I would like to draw your attention to 2 recent news stories: the first involves a South African woman named Gayle Williams. Gayle was working in Afghanistan as an aid-worker when she was gunned down by Taliban forces last week. Her crime? According to a Taliban website, she was killed for spreading Christianity in Afghanistan. They claim to have been following her for some time. The full story is on cnn.com
The second story is the recent interview of Sarah Palin by James Dobson. Dobson, as you may or may not know, is one of the leaders of the religious right movement and the founder of Focus on the Family. He can, at times, make Pat Buchanan look like a pinko-commie. In his recent interview of Palin, Dobson whined that the "liberal mainstream media" has been attacking the Governor. The reason the media despises Lady Sarah so?
"It's the offense of the cross and it's one of the reasons there's such hostility tor Sarah Palin, because she is an unabashed Christian."
Oh really? So Dobson would have us believe that Palin is being persecuted for her faith. The religious right would apparently have us believe that Palin is a martyr, being crucified by the media for having "the courage to speak the name of Christ".
Here's some things we have heard Sarah Palin criticized for in the media:
1) Unethically firing a police commissioner
2) Cheating on her taxes
3) Spending $150,000 on clothes and make-up
4) Telling blatant lies at rallies
5) Claiming that certain parts of the country are more "pro-American" than others
6) Refusing to talk to the press
7) Deliberately avoiding the questions asked at the VP debate
8) In general, being unfit for office
I could go on, really, but here's one thing Palin has not been criticized for in the media: being a Christian.
Martyrdom and persecution have strong emotional pull on Christians. We believe that our Lord died for us, and ever since, Christians around the world have been called on to lay down their lives for their faith. Even to this day, Christians around the world face persecution and the possibility of martyrdom as a part of daily life in following Christ. Christians have always held those who are called to make these sacrifices in high regard, in part because nothing in the world is a more compelling testimony for the Gospel than someone who values his or her faith above their life.
Real martyrs die for their faith. Being criticized for your ethics violations and your being unfit for office does not equate to being persecuted for being a Christian. Implying that it does is frankly despicable and insulting to the memory of Gayle and so many others who have counted the cost and chose to give up what they cannot keep to gain what they cannot lose.
Dobson and his cronies know precisely what they are doing. They are playing on emotion to get political power. By making Palin a martyr, they are trying to get Christians to back a failed presidential ticket as a matter of faith. Evangelical votes are hemorrhaging away from the GOP, and Dobson wants to stop the defections by fostering an "us versus them" mentality. It has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Heaven and everything to do personal gain.
Shame on you James Dobson! Fellow Christians, we cannot allow our faith to be so sullied. We cannot continue to confuse our faith and our political affiliations. With a world in desperate need of the love of Christ, we have too much to lose. If you subscribe to any newsletters or magazines from Focus on the Family, or another organization like it, unsubscribe and let them know why you are doing so. This has got to stop.
The second story is the recent interview of Sarah Palin by James Dobson. Dobson, as you may or may not know, is one of the leaders of the religious right movement and the founder of Focus on the Family. He can, at times, make Pat Buchanan look like a pinko-commie. In his recent interview of Palin, Dobson whined that the "liberal mainstream media" has been attacking the Governor. The reason the media despises Lady Sarah so?
"It's the offense of the cross and it's one of the reasons there's such hostility tor Sarah Palin, because she is an unabashed Christian."
Oh really? So Dobson would have us believe that Palin is being persecuted for her faith. The religious right would apparently have us believe that Palin is a martyr, being crucified by the media for having "the courage to speak the name of Christ".
Here's some things we have heard Sarah Palin criticized for in the media:
1) Unethically firing a police commissioner
2) Cheating on her taxes
3) Spending $150,000 on clothes and make-up
4) Telling blatant lies at rallies
5) Claiming that certain parts of the country are more "pro-American" than others
6) Refusing to talk to the press
7) Deliberately avoiding the questions asked at the VP debate
8) In general, being unfit for office
I could go on, really, but here's one thing Palin has not been criticized for in the media: being a Christian.
Martyrdom and persecution have strong emotional pull on Christians. We believe that our Lord died for us, and ever since, Christians around the world have been called on to lay down their lives for their faith. Even to this day, Christians around the world face persecution and the possibility of martyrdom as a part of daily life in following Christ. Christians have always held those who are called to make these sacrifices in high regard, in part because nothing in the world is a more compelling testimony for the Gospel than someone who values his or her faith above their life.
Real martyrs die for their faith. Being criticized for your ethics violations and your being unfit for office does not equate to being persecuted for being a Christian. Implying that it does is frankly despicable and insulting to the memory of Gayle and so many others who have counted the cost and chose to give up what they cannot keep to gain what they cannot lose.
Dobson and his cronies know precisely what they are doing. They are playing on emotion to get political power. By making Palin a martyr, they are trying to get Christians to back a failed presidential ticket as a matter of faith. Evangelical votes are hemorrhaging away from the GOP, and Dobson wants to stop the defections by fostering an "us versus them" mentality. It has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Heaven and everything to do personal gain.
Shame on you James Dobson! Fellow Christians, we cannot allow our faith to be so sullied. We cannot continue to confuse our faith and our political affiliations. With a world in desperate need of the love of Christ, we have too much to lose. If you subscribe to any newsletters or magazines from Focus on the Family, or another organization like it, unsubscribe and let them know why you are doing so. This has got to stop.
2 comments:
WOW. If this were a speech, I would be giving a standing O. You are absolutely right. Dobson has poured salt in the wounds of every martyred Christian. Not once have I read or heard a single criticism of Palin that had anything remotely to do w/her being a Christian. I am ashamed of Dobson's tactics, and I apologize to the memory of those who were truly martyred..........
her husband is also part of a secession movement.
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