0 comment Monday, May 26, 2014 | admin
Chuck Baldwin reflects on The Worst Tragedy Of the Bush Administration.
I expected in this piece to read the obvious criticisms: the Iraq misadventure, the growth in big government, and the border debacle. But the real point of this article, the tragedy referred to in the title, is the damage done to the name of Christianity, and this is something that has recently occurred to me, too.
The worst tragedy of the Bush presidency is the damage he has done to the image and influence of Christianity. It is no hyperbole to say that George W. Bush has done more to demean and mitigate the positive influence of genuine Christianity than any single person in American history. And I do not say that lightly.
Because George W. Bush successfully portrayed himself as the ultimate Christian president, his life and policies are indelibly linked to the very definition of what it means to be a Christian in public office. The Religious Right also share in this perception, as they almost universally and totally gave their allegiance to Bush. Hence, as far as most Americans are concerned, George W. Bush is a Christian, and, therefore, his philosophies and ideas are assumed to be Christian as well. THIS IS A TRAGEDY OF UTMOST PROPORTIONS!''
I suspect some people will think Pastor Baldwin is engaging in some hyperbole here, but I don't think he is. I have heard and read so many disparaging comments from nonbelievers, relating to the President's supposed 'right-wing fundamentalist Christian beliefs'. And granted, fundamentalist Christians, which to nonbelievers includes any Bible-believing Christian, have never been the flavor of the month. That goes with the territory; Christians know that this is part of being a Christian: to be hated and resented. But the current President has been the most visible symbol in public life of Christianity, and he seems to have lowered the world's opinion of Christianity and Christians, judging by the increasing hostility towards Christians. At the very least, if you don't agree that he has brought discredit, he has given a false picture of Christianity. Pastor Baldwin gives the example of the President's repeated statements that 'Christians and Muslims worship the same God', which, as I have said, is not Christian belief at all. It is simply unbiblical.
Yet he has, as Pastor Baldwin says, alienated some people further while at the same time persuading many believers that his brand of Christianity is legitimate, and led them further from traditional Christian belief and doctrine.
...not only do non-Christians look askance at Christianity, many genuine Christians have had their entire philosophy regarding Biblical principles uprooted and redefined. Worse still, many Christians have, either wittingly or unwittingly, chosen to adopt Bush's brand of Christianity, and in so doing, have abandoned genuine Bible Christianity.
[...]
In addition, genuine Christianity respects the Biblical principle of nationhood and national boundaries. It recognizes that any attempt at globalism is nothing more than a devilish attempt to erect a modern-day Tower of Babel. As such, American Christians have historically stood for national sovereignty and independence, and any attempts at providing amnesty for illegal aliens or at blurring our national borders have been met with vehement opposition: for spiritual as well as political and cultural reasons. The Bush presidency has changed all that.''
[emphasis mine]
I think Pastor Baldwin will probably anger some people with this piece, but the truth has a way of doing that. I am sure there will be the usual cries of 'judge not', which is the perennial retort to any kind of criticism or reproof, no matter how well-founded. I am glad that he pointed out the danger of associating the present adminstration's policies with Christianity. It needed to be said. I hope that this article opens the eyes of some to the damage that is being done, and I do hope that people will take to heart what he says about genuine Christianity as opposed to the neoconned brand of Christianity which is on display for the whole world to see.
Those of us who are Christians have to be on guard against letting political loyalties and excessive focus on worldly leaders lead us astray. It surprised me, a few years ago, to see how much anger I drew from Bush fans when I quoted the Scripture 'put not your trust in princes'. In the eyes of the Bush loyalists, I had uttered blasphemy by saying that. But nonbelievers who are observing all this adulation for a President should be aware that cult-like devotion to a political leader is not Biblical; our citizenship is not in this world, so Christians who are excessively infatuated with political leaders are not representing true Christianity.
Those of us who are Christians are told to pray for our leaders and to obey the laws of the land, as long as those laws don't violate God's laws. But Christianity does not lend itself to cults of personality or blind loyalty to any leader.
I expected in this piece to read the obvious criticisms: the Iraq misadventure, the growth in big government, and the border debacle. But the real point of this article, the tragedy referred to in the title, is the damage done to the name of Christianity, and this is something that has recently occurred to me, too.
The worst tragedy of the Bush presidency is the damage he has done to the image and influence of Christianity. It is no hyperbole to say that George W. Bush has done more to demean and mitigate the positive influence of genuine Christianity than any single person in American history. And I do not say that lightly.
Because George W. Bush successfully portrayed himself as the ultimate Christian president, his life and policies are indelibly linked to the very definition of what it means to be a Christian in public office. The Religious Right also share in this perception, as they almost universally and totally gave their allegiance to Bush. Hence, as far as most Americans are concerned, George W. Bush is a Christian, and, therefore, his philosophies and ideas are assumed to be Christian as well. THIS IS A TRAGEDY OF UTMOST PROPORTIONS!''
I suspect some people will think Pastor Baldwin is engaging in some hyperbole here, but I don't think he is. I have heard and read so many disparaging comments from nonbelievers, relating to the President's supposed 'right-wing fundamentalist Christian beliefs'. And granted, fundamentalist Christians, which to nonbelievers includes any Bible-believing Christian, have never been the flavor of the month. That goes with the territory; Christians know that this is part of being a Christian: to be hated and resented. But the current President has been the most visible symbol in public life of Christianity, and he seems to have lowered the world's opinion of Christianity and Christians, judging by the increasing hostility towards Christians. At the very least, if you don't agree that he has brought discredit, he has given a false picture of Christianity. Pastor Baldwin gives the example of the President's repeated statements that 'Christians and Muslims worship the same God', which, as I have said, is not Christian belief at all. It is simply unbiblical.
Yet he has, as Pastor Baldwin says, alienated some people further while at the same time persuading many believers that his brand of Christianity is legitimate, and led them further from traditional Christian belief and doctrine.
...not only do non-Christians look askance at Christianity, many genuine Christians have had their entire philosophy regarding Biblical principles uprooted and redefined. Worse still, many Christians have, either wittingly or unwittingly, chosen to adopt Bush's brand of Christianity, and in so doing, have abandoned genuine Bible Christianity.
[...]
In addition, genuine Christianity respects the Biblical principle of nationhood and national boundaries. It recognizes that any attempt at globalism is nothing more than a devilish attempt to erect a modern-day Tower of Babel. As such, American Christians have historically stood for national sovereignty and independence, and any attempts at providing amnesty for illegal aliens or at blurring our national borders have been met with vehement opposition: for spiritual as well as political and cultural reasons. The Bush presidency has changed all that.''
[emphasis mine]
I think Pastor Baldwin will probably anger some people with this piece, but the truth has a way of doing that. I am sure there will be the usual cries of 'judge not', which is the perennial retort to any kind of criticism or reproof, no matter how well-founded. I am glad that he pointed out the danger of associating the present adminstration's policies with Christianity. It needed to be said. I hope that this article opens the eyes of some to the damage that is being done, and I do hope that people will take to heart what he says about genuine Christianity as opposed to the neoconned brand of Christianity which is on display for the whole world to see.
Those of us who are Christians have to be on guard against letting political loyalties and excessive focus on worldly leaders lead us astray. It surprised me, a few years ago, to see how much anger I drew from Bush fans when I quoted the Scripture 'put not your trust in princes'. In the eyes of the Bush loyalists, I had uttered blasphemy by saying that. But nonbelievers who are observing all this adulation for a President should be aware that cult-like devotion to a political leader is not Biblical; our citizenship is not in this world, so Christians who are excessively infatuated with political leaders are not representing true Christianity.
Those of us who are Christians are told to pray for our leaders and to obey the laws of the land, as long as those laws don't violate God's laws. But Christianity does not lend itself to cults of personality or blind loyalty to any leader.
Labels: Bush Administration, Christianity, Politics