By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
June 14, 2023
North Carolina Republicans made it clear at last weekend’s convention that they are not pleased with Thom Tillis. More than two thirds of the 1,801 delegates at the Greensboro event voted to censure the U.S. senator for his votes in support of homosexual marriage and a gun control bill signed into law last year. Many were also displeased with his position on immigration.
The Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, said that the state GOP did the right thing and that he hopes Tillis will see the move as an “admonishment from friends” like that mentioned in Proverbs 27.
“I’m sorry it happened, just as I am sorry that Sen. Tillis spearheaded the effort to codify same-sex marriage into federal law. Such action was reprehensible, especially by a Republican representing North Carolina,” Creech said.
He cited Proverbs 27:5-6, which says, “Better is an open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
He said he and many others contacted Sen. Tillis last summer, pleading with him not to support the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” — efforts that clearly met the Matthew 18:15 requirement that an erring brother should first be approached privately. Creech said failing to censure Sen. Tillis would be a disservice to him, giving him the green light to go rogue on other critical issues and potentially encouraging other Republicans in public office to ignore who brought them to the dance.
“What troubles me about the Senator is that he seems to be doubling down in defense of his actions, which is most arrogant,” Creech added. “Unless he demonstrates contrition at some point, he is telling the Party he knows better than most on the subject. His will eclipses the Party platform.”
Delegate Jim Forster, 81, echoed that sentiment, telling the media that Tillis’ recent actions “don’t reflect the party’s shift to the right – in fact, they’re moving in the exact wrong direction.” Instead, Forster said North Carolina needs people who are “unwavering in their support for conservative ideals.”
Tillis, who has held his seat in the Senate since 2015, was among just 15 Republicans in the Senate who voted for the gun control bill that President Biden signed. The legislation includes incentives for states to pass red flag laws that allow groups to petition courts to remove weapons from people believed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Tillis’ vote to enshrine protections for same-sex marriages in federal law was particularly troubling to many who remembered his work about a decade ago, when he played a pivotal role in the same-sex marriage ban that passed in North Carolina while he was the speaker of the N.C. House.
Both the state and national GOP platforms oppose same-sex marriage.
