MIERS / CHRISTIANITY TODAY - I WONDER IF ITS ME!

I received the following (black font, indented; emphasis mine) in Christianity Today's free Newsletter, which I receive as a former subscriber to Current Thoughts & Trends, an excellent research tool provided in magazine form from Navigators. I still have every issue published.

I don't know but somehow I feel cheated. Maybe it's just me? I had subscribed to CT&T to get abstracted content from about a trillion news sources. When they shut down and CT took over, they said they would continue to keep me informed on Kingdom issues; however weaving through their links bored and frustrated me ... so I did not renew. That's when stuff like the following began to arrive in my INBOX.

At first there were teasers to get me to click over to something or other, then commentary and opinion began to arrive. I've not said anything about this because I felt it was a minor not a major thing ... but the following from Collin Hansen, Associate Editor of CT, troubled me:

Nothing much has gone right so far for Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. Each passing day seemingly reveals some new strike against her confirmation prospects. Last Friday the conservative Wall Street Journal stopped short of calling on senators to oppose Miers, but writer after writer continues to blister the Bush administration for its miscalculations.

IS IT JUST ME? I think being nominated to SCOTUS by the President of the United States is something that "has gone right." What "strike against her confirmation" is he refering to? So far all I've heard is so much political posturing, bloviating, and hyperbole ... and the hearings haven't even begun yet. Since when is a Christian supposed to listen to the opinions of the lost?

Bush has drawn much deserved criticism for touting Miers's evangelical faith. I'm encouraged to know Miers attends a biblically sound church. And I certainly support evangelicals who live their faith in positions of government authority. But faith is no substitute for legal qualifications when considering the Supreme Court. By claiming otherwise, we evangelicals risk hypocrisy and jeopardize the alliances we've forged across the ecumenical spectrum.

IS IT JUST ME? How is it that the president "deserved" this criticism? Is this Hansen's opinion? If so he should say "in my opinion." If not, he should cite some justification for such a damning statement.

A nomination to SCOTUS opens up the nominee's entire life and history. If she were an entertainer or an athlete every positive and negative aspect of her life would be touted no matter how minute ... so an editor of a major Christian publication has decided if you're an evangelical, please don't talk about it!

Lieberman's Jewishness, Kerry's Catholic apostasy, Reid's Mormonism, and Frank's personal perversity are touted endlessly ... but if you're a Christian and God forbid a Christ-centered, bible-believing one, keep it to yourself? Aaaarrrggghhh!

So the writer is "encouraged" when a public official "attends a biblically sound church" ... how would he know this if no one touted it? And he supports "evangelicals who live their faith in positions of government authority" ... tell me isn't the latter just what he said he didn't want Miers to do? And tell me, when and where did Bush or Miers ever say one's faith is a sufficient "substitute" for legal qualification to be a Supreme?

Now more than ever, evangelical political engagement demands that we seek God's Word and ask our Lord for guidance. As Will Reaves explains in this week's Featured Topic [I read this article, why don't you, then come back and leave a comment], God has not given us a clear-cut government philosophy. Thus, Christians often don't agree about politics. As we debate the Miers nomination, let's ask God to teach us more about how his eternal kingdom intersects with temporal authority. May God grant us wisdom to accompany our political fervor.

IS IT JUST ME? It seems to me we should have sought "God's Word and ask[ed Him] for guidance" long before this; in my opinion this is why so many non-elite red-staters are supporting the president's selection of Miers. We know we've prayed about her; we also believe Dubya has too!

"God has not given us a clear-cut government philosophy"? Excuse me, but I think this is pretty clear-cut!

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:13, 14

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

I'm not going to bother God about this; why would I want to? Remember that the "great cloud of witnesses" is mentioned so we will be reminded not of man's righteousness and faithfulness but of God's righteousness and faithfulness to man. He has ever been faithful to keep His promises; why would I suggest to Him that I question His integrity now, when He has made it clear in so many ways how His integrity has interacted and will continue to interact with our affairs?

Besides, most of the truly great leaders of our nation, especially the founding fathers, were unashamed of their relationship with the Living God and proudly wore their witness on their lapels.

The more I read and reread this piece the more and more I see someone who is "ashamed of the Gospel" or at best doesn't understand it and has a confused Christian Worldview.

RELATED: Kingdoms in Conflict & Harriet Miers Nomination

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