michael gerson for president!

most of you are asking who? he's bush's wheaton graduate, evangelical speech writer. he is the man responsible for the church falling in love with george w. bush. he's the guy you really love people. can't you see that every time gwb is asked about his faith he can't even verbalize it without having gerson's talking points in his hand (or teleprompter to read).

the evangelical church needs to wake up. i honestly think you can still vote for the man if you care to - but please stop buying the propaganda. please be more critical of those who put a public face on christ - stop excusing sinful behavior.

i have been in so many conversations recently with fervent bush supporters who assume because i'm a pastor's wife that i'm in full support of the administration. i totally understand where they are coming from. i was there too myself just this time last year. i bought it all hook, line and sinker. i believed that those misquoted hymns and allusions to scripture verses were truly coming from his heart. in late winter/early spring when he was given the opportunity to own the information that he knew about the war and chose not to i began to sift his words. i began to step back from the propaganda. once i took that one step that said 'if your actions and your words don't match then one of them must be wrong' i began to see how deeply invested our president has become in being 'right' instead of being 'righteous'.

please remember that people who call themselves christians not only pray to a higher power, but they ANSWER to a higher power. gwb has done no such thing. david was a man after god's own heart, not because he was a great king, but because he repented. gwb has had many opportunities to own his mistakes, even small ones, and he has chosen arrogance and 'certainty' over accountability.

for the brave among you please read this article here. certainty in things we have no right to be certain about is sinful. leading a country with words that stir the soul but have no fruit is shameful.

here are some christians who are challenging bush to make his claimed faith real.

United Methodists Call for Accountable Leadership - United Methodists Call for Accountable Leadership

are we as a church so desperate for power that we will cling to that which truly mocks everything we hold dear? says the words we long to hear but truly gives no weight to living a life of true faith in christ? we are told not to judge, but we are told to be fruit inspectors. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control. these words do not come to mind when i think of our president.

i know it's easy to excuse him because presidents have to make difficult decisions, but christian presidents must make even more difficult ones. truth and honesty must be benchmarks as he has put his face on western christianity. he has become a spokesperson for god. he must be held accountable. when he covered instead of exposed, when he excused rather than confessed, when he looked straight into the camera at the american people and said 'no, there are no mistakes that i have made' he shunned the holy spirit. you could see it in the grimaces and pain. he couldn't even stand up straight. please church, wake up. don't be so gullible that just because someone tickles your ears with words you long to hear that you turn off your brain and eat everything he's feeding you.

my favorite president was a horrible politician, and even a horrible president. jimmy carter was a man after god's own heart. he was such a horrible president because those things mattered to him. he wouldn't sacrifice his own faith even for the most powerful position on the face of the earth.

what is worse? a godless man who has no values lying to the american people about an affair with an intern or a god-claiming man who lies to the american people about why he took us to war? the church was so up in arms about bill clinton and his fidelity to his wife, why is it that we can't see when one of 'our own' has fallen?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 5:22-6:3