2008 Woodie Awards
Kerry plays the politics of religion
Nathan Wright
Issue date: 4/1/04 Section: The Forum
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The Presidential campaign of Massachusetts senator John Kerry has reached a new low.
In recent campaign stops / church services in Jackson, Miss. and St. Louis, Mo. Kerry has launched bitter, partisan political attacks on the administration of President George W. Bush. On both occasions Kerry, from the pulpit, assailed "present national leadership" for what he termed "faith with no deeds." This is an obvious reference to James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?" (NIV)
Kerry's newly-found affinity for the Scriptures is shocking and his ability to twist a verse in the Bible to fit his political agenda is truly perverse. This is a man who claims to be a practicing Roman Catholic, yet refuses to embrace central tenets of his faith including the right to life when applied to the issue of abortion. These attacks on Bush's faith can be attributed to nothing other than Kerry's deep rooted hatred for Bush.
As far as the President lacking deeds to back up his faith, Kerry seems to be a little confused about what this actually means. In Jackson, Kerry had this to offer, "We'll be tested to see how much we really remember the words of the scripture, 'What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?'
"We need to remember those words so we march forward against a sorry politics where too often words suffice where deeds are demanded. Remember 'a uniter not a divider?' 'Compassionate conservative?' 'Clear Skies?' 'Healthy Forests?' 'A humble foreign policy?' 'Leave No Child Behind?' 'Weapons of Mass Destruction?'"
Kerry seems to believe that since the President supports drilling for oil in Alaska he is a godless tyrant. A majority of the American people beg to differ, Senator. A recent Pew Forum poll indicated that 62 percent of the American public believes President Bush strikes the right balance in how much he mentions his religious beliefs.
Perhaps Kerry would do well to be reminded of some of the President's "deeds." In one of Bush's first acts in office on Jan. 29. 2001, he opened a new White House office focused solely on helping faith-based groups obtain federal tax dollars. In November 2003 the President signed a ban on late-term, partial-birth abortions into law. This would end thousands of heinous third trimester abortions and came after years of struggle with liberals, including Kerry, opposing the bill at every opportunity.
Of course, these and countless other examples of the President's faith in action do not qualify as "deeds" in Kerry's world. The senator's definition of a "deed" is along the lines of, "an act that fits into the far left-wing politcal agenda like raising taxes, protecting Alaskan caribou, supporting Saddam Hussein and demanding that God never be mentioned in the public sphere."
Kerry's remarks should not be given a pass, consequences must result. The churches allowing Kerry to use their pulpits to make political speeches should invite President Bush to speak or have their tax-exempt status revoked. The Internal Revenue Service code clearly states that tax-exempt organizations, including the churches allowing Kerry to make polarizing attacks on the President, cannot take sides by endorsing candidates for election. This revocation would not be without precedent; in the 1990s the Church at Pierce Creek in Vestal, NY had its status revoked for funding an advertisement against then-President Bill Clinton.
If President Bush assumed the pulpit at a conservative church and went on to make purely political attacks against Senator Kerry, there would be a major outcry against this. As a pastor's son, I know the great lengths to which my father goes to ensure that the church does not come down on either side of the political aisle without compromising moral clarity.
Before using James 2:14 to make political attacks, renowned flip-flopper Kerry should have looked back to James 1:8, "he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (NIV)
In recent campaign stops / church services in Jackson, Miss. and St. Louis, Mo. Kerry has launched bitter, partisan political attacks on the administration of President George W. Bush. On both occasions Kerry, from the pulpit, assailed "present national leadership" for what he termed "faith with no deeds." This is an obvious reference to James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?" (NIV)
Kerry's newly-found affinity for the Scriptures is shocking and his ability to twist a verse in the Bible to fit his political agenda is truly perverse. This is a man who claims to be a practicing Roman Catholic, yet refuses to embrace central tenets of his faith including the right to life when applied to the issue of abortion. These attacks on Bush's faith can be attributed to nothing other than Kerry's deep rooted hatred for Bush.
As far as the President lacking deeds to back up his faith, Kerry seems to be a little confused about what this actually means. In Jackson, Kerry had this to offer, "We'll be tested to see how much we really remember the words of the scripture, 'What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?'
"We need to remember those words so we march forward against a sorry politics where too often words suffice where deeds are demanded. Remember 'a uniter not a divider?' 'Compassionate conservative?' 'Clear Skies?' 'Healthy Forests?' 'A humble foreign policy?' 'Leave No Child Behind?' 'Weapons of Mass Destruction?'"
Kerry seems to believe that since the President supports drilling for oil in Alaska he is a godless tyrant. A majority of the American people beg to differ, Senator. A recent Pew Forum poll indicated that 62 percent of the American public believes President Bush strikes the right balance in how much he mentions his religious beliefs.
Perhaps Kerry would do well to be reminded of some of the President's "deeds." In one of Bush's first acts in office on Jan. 29. 2001, he opened a new White House office focused solely on helping faith-based groups obtain federal tax dollars. In November 2003 the President signed a ban on late-term, partial-birth abortions into law. This would end thousands of heinous third trimester abortions and came after years of struggle with liberals, including Kerry, opposing the bill at every opportunity.
Of course, these and countless other examples of the President's faith in action do not qualify as "deeds" in Kerry's world. The senator's definition of a "deed" is along the lines of, "an act that fits into the far left-wing politcal agenda like raising taxes, protecting Alaskan caribou, supporting Saddam Hussein and demanding that God never be mentioned in the public sphere."
Kerry's remarks should not be given a pass, consequences must result. The churches allowing Kerry to use their pulpits to make political speeches should invite President Bush to speak or have their tax-exempt status revoked. The Internal Revenue Service code clearly states that tax-exempt organizations, including the churches allowing Kerry to make polarizing attacks on the President, cannot take sides by endorsing candidates for election. This revocation would not be without precedent; in the 1990s the Church at Pierce Creek in Vestal, NY had its status revoked for funding an advertisement against then-President Bill Clinton.
If President Bush assumed the pulpit at a conservative church and went on to make purely political attacks against Senator Kerry, there would be a major outcry against this. As a pastor's son, I know the great lengths to which my father goes to ensure that the church does not come down on either side of the political aisle without compromising moral clarity.
Before using James 2:14 to make political attacks, renowned flip-flopper Kerry should have looked back to James 1:8, "he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (NIV)
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