The director of missions for a Southern Baptist association in Eastern North Carolina sent a letter to all pastors of churches in Onslow County urging them to compel their members to vote for “biblical values” in this year’s presidential election.
The cover letter, written on letterhead for New River Baptist Association, is signed by Joseph C. Cappar, associational missions strategist. Although on official letterhead, a note at the bottom of the letter says, “Production and postage of this correspondence paid by personal donation.”
Enclosed with the cover letter is a three-page letter written by Chris Parr, whom Cappar describes as “a long-time friend, brother in Christ, passionate patriot, and political advocate.” The inserted letter is filled with far-right conspiracy theories and political talking points about Marxist threats and Democratic plans to shut down Christian churches.
Joe Cappar
“I know some pastors feel that nothing that smacks of politics should be mentioned in the church, ever, at all,” Cappar writes. “My Brothers, this is not about politics, it is about Biblical Values and the preservation of our Constitutional Republic that was founded on them. Please give careful consideration to the contents of this letter.”
He urges “those of us who are in positions of leadership in our churches” to be “courageous and bold enough to address the dire situation in which our nation finds itself in this current election season.” And he asks pastors, “Please encourage your church members to vote and to cast their vote for candidates who best represent the Christian, Biblical Values that I know you regularly encourage them to adopt.”
The mailing also includes a one-page guide produced by Liberty Counsel, a far-right evangelical legal advocacy group that promotes Christian nationalism.
Parr’s letter identifies him as a “politic/science educator-speaker” from Jacksonville, N.C.
He warns about “the survival of our nation” and suggests if Democrats are elected, church doors will be padlocked by the government.
Chris Parr
“There is an alarming decline in our belief in the importance of such values as patriotism, religion, family, community and an increasing ignorance of our nation’s founding principles,” he writes. “Some college graduating seniors can’t name our first president.”
He warns of the threat of a communist takeover of the United States and says America’s young people are headed down the path to destruction.
“President Reagan warned that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. If we fail to act now, we run the risk of history being rewritten and our freedoms slipping away,” he says. “If Americans are not educated of the importance of maintaining freedom, we will decline into a state of government control and our children have no control of their destiny.”
He warns: “America is being fed small doses of communism …. except today it is called Democratic Marxism!”
He quotes conspiracy theorist Eric Metaxas to warn that Democrats in America today are leading toward an evil autocracy like Germany under Hitler.
“We don’t have an Adolph Hitler but we do have a movement that is leading us to Marxism. It is called the Democratic Party.”
“We don’t have an Adolph Hitler but we do have a movement that is leading us to Marxism. It is called the Democratic Party.”
As evidence of this plot, he says of 24 houses on his street only four “have Ole Glory flying seven days a week.” Further, “many of our citizens no longer stand for the National Anthem. The Pledge of Allegiance is forsaken and in some cases forbidden in schools.”
Pastors need to get out the vote this year because: “Make no mistake THIS UPCOMING ELECTION WILL DETERMINE if we remain a Christian country and the doors of your church stay open or will be forced to close!”
The “evangelical vote,” he says, “is absolutely necessary to win this election and prevent Marxism. Pastor, whether that vote will be cast at all, and whether that vote is cast for Democracy or Marxism, is in large measure up to you.”
He concludes with another warning: “If conservative, constitutional democracy does not prevail in the Nov. 5 election, no future election will be free and unhindered.”
One pastor who received this letter in the mail was alarmed about its content and tone.
Sami Johnson is an ELCA pastor in Jacksonville, N.C., who spoke to BNG about her own views, not necessarily the views of her congregation.
She called the letter “deeply disturbing” and noted it was “entirely focused on drumming up fear in pastors and congregations of Democrats and their candidates, in order to compel them to vote for Republican candidates.”
“Theologically, it’s upsetting to me that they would employ fear to compel people to vote one way or another.”
“They compared Democrats to Adolph Hitler and Marxists. They said if Democrats are elected their churches might close and that future elections may not be free or unhindered. Without any warning against doing so in their sermons or newsletters or other church communications, they encouraged pastors to endorse and oppose candidates,” she added.
“Theologically, it’s upsetting to me that they would employ fear to compel people to vote one way or another. It’s upsetting to me that these pastors might betray their congregations’ trust by using Scripture to endorse a candidate or oppose another. Legally, it seems ignorant or unconcerned with the Johnson Amendment.
“As a pastor, I would consider it an abuse of my role and the pulpit to endorse or oppose a candidate by name as if the Scriptures lead to a clear conclusion about one or another. Instead, I lay out biblical values and invite my congregation to make up their own minds based on their own convictions.”
And she wonders how these Southern Baptist pastors would feel “if they received a letter that implied any of these things about the Republican Party or their candidates. Not even to mention the way Project 2025 actually threatens religious freedoms of people who do not fall into line with the authors’ narrow beliefs.”
New River Baptist Association is comprised of 32 Southern Baptist churches located across four counties in eastern North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Southern Baptist Convention. Jacksonville is the county seat of Onslow County, which also is home to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.