Generally, I have enjoyed watching the Keith Obermann hour on MSNBC. He is a little over the top sometimes on the "liberal" side, but no more than O'Reilly or Limbaugh are on the "conservative" side. I have often enjoyed his skewers, although his biases are quite clear.
Last night, though, I thought he continued down the path of backfire by making fun of the fact that Sarah Palin used to attend an Assemblies of God church. Now I imagine most of his audience (and surely he knows most of who's watching) would be with him. He treated tongues speaking as weirdo fanatic.
The news all yesterday was taking a clip out of context in which she prayed for American leaders to know God's will in Iraq--what's wrong with that? Sure, she no doubt thinks she has more than a hunch of what that is. But I see nothing wrong with the prayer.
In short, the news media that play up this sort of stuff are only solidifying the evangelical vote behind McCain and ticking off a lot of people against them in the process. In short, it's STUPID to do. You won't get any "the elite media has a liberal bias" from me. FOX News has a psycho-conservative bias and they're the media too. Limbaugh is the media too.
But those making fun of Palin and making a big deal out of this clip don't have a clue what they're doing. They're going to get lambasted again.
Frankly, I do have serious fears about evangelicals of the Bush/Palin stripe integrating their faith with their politics on a microlevel. It's the same kind of reaction I have had here when I've heard devotionals where a psychology or history or whatever professor here tries to integrate their faith on a microlevel with their discipline. They are integrating a Sunday School level faith with a doctoral level knowledge of their discipline.
The result is not a little strange and often it makes them look stupid as a psychologist, historian, or whatever. It's for this reason that places like Calvin College expend a lot of effort so their faculty are integrating faith with a deep knowledge with their disicpline. More frequently a prof. just rips a verse way out of context with no clue what it meant and then relates it strangely to some concept from their discipline. If I think most pastors have little sense of what the Bible really meant, you can imagine my reaction to other professors.
And so when someone like Palin brings her Sunday School faith to bear on international politics--that's a really scary thing to me. In most cases, I prefer a person with a Christlike heart in office with a head filled more with sound political judgment. Those who are slaves to the civil religion that permeates the evangelical community end up making really bad decisions, like, for example, ignoring the wise counsel of theological consensus (set out by Augustine 1600 years ago) and launching pre-emptive wars on countries that, oops, turn out not to be the threat they thought they were.
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That prayer is scary though. I doubt world leaders will ever agree with her about what God's will is in Iraq. I am frightened that someone in a potential position of power, thinks like Bush and says prayers like that. I'd rather she prayed that American's believed God's will in America.
So many points came to mind as I read this piece, I hope I remember them all.
First, no, I don't see anything wrong with prayer per se, and I do agree with all the criticism against Palin is "over the top". The Democrats must really be worried, if all they can fall back on is the war in Iraq, associating McCain with Bush and focusing on Palin's faith....McCain has worked bi-partisanly, whether you agree with his policy or not...
Secondly, I DO agree that Sunday School faith belongs in church, but NOT in the realm of the "real world". The real world is not focused on "what God wills" anyway, so we must "wise up" and recognize the "rules" that rule the world, which is power politics and money...and when money, power and politics mixes with religion, you have Islam...which is a dangerous combination.
Thirdly, it would be helpful for the University to do some training of their professors in Biblical scholarship, as it is important that they understand the danger of a naive faith...:). And who better qualified? Surely, the University would not want to keep professors in the "dark" concerning Scripture. It is important not only for the professors to be professional, but also for the students they teach to hear a consistant message about Scripture!
Fourthly, I do believe that it is the heart that matters, no matter the persuasion of political party,or faith color.. in heart matters, one cannot be naive, either....Bold Love by Dan Allendar was helpful here....
Ken, I hate to say this brother but you sound very arrogant. I would suspect that simple minded "Sunday School Christians" trying to live out their faith and integrate it into practice have probably done more in extending the Kingdom of God than the elitist Ivory Tower theologians like youself who think they know more than the rest of us. Let Palin say her "foolish" prayers, at least she is turning to God and in his wisdom he will honor her faith, right or wrong and do his will.
So other academics or politicians who try to apply their simple faith to their areas of expertize offends you. I would suggest that you leave your bastion of knowledge and enlightenment and come down and get in the trenches with the rest of us who have more to do in the real world than nit pick those who are on the front lines dealing with this fallen world. You sound like an arm-chair quarterback.
Also, Limbaugh is a conservative commetator, but he does not claim to be an objective journalist like Oberman and the rest of the MSM. If they would just come out and admit they are liberals, then I would have no problem with their "analysis" of the news. It is their dishonesty that annoys me.
You could teach me countless things, Craig. My reactions are to the myriads of Christians--both conservative and liberal alike--that are so sure they speak for God and know God's will and yet have not considered so many things. I know that I must seem a fool to so many whose thoughts rise so far above mine. Surely God of all is amazed at those of us who think we know something.
Craig, I don't think that Olbermann (one L, two N's) presents himself as nonpartisan when appearing on his Countdown program. Hence it's not fair to lump Countdown together with mainstream news. Get serious.
Ken, I seldom watch Countdown but last night I caught the last half hour, and the Rachel Maddow (?) show that followed, and had the same reaction. Some lefties make the same mistake as Craig by lumping together things that don't belong with each other. By adhering to the guidelines of the separation of church and state, one can be a good political leader and a faithful member of the AOG church. Or RCC. Or SBC. There are indeed some scary indications about the way Gov. Palin might mix her faith and her governmental duties, and those are valid questions indeed. The President and Veep swear to uphold the Constitution, and we should know whether they mean that pledge.
You guys worry about Palin because she went to an AG church and her evangelical Sunday School faith might make her a danger as a politician. Come on, why don't you hold Obama to the same standard? Hey Jose, do you see anything scary about Obama's liberation theology SS faith influencing his daily duties if he were president? Any valid questions there?
Craig, you are awfully presumptuous! And wrong, of course. As I said, it really doesn't matter which church Gov. Palin or any other politician attends. What matters is how that affects her performance as a servant to the public, and it's worthwhile to examine what she says and does in that regard.
Praying for wisdom and guidance to do God's will is one thing. But one gets the sense that they are praying for God to follow their direction. That's backwards. Palin and her pastor show a great lack of Christian humility and forbearance. It seems exceedingly odd for her to claim that a pipeline proposal-- the particular one that she favors and not the others-- is God's favored plan. To speak of a misguided war as God's plan is concerning. When she, as governor, talks about her state as potentially being the refuge for true believers in the End Times, that raises all kinds of questions about whether her personal beliefs will inappropriately drive public policy.
As for Obama, if he echoed the more weird beliefs as Rev. Wright then that would also raise questions. But he didn't. If you are bothered by something that Obama actually said or did, and think that it is being ignored, then clearly talk about it. But making insinuations by associations, that's not worthy of our time. I sure wouldn't want to be judged according to everything that I heard in my church or Sunday School!
Whatever one believe drives what they "applaud". Even as our Representative Republic, we choose the candidate that most represents what we believe and want implemented into policy..That is why it would be nice to have more choices...but with the costs and time involved in American politics, I don't think it is possible or probable.
Hey Jose, how do you know that the war in Iraq was misguided and not the will of God? Did God tell you? Did Bush ever come out and say that God told him to attack Iraq? Your prejudices come through when you fear the faith of Sarah and assume that it may potentially misguide her political judgement. But of course we can trust Barack, his faith will not hinder his judgement and if it does, it is probably OK with you because I am sure it would be a good thing.
I don't understand the fear and worries you all have over Evangelical Christians holding positions of power in politics. Schenck thinks they need to be trained theologians like himself, and you think they are potential kegs of dynamit ready to make this country a Baptist theocracy. I guess I have the same fears about Obama. I worry he will attempt to make this country a socialist paradise.
For the record, what I'm wanting it someone with a Christ-like heart--someone who believes that anyone can be redeemed and errs on the side of mercy rather than justice, someone who cares for the poor and disempowered and does not privilege one group over another in terms of value or opportunity, who empowers rather than simply making expectations.
What I don't want in office (and here I'm not targeting Palin or McCain because I simply don't know) is someone who thinks it is pointless to work for peace in the Middle East because they have a verse they think means that, or who has a low level sense of moral development as the establishment of rules and justice simply as punishment for those who break the rules. Or thinks God would make the laws of the land mirror their understanding of biblical law to a high degree.
Reasons Liberal Democrats should elect Sarah Palin our next President:
1. She says she is pro-life but she has been governor of the state with the most liberal abortion laws in the country yet has blocked any initiatives to restrict abortion—it is just talk.
2. She supported the “bridge to nowhere before she opposed it proving she is flexible and pragmatic and willing to adapt to the people she serves.
3. She is the perfect model feminist, refusing to quit work and raise babies like Dobson wants—she keeps working, brings her kid to the office or has her handsome house-hubby care for him. She will end forever the notion that good mothers and Christians should be stay-at-home moms.
4. She tripled the taxes on the big bad oil companies Democrats hate and took the money and sent it to every Alaskan resident equally—the poor got the same as everyone else something Democrats love to do.
5. If Palin is President (or even Vice President) she will put to death forever “the Republican party as we have known it” and usher in a new feminist Republican party who will never again seek women as helpmeets and supporters but will from now on get women for the TOP of the ticket… after all, who was excited about old man McCain until Sarah Pailn cam along… all that’s wrong with the Republican ticket is the order of the two people on the ticket.
Sarah Palin for President!
Nice piece by Martin Marty on the topic in today's WaPo:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/martin_marty/2008/09/dont_trust_anyones_sure_knowle.html
I guess I interpreted Palin's soundbite through the civil religion I've been raised up in. And it seemed to me that she was praying for this "task that is from God" rather than really praying in humility for wisdom about what to do.
But God knows the heart and we know YouTube.
I had to turn off Obermann tonight, even though I mostly like the guy. He was pontificating some "shame on you" to McCain. Come on. Whatever you think of his positions, he's a good man. There's been a lot of nonsense commenting from both sides, irrelevant stuff. Like all this lipstick on a pig nonsense. Who cares... Come on now, kindergarteners, let's stay on task...
So I watched Larry King Live instead. :-)
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