Report: Majority of congressional delegation fails biblical 'report card'

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(The Center Square) – The majority of Michigan’s U.S. congressional delegation received a failing grade on a new report, which examined how their voting records align with “biblical based positions.”

Released by the Christian Employers Alliance and the Institute for Legislative Analysis, both national conservative nonprofits, the “Biblical Business Index” found that Michigan ranked 32nd nationally.

Fred McGrath, president of ILA, discussed the index’s findings with The Center Square.

“The CEA analyses cut through the meaningless campaign rhetoric of politicians and reveal where lawmakers actually stand on the issues utilizing their vote records,” he said. “The new level of transparency the Biblical Business Index provides is designed to help every American – regardless of their religious or political views.”

According to the index, while Michigan’s Republican congressional members did rank significantly higher than the state’s Democrats, not a single member ranked over 83%.

Currently, Michigan’s delegation has 15 members. Of those, six are Republicans (all in the U.S. House) and nine are Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, a Republican, received the highest rating on the index at 82%. That still ranked her just 134th nationally.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow received the lowest rating of the state’s delegation at 0%, ranking her 516th nationally. Stabenow was one of 16 Democrats who all received 0%.

McGrath believes the poor performance among the state’s Republicans meant there is some disconnect between the state’s voters and its representatives. He highlighted that Michigan has a 40% Republican representation in Congress but only a 35.65% biblically-aligned voting percentage.

“Michigan federal representatives voted slightly more progressive than their constituencies,” he said.

How Does the Index Work?

To implement the index, the ILA partnered with policy experts and theologians to review every bill in the most recent session of Congress. It then scored every one of the 535 U.S. lawmakers on their alignment with biblical principles, looking specifically at wide-range of policy issues like abortion, gender identity, religious liberty, deregulation, and economic freedom.

McGrath explained that the ratings "largely match" politically conservative views. 

Currently, Wyoming’s delegation is ranked first nationally with a 90.65% alignment, while Vermont’s delegation is ranked the worst with just 0.66% alignment.

The CEA plans to work with the ILA to expand the index to all state legislatures, encompassing all 7,400 lawmakers nationwide.

McGrath said CEA and ILA are hopeful the index will be helpful for voters.

“Oftentimes the moral and faith-aligned position on bills can be tricky for lawmakers and their staff to identify due to the extreme complexity of public policy,” he said. “That is why CEA launched the Biblical Business Index…to bring together both policy experts and theologians to help decipher the complex policies and identify the biblically aligned position.”

Redistricting

The index could also play a role in the national conversation surrounding redistricting, McGrath said, which states like Texas have been on the forefront of.

While Michigan only has a slight ideological disconnect between its voters and the way its delegation votes, other states see much more misalignment.

“Each state sends to Washington representatives who reflect the beliefs of its people. That’s why these rankings provide one of the most accurate pictures of where America stands,” said CEA President Margaret Iuculano. “These results underscore why redistricting battles are so critical to the future of our nation.”