[BretLudwig]

Bush On The Bible: Where Are James Dobson And The Religious Right Now?

By Chuck Baldwin

"I ask my non-Christian friends to bear with me on this column. As one
will quickly see, this column is addressed to my fellow Christian
conservatives.

Regular readers of this column know that one of my chief frustrations is
the way Christian conservatives (otherwise known as the "Religious Right")
are so easily deceived by Republican politicians. The all-time classic
illustration of this foible is the way the Religious Right was (and is) so
enamored with President George W. Bush. No matter what Bush did: no matter
how egregiously unconstitutional, no matter how utterly stupid, no matter
how blatantly evil his actions were, Christian conservatives (almost
universally) either robotically accepted and approved what he did, or
blindly looked the other way. It was maddening!

It was as if Christian conservatives lost all ability to reason; it was as
if they lost all discernment and discretion. Because George W. Bush claimed
to be a Christian, and because he was a Republican, he could do no wrong.
To this very day, the only group of people who yet approves of Bush's
Presidency is the Religious Right. Everyone else on the planet realizes
that George W. Bush's Presidency will go down in history has one of the
all-time worst.

George Bush took a prosperous and robust economy, and led America to the
verge of a second Great Depression. He has taken a (relatively) free and
independent republic to the brink of becoming a globalist Police State. He
has pushed the envelope of executive power; he has trampled individual
liberty; he has made a mockery of justice; and he has made America the
laughingstock of the world. In addition, Bush has misused and abused our
nation's bravest and finest by his illegal and inexcusable invasion of
Iraq.

No matter. The Religious Right still loves him. Why? Because he is a
"Christian" Republican.

Since 2000, James Dobson, Pensacola Christian College (PCC), and their
peers around the country have had an eight-year lovefest with George W.
Bush. Life-size cardboard posters of Bush have stood in their bookstores
for eight long, laborious years. Grade school children in their Christian
schools have been subjected to Bush propaganda for eight tedious, tiresome
years. To them, G.W. Bush ranks somewhere between Moses and the Almighty.
And nothing Bush said or did seemed to matter.

I said all of that to call attention to a recent interview [December 8,
2008] Cynthia McFadden had with President Bush on ABC's Nightline this
past Monday. During the interview, McFadden asked Bush if the Bible was
literally true.

Now, acceptance of the Bible's literalness is one of conservative
Christianity's most sacred doctrines. There is not a professor at PCC (or
any other conservative Christian college or university) that would keep
his or her job for a nano-second, if he or she even questioned the
veracity of the Scriptures.

Right? You know it's true! Most conservative Christians would even go so
far as to say that one cannot be a born-again Christian who does not
believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God.

Well, what was George Bush's response to McFadden's question? He said,
"You know. Probably not. . . . No, I'm not a literalist." Notice, Bush
twice denied the veracity of the Scriptures.

Now, Bush has no reason to "fudge" his answers, right? He has no more
elections to face. No more, "He's got to say this to get elected," which
was the flippant explanation given by the Religious Right to excuse Bush's
numerous apostate positions during the past eight years.

So, George W. Bush clearly stated that he does not believe the Bible is
God's Holy, inspired Word.

Will Dobson and PCC still say that Bush is "one of us"?

Then, as Bush attempted to give a Christian testimony, he told McFadden,
"It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my
life. All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit
drinking shortly thereafter . . . ."

What kind of Christian testimony is this: "I got back into religion"? I
doubt that this kind of testimony would grant membership in the Campus
Church (which is not even a genuine New Testament church, you understand)
at PCC or in virtually any conservative Christian church.

I am confident, however, that Bush's statements will do nothing to
diminish his god-like status with James Dobson and the rest of the
Religious Right in America. For eight long and bloody years, Christian
conservatives have been selling their convictions, doctrines, and even
their consciences to George W. Bush.

I will even go so far as to say that, in many respects, millions of
Christians have turned President Bush into an idol. Many of them would
forsake their pastor, their friends, and even their own family before they
would forsake George W. Bush and the Republican Party.

Of course, none of this would have happened had Christians€”and
especially Christian pastors€”not lost touch with their American
heritage. Had they maintained a studied understanding of constitutional
government, and of the principles of Natural Law upon which it rests, they
would not have become dupes for Bush and his fellow neocons.

I doubt very much whether Thomas Jefferson was a born-again Christian
(after all, he, like Bush, expressed doubt regarding the Bible's
literalness), but he fully understood€”and embraced€”the "Laws of Nature
and of Nature's God" and was more than willing to inculcate those
principles into our country's most sacred document: our Declaration of
Independence. As such, Jefferson will be forever regarded as one of
America's greatest Founding Fathers and Presidents.

Believe me, America was far better off with Thomas Jefferson than with
George W. Bush!

So, where are Dobson and PCC now? Will any of them utter a word of rebuke
to their "Christian" President for his apostasy?

No, they won't. (As a comparison, contemporary pastors most certainly did
rebuke Jefferson for his public statements questioning Christ's divinity,
even though he was a Founding Father and author of the Declaration of
Independence.)

Of course, Barack Obama will not escape the public repudiation of Dobson
and Company. Why? He is a Democrat. You see, it's not principle; it's
partisan politics that matters, after all.

While we are asking questions, when will our fellow Christians and pastors
finally open their history books? When will they read the U.S.
Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence? And when
will they open their minds and hearts€”even a crack€”to the possibility
that they might have been duped, and that there is more to being elected
to the office of President besides being a "Christian" Republican?

Probably never.

In four more years, there will doubtless be another "Christian" Republican
for the Religious Right to fawn over. Where he or she stands on the
Constitution won't matter; neither will it matter whether this newest
"Christian" Republican has any commitment to national sovereignty, the
Bill of Rights, or to fundamental freedoms.

All that will matter is that he or she professes to be a Christian, and
has an "R" behind their name.

And, quite frankly, this last election proved that even a Christian
profession is not necessary. All that is required is the "R" behind the
name.

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola,
Florida. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here."

http://www.vdare.com/baldwin/081212_bible.htm

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