George Bush never did learn to open up when anyone asked about his faith, salvation, family values and all those messy spiritual issues.<\/p>\n\n
On one campaign stop, he was asked what he thought about as he floated alone in the Pacific Ocean after his plane was shot down during World War II. His response was chilly: \u201cMom and Dad, about our country, about God \u2026 and about the separation of church and state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Eventually, the Kennebunkport Episcopalian ran into a Little Rock Baptist who could preach, pray, weep, hug, sing and confess with the best of them.<\/p>\n\n
Now, Bush\u2019s heir is poised to make a run at the White House. However, George W. Bush is a Bible Belt Methodist and appears to have learned a big lesson: it helps if a candidate can stand tall in a pulpit and, as born-again folks say, \u201cgive his testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cFaith gives us purpose \u2013 to right wrongs, preserve our families and teach our children values,\u201d said the Texas governor, speaking to about 15,000 during a March 6-7 visit to Houston\u2019s Second Baptist Church. \u201cFaith gives us a conscience \u2013 to keep us honest even when no one is watching. Faith changes lives. I know, because it has changed mine. I grew up in the church, but I didn\u2019t always walk the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Bush then described a backslider vs. the preacher showdown he had in the mid-1980s with evangelist Billy Graham. Bush said their talks inspired him to \u201crecommit my life to Jesus Christ\u201d and to end what he has previously confessed was a rowdy era in his private life. Bush\u2019s testimony also included nods to Promise Keeper orator Tony Evans, Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson and other prominent evangelicals.<\/p>\n\n
Yes, this Bush also pledged his allegiance to church-state separation.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe church is not the state and the state is darn sure not the church,\u201d he said. \u201cAny time the church enters the realm of politics the church runs the real risk of losing its mission. \u2026 Politics is a world of give and take, of polls, of human vision. The church is built on the absolute principles of the Word of God, not the word of man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Bush\u2019s sermon on religion and politics was quickly buried in news about an Associated Press interview about abortion. As he has throughout the 1990s, Bush called himself a \u201cpro-life person,\u201d yet he said most Americans do not share his convictions.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cAmerica is not ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade, because America\u2019s hearts are not right,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, in the meantime \u2026 what we ought to do is promote policies that reduce abortions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Speaking to the press through a telephone news conference, Focus on the Family leader James Dobson urged Bush to be specific. \u201cDon\u2019t give us double-talk. Tell us if you\u2019ll support pro-life judges. Tell us if you\u2019ll oppose giving money to Planned Parenthood International.\u201d At this point in the Bush campaign, Dobson said, \u201cwe don\u2019t know what he believes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Bush\u2019s approach does resemble the fervent, yet vague, approach used for years by Bill Clinton. Back in 1986, Clinton even said he agreed with the \u201cstated purpose\u201d of an Arkansas constitutional amendment to \u201cpromote the health, safety and welfare of every unborn child from conception until birth.\u201d Clinton has preached many sermons on faith\u2019s positive role in public life.<\/p>\n\n
It\u2019s easy to offer positive words about faith. The problem is that so many people \u2014 both progressives and traditionalists \u2013 \u2013 currently believe their religious beliefs are under attack.<\/p>\n\n
Bush stressed the positive at Second Baptist, calling for church-state cooperation that would unleash \u201clittle armies of compassion\u201d to transform \u201cone heart, one soul and one conscience at a time.\u201d Still, this strategy will raise questions. Some critics insist that cooperative efforts using tax money, or even tax incentives, blur the line between church and state. Others want to know why Bush welcomes faith-based alternatives to costly government social programs, yet shies away from similar alternatives in education.<\/p>\n\n
Bush\u2019s remarks in Houston will be dissected by one and all.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe have learned that government programs cannot solve all the problems in our society,\u201d he said. \u201cGovernment can hand out money, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives. It cannot fill the spiritual well from which we draw strength day to day. Only faith can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
George Bush never did learn to open up when anyone asked about his faith, salvation, family values and all those messy spiritual issues. On one campaign stop, he was asked what he thought about as he floated alone in the Pacific Ocean after his plane was shot down during World War II. His response was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n