Praying in the Capitol rotunda, Lauren Boebert stated that Jesus “went to hell in our place.” pic.twitter.com/A6D6BZEawV
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) March 19, 2023
This actually reflects very coherent Christian theology, aside from one thing. The congresswoman states "there's nothing that you left out, Jesus." As this tweeter notes, prayers are to be made in Jesus' name, not to the Son but to the Father. John 16:23-24 (ESV) reads "in that day, you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
Nonetheless, there is a major problem in Boebert's prayer. It is not in her prayer but in the context of her delivery. Jesus Christ did not say "pray to your Father, who is in secret, unless you bring your cameraman along. Rather, as Jesus himself was reported by Matthew (6:5-6, NIV) to have advised
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret .And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Public displays of feeling and emotion, genuine or otherwise, are as common these days as a blade of grass. Behavior at music concerts and the ubiquity of selfies are a trademark of this "hey, look at me" period in western culture. So we can't know for sure whether Lauren Boebert is insincere. That's God's decision.
The congresswoman would be wise to heed Paul. However, this being Boebert, she would benefit as much to heed James, step-brother of Jesus, who reputedly stated "if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God...."
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