Pete Buttigieg: Christianity says 'salvation' is about 'being useful' to 'oppressed in society'

New Democratic presidential frontrunner Pete Buttigieg — an outspoken progressive Christian — said during Wednesday's debate that "my faith teaches me that salvation has to do with how I make myself useful to those who have been excluded, marginalized, and cast aside and oppressed in society."

As a mayor who has seen the consequences of systemic racism on my neighbors, as a person whose faith teaches me to stand with the marginalized, and as someone whose rights have been expanded by people who are like me and not like me, I'm determined to get this right. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/zWxXmQYLzY

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 21, 2019

Which is indeed a far cry from, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NASB)

Then again, Buttigieg said in Wednesday's edition of Rolling Stone that "so many things in Scripture ... are inconsistent internally, and you've got to decide what sense to make of it. Jesus speaks so often in hyperbole and parable, in mysterious code, that in my experience, there's simply no way that a literal understanding of Scripture can fit into the Bible that I find in my hands."

No surprise, really

Buttigieg — mayor of South Bend, Indiana — made a lot of hay early in his campaign by using his interpretation of the Bible to attack political and religious conservatives, particularly making use of his same-sex marriage.

His notorious public clobbering of Vice President Mike Pence while simultaneously proclaiming Christianity is a stark case in point.

"People talk about marriage equality as a moral issue, and it is certainly a moral issue, as far as I'm concerned," Buttigieg told an audience in April. "It's a moral issue because being married to Chasten has made me a better human being. Because it has made me more compassionate, more understanding, more self-aware, and more decent. My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man."

He added that "yes, mister vice president, it has moved me closer to God" and that "if you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."

And earlier this month Buttigieg proclaimed that he — unlike President Donald Trump — will uphold real Christian values in the White House.