“Strangers in a Strange Land”
January 17, 2008
If you don’t read anything else today, please read this excellent post by my RedState co-blogger, Leon H. Wolf, regarding the GOP establishment’s disdain for Southern Evangelicals.
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The problem with Huckabee among many Republicans is not his views on social issues. His views on these issues have been the common wisdom of most Republicans since the time of Reagan. Where Huckabee draws fire is his views on foreign policy. the economy and the role of govenment. If Huckabee was a hawk on foreign policy, in favor of lessening government intervention in the economy and in favor of shrinking the role of government in domestic matters, the only people complaining about his views on the social issues would be the usual suspects in the party who carry no weight: Republicans for Choice, the Logcabin Republicans, etc. Southerners and Evangelicals are two of the dominant elements today in the GOP. Not so dovish former governors who sometimes sound like junior league John Edwards.
Both parties dislike Southern Evangelicals, but the religious do tend to complain too much. There is no “war on Christmas” ect.
Political parties are interested in power. The SE are flakey in helping a group for power, because by the very nature of this belief system they move in and out of politics (God’s kingdom is in heaven, worldly concerns are, well, worldly).
I read that post and it was quite interesting. But honestly, a lot of Republicans aren’t jumping on the Huckabee bandwagon because he’s a Southern Evangelical, but because of the *many* other issues they have with him. I’m a conservative Christian, but just have not been thrilled with Huckabee yet.
No doubt they are despised by a lot of people. In fact lumping Non Catholic/Orthodox, Non Main Stream Protestant Christians all under the term Evangelicals and thinking they are like the borg show that disdain.
Which is done a quite a bit. In the end there is a bit of jealosuy. They can self moblize and a political organization or person running does not have to hold their hand to do it.
If only we Catholics cold do the same
There is a big difference between “[w]hat Huckabee has done, very simply, is dare to suggest that his religious principles inform his political views” and saying “what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards.” Nice attempt at spin but no cigar.
Who deteremines “God’s Standards” will it be the Baptist Magisterium?
Furthermore, having lived in Central Indiana for many years the home of many denominational and non-denominational evangelicals, I can state for a fact that they can show their own elitism and distain for others. The local school administrators and city council memebers didn’t go to the bathroom without asking the local ministerial association first. The schools sucked but by God we had a great football team and every school assembly started with a prayer.
And, if I had a nickle for every missionary that Churches in the Indianapolis area sent to convert the heathens in countries such as Poland and Ireland and a multitude of other Eastern European and South and Central American countries I would be a very rich man.
Enough of my rant against evangelical elitism.