WaPo's 'On Faith' Asks if Rick Perry Has a 'Pastor Problem'
The mainstream media reluctantly started covering President Obama's Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy roughly one year after Fox News's Sean Hannity alerted his viewers to the controversial preacher's "God damn America" rants in 2007.
But when it comes to the 2012 Republican presidential aspirants, it appears the media are determined not to be late to the game in vetting their (real or imagined) "pastor problems."
For example, Washington Post's online "On Faith" feature yesterday wondered if Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- who is thought to be mulling a run but hasn't made a decision yet -- should be "judged by the religious company" he keeps.
But unlike Rev. Wright who was controversial to conservatives not so much for his liberal theology as for his left-wing anti-American screeds from the pulpit, "On Faith" is hitting Perry for ties to "several problematic pastors" by virtue of their theological views alone.
"On Faith" editor Sally Quinn singled out "John Hagee, controversial for his comments on Israel, the Roman Catholic Church and Islam, and C. Peter Wagner, who has suggested that the Catholic veneration of saints is an evil practice."
Many evangelicals, like Hagee, are strongly pro-Israel due to a belief that God has a covenant with the Jewish people and promised to restore the nation of Israel as a sovereign state in the end times before Christ's return.
What's more, this view holds that God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those -- individuals and nations -- who curse Israel. Hagee's views on the Catholic Church and Islam may also be controversial, but are fundamentally grounded in his theology.
As for Wagner's condemnation of veneration of saints, it's hardly a novel stance among Protestant denominations, being condemned in many historic Protestant confessions, citing a lack of biblical support for the practice. Again it's a theological view, not a political one.
What's more, as we at NewsBusters and the Media Research Center can attest, it's entirely possible to have strong personal theological disagreements in an organization and yet respectfully disagree and highly esteem one another as colleagues.
Again, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has theologically liberal views that don't conform to historic orthodox Christianity -- such as that Muslims are "sheep of another fold" that can be saved apart from faith in Christ -- but those purely theological issues were not held up by conservatives as evidence that Obama had a "pastor problem."
To indict the theology of Republican candidates' pastors, spiritual advisors, or religious friends as evidence of said candidate's "extreme" views rightly opens up charges against the media of a double standard if or when Obama or future Democratic presidential candidates associate with theologically liberal Christian ministers who, for example, support the ordination of practicing homosexuals or deny the existence of a literal Hell where the wicked are eternally punished.
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Comments
You're got to be
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:39am.
kidding!!!!! But 20 years with an anti-American, anti-Semite... now that's just peachy. What a crock!
Faithful church attendance
Submitted by wingnut55 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 1:40pm.
I doubt that Obama was a faithful attender at Rev. Wright's church. Just look at his church attendance, now. He seems to be a Christmas, Easter attender of church. If he is in such a public eye, now and attends so few times. Why should we think he attended every Sunday in Chicago? I believe that Obama's anti-American and anti- Semite views are simply his own and really can't be laid at the door step of Rev. Wright.
when he was in Chicago
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:48pm.
he had to pay for his own golf. Hence, his lack of attendance now.
Good evening cowboy
Submitted by cocodrie on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:53pm.
He did lower the crime rate in Chicago 20% by moving to D.C.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Well well well...
Submitted by ontheright on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:49am.
...it would appear that the MSM's "PDS" is being quietly re-directed from Governor Palin to Governor Perry - how convenient, and telling.
I pray that when the 2012 elections are over...
Submitted by Red Jeep on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:49am.
...that at least one major news source goes out of business with several other going into bankruptcy protection. Hallelujah!
What hbnolikeee wrote: You've got to be kidding!
Hypocrite MSM
Idiots.
Perry is no Wright...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:50am.
And the lamestream media would do best if they did not go on the attack here. I have heard what Wright has said and the seething hatred he has for our Country. The media took a pass there and should here too.
They have also been identifying Bachmann as the "Christian" conservative, as if that were a disqualifying factor alone. She has never said, or sat in a church, where Wright style fanaticism were spoken, or we would know it.
o'bama, the great Christian, still will not set foot in a church, unless it is on a putting green somewhere.
The left, who have nothing but disdain for God and/or religion, are now going to judge candidates on their faith?
This is no big shocker.
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:54am.
I think it would be hard to find a Protestant that doesn't have a problem with Catholics and the Saints doctrine. Should they all be drummed out of the public square?
The MSM have problems with real Catholics, too!
Submitted by JeffC... on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:08pm.
The only Catholics that the MSM like are the "enlightened" ones who don't follow Church doctrine on their favorite topics like abortion, homosexuality and divorce. To the MSM, Ted Kennedy was a good Catholic, but Mother Teresa wasn't.
"good" Catholics are "establishment " Catholics
Submitted by lrgon on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 4:43pm.
that can get all the treasure and "repectability" and prestige their little old hearts can hold in this world if they play the game. http://www.realcatholictv.com/cia/06Rockefeller/
But forget about it in the next world!
Notre Dame's now deceased president of that Catholic institution, Theodore Hesburg, is a perfect example of playing the establishment's game. He moved the University of Notre Dame toward acceptance of abotion by way of contraception. Abortion is the ultimate contraception.
This man's personal drive for personal accolades and honors from the establishment led that esteemed university astray and then other Catholic instiutions of higher learning followed suit.
Hesberg was insidious in his role as president of the University of Notre Dame and the subversion internally of religion in American continues by elements who control the National Council of Churches.
More insidiousness from Hesburg: "...permitting Notre Dame to host an annual convention of Planned Parenthood. He allowed our nation’s most prolific abortion provider to use campus facilities several times. Then, in a 1974 speech to a Catholic press association, he labeled opponents of abortion 'mindless and crude zealots.'” http://thenewamerican.com/culture/education/1176
Oh, look
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 7:03pm.
another iteration of a drive-by troll.
The "Controversial" Martin Luther
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:31pm.
Yep, that "controversy" has existed since long before Martin Luther nailed his objections to the Church door.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Religion?
Submitted by iveseenitall on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:58am.
After Wright, Barry now follows a "liberal",socialist "preacher". As history proves, mixing politics and religion has disastrous results.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal" (progressive)
Riiiiight.
Submitted by HockeyKid on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:58am.
WaPo's "On Faith" is much akin to a Muslim "On Pork". They don't know much about it, but they're sure they don't like it.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
The foul stench of political agenda
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 3:01pm.
It's rather telling that the same people (what was it that Sally said about Obama? Oh, that's right: "Move over, Pastor Terry Jones. Conservative stalwarts Newt Gingrich and Dinesh D'Souza have knocked you out of the headlines with a stunning new assault on the president's beliefs." And "These two Republican stalwarts just can't allow Barack Obama to be a real Christian." Sally, you're such a hypocrite!) who insisted that Obama is a Christian and that we should keep religion out of the political arena now spend so much time insisting that, yes, religion, especially the various denominations of Christianity, is now so politically important that each candidate's denomination and that denomination's particular beliefs and teachings should be dissected and discussed in public as often as possible, except for Obama, of course. What denomination does Obama follow, anyways? Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Reformist, Pentecostal? No one want's to say. I guess he's "generic." Talk about trying to please "all of the people, all of the time." That REEKS of political agenda, does it not?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Cobra, the main
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 7:07pm.
"denominations" he seems to follow would be Shiite, Sunni or Sufi. After all, the evening call to prayer is the "most beautiful" sound he's ever heard.
Sally Quinn? What hoot!
Submitted by russedav on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:47pm.
She's a stupid and asinine historically and especially Biblically illiterate antiChristian bigot who wouldn't know what was in a Bible if it fell on her, like most of her fellow alleged "elite" buffoons with single-digit iqs and morals comparable to Hitler's vile subhuman SS enslaved to nutcase evolutionist CLERGYMAN Darwin for pseudo-science delusion; I prefer the greatest SCIENTIST Sir Isaac Newton, the great creationist who wrote more about the Bible than he did about science, for as a great scientist he knew which was far more important/valuable (as was also the case with creationist NASA head Von Braun; for the case for the true science of creationists versus the stupid fraud of fascist evolutionists that must back up their fraud with force versus reason, as with their forbears Hitler and Stalin (e.g. sodomy and anthropocentric global warming, see www.creation.com and www.answersinGenesis.org)). Today there's sadly more religious freedom intelligently to consider the Bible and Christianity in the former USSR than here where the very fascism we once gave our men to fight has now taken us over, proving we actually lost both WWII and the Cold War, having embraced the ideology of the losers of both we once defeated! Only God in Whose Face we've raised the phallus and middle finger can save us now.
Indeed, Gov. Perry has a pastor problem
Submitted by Mike Bratton on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 3:21pm.
He has a pastor--of the Christian persuasion.
For the virulently anti-Christian in the media and elsewhere, that's a problem.
--Mike
Obama and his churching
Submitted by wotsizname on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:47pm.
For decades he has been trained to gather and hold followers by segregation, anger, resentment and fear - perfect training for a dictator. Wright and the Chicago and Social Democrat gang were his instructors; not his preachers. He never experienced America. See the results of their teachings. He's a puppet.
Wright vs. Perry's pastor
Submitted by ChuckySchmucky on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:21pm.
Sure, corrupt leftwing media, let's make this a contest of associations.
A contest of pastors.
A contest betweenf Bill Ayers vs. "Bilderberg" -- which will become the corrupt leftwing media's most often repeated word in 2012 if Perry gets the nomination.
Obama has both a pastor problem...
Submitted by thescoots on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 9:49am.
and a mullah problem...Rev Wright and Louie Farrakhan are still around....spreading the hate...but, MSM sees no evil, hears no evil and speaks no evil...because: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We conservatives are the enemy...just ask any anchor on CNN or MSNBC...they will be glad to expound on it.