the Church into a laughingstock. It’s the kind of compromise that leaves believers confused, emboldens unbelievers in their rebellion, and grieves the heart of God.

Pence and Moore may not openly champion everything on the Democratic Party’s agenda, but their willingness to give grand accolades to such evil men like Carter serves the same purpose. It lends credibility to a system that thrives on undermining God’s authority and defiling His design.

And for what? To appear magnanimous? To win points with the culture?

Whatever the reason, the result is the same—a betrayal of the gospel they claim to uphold. Stop pretending that faith devoid of commitment to God’s Word is something worth celebrating. It’s not. It’s dangerous. It’s deceptive. It’s damnable.