Paul Wilczynski's Observations

God-talk in the GOP

Sojourners has an article by David Domke and Kevin Coe called God-talk in the GOP (registration required).

George W. Bush is delivering two commencement addresses this spring. One will be Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - an unsurprising venue. The other took place last week at Calvin College, a small evangelical Christian school in western Michigan. The latter is the latest attempt by the administration and the Republican Party to use God for political gain.

In the past two months alone, GOP leaders have invoked God in public discussions about the medical care of Terri Schiavo, judicial-nominee votes in the U.S. Senate, and the treatment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay over charges of unethical conduct.

Welcome to the new world of religious politics, made successful by President Bush and increasingly adopted by other Republicans.

For some time now there has been a heated debate regarding whether Bush is different from other presidents in his religious rhetoric. Here's the answer: He is. What sets Bush apart is how much he talks about God and what he says when he does so. ...

posted by Paul Wilczynski @ 7:29 PM