It’s one thing for lefty atheists to ring alarm bells about Mike Huckabee’s use of religion in his presidential campaign. It’s quite another for a conservative evangelical former member of the Bush administration to do so. Peter Wehner, a longtime Bush aide and fellow at The Ethics and Public Policy Center–whose mission, “to clarify and reinforce the bond between the Judeo-Christian moral tradition and the public debate over domestic and foreign policy issues,” ain’t exactly erecting a high wall of separation between church and state–takes Huckabee to task in The Washington Post for playing the Jesus card:
This is a man who, in 1998, when explaining to a Baptist pastors conference why he got involved in politics, answered, “I got into politics because I knew government didn’t have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. . . . I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.”
Now isn’t that odd — a former pastor who leaves his ministry so he can get involved in politics because he “knew government didn’t have the real answers.”
….Invoking one’s faith is not unprecedented in American politics and is not, by itself, disconcerting. It can even be reassuring. But it is also fraught with danger. If certain lines — inherently ambiguous lines — are crossed and faith becomes a tool in a political campaign, it can damage our civic comity and our politics and demean our faith.
Religious beliefs should play a role in our public life, especially when it comes to great moral questions…. but there are no Christian or Hindu parties in America. That is as it ought to be.
And for those of us who are Christian, there is an important context to bear in mind: Jesus’s entire ministry was directed against the pretensions of earthly power, and Christianity is trans-political, beholden to no party and no ideology. The City of Man and the City of God are different, and we should respect and honor those differences.
Mike Huckabee, by all accounts a faithful Christian, may not have crossed any bright lines yet — but he’s edging close to them. He should pull back now, before his political ambitions injure what he claims to care about, and undoubtedly does care about, most.
Of course, one disgruntled member of the conservative elite does not an evangelical Huckabee backlash make. But God-o-Meter will be keeping its eyes open for other Christian conservatives raising the same kinds of red flags. After all, evangelicals advising Mitt Romney have been grousing for some time now that Huckabee is campaigning to be pastor-in-chief.
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posted December 26, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.”
Huck needs to stay at the pulpit and out of politics. The rise of Huck is but temporary. Once the left gets a hold of the wealth of ammo he’s provided them with he’ll be toast. I go to church every sunday and I am VERY uncomfortable with him playing the christian card at every turn. I am also More uncomfortable with these churches “endorsing” candidates. It’s nothing short of dictating from the pulpit who a congregation should vote for. Dangerous territory!!!
posted December 26, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.”
Is this part of your thought?
If it is, it’s incongruent with the remainder of your post; if it isn’t – no harm, no foul.
I am SICK of people harping bout “taking this nation back for Christ”, looking forward to “living in a nation under God.” THAT is a theocracy, and if those who think it’s so grand need to take a tour of our ‘allies’ theocratic lands and see how it is done. Let’s start with Saudi Arabi, Egypt, Afghanistan ……and go towards those with whom our gov’t isn’t so friendly (although history says otherwise), say Iran.
posted December 27, 2007 at 12:39 am
re’s something wrong with Jesus being the influence for a country?
posted December 27, 2007 at 1:26 am
Donny: “The same individual that is mentioned as “The government shall be upon His shoulders?” Seems to me that Huckabee is just being an honest Christian. I know, I know, hardly the norm in America, but he’s doing what he should and saying what he should say. Um, how many non-Christians in Arkansas did Huckabee force to become Christians?????”
Donny, would you support Huckabee if he decided to implement policy that, in his opinion, sought to obey the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46? For example, let’s say that President Huckabee decided that taxes should be increased dramatically on those making more than $250,000 a year in order to vastly expand services to those making less than $30,000 a year. These services would include an expansion of Medicaid to cover an array of health services for folks in this income bracket, expand Food Stamps and WIC, and create new, affordable or free housing.
If President Huckabee came to the nation with this huge tax increase/spending plan and explained that he saw it as an implementation of this passage in Matthew 25, would you support it, Donny?
posted December 27, 2007 at 11:02 am
The inner peace God provides to all who seek it, is not to be used as a weapon. Use it as a tool for personal advantage and the dimmer that inner light burns. That is the fear many believers hold with the likes of a Mike Huckabee who creates ungodly tensions between himself and those who have a different take on religion. Contention drives the Holy Spirit away . Apparently Mike forgot that part. Maybe that had something to do with the founding fathers concern about mixing politics and particular religion practice.
posted December 27, 2007 at 11:14 am
Some folks remember the cross being carried by men, many Southern Baptists, in hooded white robes and carrying a rope. It was that same fiery cross they planted in front of some people’s homes as a message of hate. And now, again, we see that same cross being used as a weapon against Mormons and non-believers in general by another Southern Baptist. If the fear of fascism and bigotry doesn’t resonate in the hearts of men it should at least resonate in their minds.
posted January 1, 2008 at 8:36 pm
JLFuller:
Thank you for bringing this up. As a LDS Member and feeling the hatred and bigotry being pushed our way during this election because a Mormon is running against an Evangelical I can, in a very small way, understand what people facing KKK members (mostly Southern Baptist members) felt like.
I feel that I am pretty tolerent towards people of other beliefs than me (I am a convert as well) and I believe that all people that look towards Jesus Christ to save them are Christians.
What I have a hard time understanding is how people can call themselves Christian because they believe in Christ but then turn around and show such hatred, bigotry, and in some cases violence towards another group of people that believe in Jesus Christ.
This is such an un-Christian response and I have to ask What Would Jesus Do if he met them with all that hatred in them? Do they believe He would say “Good job!” or would He say “Love Thy Neighbor”??
I have to really wonder why all the hatred towards us? Do Evangelical “Christians” really believe they have the RIGHT to determine who is Christian and who is not? Or does that RIGHT belong to Christ Himself? I can say I would not want to be standing infront of Christ Himself and have to answer that question for them.
Or is the issue more monitary than religious? Our religious leaders are not paid. We give service. 100% service. I know the Evangelical leaders are paid and they make their money by how many people are sitting in their Churches every week. The more bodies, the more money. If people leave their Church for another, they loose money.
One more question.. How can a Pastor truly serve a congregation of 10,000+ people? Is it just a money making company? Or is he really there for his “flock”? Our Bishops (equiv to your Pastor) are directly responsible for all members and non-members in his area. When a ward reaches close to 700 members, the Church starts the processes of splitting the ward into two wards. We went through that last year where we are. This allows the Bishop to maintain a close 1-to-1 relationship with the members of his ward. Our Bishop knows EVERYONE in the ward by NAME. I would be very surprised if the Pastor of a 10,000 or 19,000 member congregation really knows each and every person. Maybe some of the top $ givers, but that would be about it.
Oh well.. Enough from me. I would guess most of this will fall on eyes that will not care since I am “one of those Mormons” and I am writing this on a web site that is targeted towards the Evangelical..