God-o-Meter would not ordinarily dredge up a nearly decade-old story on Mike Huckabee proclaiming the need to “take this nation back for Christ.” But God-o-Meter does not run the world; Matt Drudge does. And the lead story on The Drudge Report right now is a 1998 report in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette about Huckabee’s speech to a pastors’ conference in which Huckabee made his “take back this nation remarks.”
Well, God-o-Meter readers may ask, What of it? Those remarks came years ago and Huckabee was–in case you haven’t heard–an ordained Baptist minister. But Huckabee wasn’t speaking as a church leader. He was speaking as governor of Arkansas, a slightly more secular office. A few other choice excerpts from his speech:
“The reason we have so much government is because we have so much broken humanity,” he said. “And the reason we have so much broken humanity is because sin reigns in the hearts and lives of human beings instead of the Savior.”
“I’m often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It’s because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we’d been doing what we should have — giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor — we now wouldn’t be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that’s doing … what we should have been doing all along.”
“I didn’t get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. 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.”
Since Huckabee said all this some time ago, God-o-Meter hopes an enterprising reporter will ask him whether his mission as president would be to take the nation back for Christ. And, depending on his response, GOM will consider adding a new “11″ rating.
10
posted December 10, 2007 at 12:29 pm
If Mitt Romney, as a governor, would have blurred the lines of church and state like Huckabee does and has in the past, he would be crucified by the religious right. This is another example of the double standard found in our country.
posted December 10, 2007 at 1:02 pm
I saw Drudge’s headline and wondered how you were going to give him anything beyond a 10. You are going to have to come up with a whole new graphic for him
He probably feels the same way today as he did then. I thought it was funny when he said that he was “getting inside the dragon’s belly,” but a more apt phrase would have been the belly of the beast (Rev. 13)
posted December 10, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I think it would be better if America reclaimed America for Americans. Not all americans are Christian, but all Americans are ‘promised’ equality before the law. This will not happen in a Huckabee theocracy.
UGHH!!! to the 10th degree.
posted December 10, 2007 at 3:46 pm
The reason the Government is in the business of Social Justice is because the churches failed to hold onto the banner during the Great
depression and never claimed it back. It is long overdo for the churches to take back the ministry of Service to our fellow man.
posted December 10, 2007 at 11:37 pm
PAUL–God-o-Meter thinks it all well and good for churches to take back the nation for Christ but the question is whether a candidate for secular office ought to be urging the same strategy. Mitt Romney has made a cliche out the “I’m not campaigning for pastor-in-chief” defense, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make a very good point.
posted December 11, 2007 at 1:23 pm
“God-o-Meter thinks it all well and good for churches to take back the nation for Christ”
This presumes it was “Christ’s” to begin with. Many in America would disagree. Or aren’t there any Jewish Americans? Or Muslim Americans? Or Hindu Americans? Or Buddhist Americans? Or Jainist Americans? Or atheist Americans?
so much for the old “freedomof religion” concept. God-o-meter seems “Christianist” in its views. How sad.
posted December 11, 2007 at 4:52 pm
…a slightly more secular office.
Yeah, just ‘slightly’.
posted December 13, 2007 at 1:54 pm
i would like to know if god and the devil were brothers. and were will you find it.in the bible