George W. Bush is My Hero of the Day

In an interview with ABC's "Nightline", George W Bush said that; belief in God and evolution are not incompatible, he is not a biblical literalist, and God is "broad and big enough" to encompass people with different religious beliefs.  

My thoughts:

First, no, this is not an article from the Onion.

Second, thank you, Mr. President.

Third, why didn’t you say this eight years ago?

The answer to the last question is obvious.  Bush never would have had the support of many evangelicals in the elections of 2000 and 2004 had he expressed these views publicly. Biblical literalism and the Creationism it spawns, have sadly become assumed non-negotiable foundations of faith for many Christians.  In the minds of the Religious Right, believing in God and evolution as mutually exclusive.  Never mind the millions of Christians who think otherwise.  After all, we are not “really” Christians.

If anything, Bush’s comments expose the inordinate power of the Religious Right and the hermeneutical lap dance some politicians must perform to get their support.  I loved the John McCain of 2000 who criticized the intolerance of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.  I cringed at the John McCain of 2008 who kowtowed to them.  How would George W. Bush’s relationship with moderates and liberals been, had he expressed his true beliefs eight years ago?   How differently would his administration be remembered?

I never bought into the mass-hysteria that painted Bush as a religious fanatic.  According to the Bill Maher’s of the world, Bush is an apocalyptic evangelical who started wars to hasten the Second Coming of Christ. Granted, some of his supporters may have held that view, but I doubt he did.  The roots of his foreign policy failures lay in his administration’s poor decision-making, not in the pages of Hal Lindsey’s books. Bush was not seeking the fast track to the Great Tribulation.  Iraq was tragic because wars are tragic.  This is why Jesus advised against them.

Furthermore, while in office, the President attended a fairly mainline church. If he really was counting down the days to the Rapture, he could easily have found another church to attend that was more in tune with those presumed beliefs. In fact, attending such a church would have shored up his conservative credentials even more. Instead, President Bush attended a United Methodist church.  Even the most conservative Methodists are not Dispensationalists. Besides, there is no political clout in being a United Methodist – believe me. 

Additionally, I am not familiar with any instance of him expressing such apocalyptic beliefs. Our media is so ignorant in matters of religious belief that it automatically equates Christianity with the “Left Behind” series.  Unlike my adamantly liberal friends, I never thought Bush was a rabid fundamentalist.  I believe he is a sincere, yet often misguided man, who had a personal experience of God in his life.  That does not necessarily mean that he believes Jesus is going to show up on a white horse with sword in the streets of downtown Baghdad.

So why is Bush my hero today?  Because he clearly (although regrettably belatedly) expressed what most moderate Christians believe.   Biblical literalism is the albatross around the neck of Christianity that has often choked the pneuma out of me.  Having a conservative icon like Bush question it might just let us all breathe easier.

I know it is fashionable in the emerging church to dismiss debates about biblical literalism as relics of the modern era.  As postmodern conversationalists, we encourage one another to move beyond the literalism debate.  However, how can we move beyond it when so much of the church is mired in the LaHaye tar pit of literalism?  Although I agree that much of what we label as truth is subjective, I do not believe that we should excuse bad science under the rubric of postmodernism. Postmodern and emergent thought should challenge us to move forward in our understanding of God and the universe.  It should never be a means to allow pre-modernists to skip over the scientific discoveries and historical scholarship of the modern era.  Forgive me if that conjured up too linear of an image.

It’s easy to criticize Bush for only expressing his true beliefs in the last days of his administration.  There is something almost sad about Presidents like Bush, or LBJ, expressing their lack of infallibility only as they step out of the spotlight. Yet, let us not be too hasty in that criticism.  Many of us in emerging and mainline churches are not biblical literalists.  Yet, fear keeps us from expressing our views clearly and openly; the pastor afraid of upsetting the faith of the little old church lady, the Christian leader who struggles with speaking out vs losing publishing deals or speaking engagements.  By default, our timidity allows literalism to be the loudest Christian voice in America.

Bush’s silence on his religious beliefs was a missed opportunity.  Let it be an example to all of us church leaders of what not to do.  Let’s not wait until we are leaving our jobs to express what we truly believe – whether on this or any other issue.

Believe me, I have no interest in continuing modernist-style debates or name-calling.  I do not despise those who take the Bible literally.  I just ask that they stop despising those of us who do not.  Perhaps this interview with Bush will cause them to reconsider who is or is not a Christian.  So from now on, when I am attacked for not being a biblical literalist, I will draw my defense from the most unlikely of allies.  When a critic tells me I must be a Creationist or biblical literalist in order to be a Christian, I can look them straight in the eye and say, “Hey.  Not even George W. Bush believes that!”

Thank you, Mr. President.   Turns out, you are more reasonable and open-minded than many of the Christians I have known.

I never expected to say that.

UPDATE - Here's some analysis of the fallout.  Although I don't buy David Brody's spin that Bush really meant "microevolution".

 

Comments

[Paul VanderKlay]

Bush was always merely a politician. For the most part I agree with your assessment of him. He, like most politicians (and many preachers), was simply capable of keeping his personal notions quiet while allowing silence on subjects to permit his supporters to presume their own opinions upon him. His political career is done, now it is in his interests to "tell all". The expected is to come: the book, the library, the ongoing speculation if he can be criminally liable for a bunch of stuff he did.

[Dennis Miele]

You've chosen to look at this in the most positive way possible. I find it hard to do that myself. I see it as too little to late and another example of his lack of credibility. Hey, he's now even worse than a lame duck, since it appears he has already been replaced. :-)

[Philip H]

Don, very thoughtful and, I think, provoking--your point is well taken. I think the "literalist" church has garnered far too much attention in the last fifteen years, mostly because it's easy to explain in simple steps. Most folks don't understand what is meant by the team (is it still used?) Social Gospel that Martin Luther King preached and espoused or Emerging Church. Christians today are put in the sad position of explaining each other to outsiders like a disfunctional family: "Um, er, why yes I'm a Christian but I don't believe the Universe is 5,000 years old..." and "Why yes they call themselves Christians but they are going to Hell..."

Regardless of what I think about the man (and I am not a supporter) some belief very powerfully sustained him though it not always directed him.

[Jonathan Blundell]

as a Texan, I was excited to see Bush running for presidency. I "campaigned" for him the first time and voted for him the 2nd (believing it was the lessor of two evils.)

i've felt like, for a long time, he's no where near the hard line conservative he tries to play - and or gets noted for.

i think he's become more of a pawn of others.

and it's also interesting how we (myself included) are quick to point out his faults and failures and criticize him rather than praying for him and offering grace in his mistakes.

i'm big on preaching grace to sinners - but not so good at practicing it with people who are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

[donheatley]

An interesting bit about the creationism/evolution debate within Islam
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465650,00.html