Me vs. Josh of West Wing Fame

Yahoo news is a great and wonderful service I put in a subject line and it spits me out some news stories. So I got the following from the HuffenPuff Marshmallow and I am struck with the following bit of wisdom for the HuffenPuffers (and anyone who agrees with this HuffenPuffer).

“Be careful what you wish for.”

How many times have “Progressive”/”Leftist”/”Liberal”/Democrat politico’s called for the removal of the tax exempt status of Churches and political movements that supported republicans for violating their non-partisan tax exempt status in spirit ( if not in fact). Well congratulations some one listened to you… and unfortunately it wasn’t one of your ilk. So this guarantees a future use of the IRS as a political weapon by a future Democratic administration.

Political leftist groups have been making these complaints for some time… And the right political sphere in the pulpit is far smarter. They veil their call to action to their communities (by and large) in a much more subtle manner and dodge the bullet. People have been visiting houses of worship with tape recorders and this is simply horrendous. But let me address however the points of theology here because they do deserve repeating.

“Perhaps the best response to the tragedy of 9/11 was a preemptive war against a country that had not nothing to do with the attacks. Tens of thousands of deaths later, perhaps it is still the right decision.
But it is not Christian.”
Why not? Is it because you kill people in a war? Is it Christian to sit and rub ones hands and pray a butcher will not continue to rape, murder, torture, and kill people Christian? Is it Christian to say “Now Saddam if you don’t let those inspectors in we will write you such a stern letter.”

You see this is the real world, and in the real world easy ethical and spiritual answers to questions like that don’t exist. This is even saying that George Bush was acting as a Christian, and not as a secular leader in doing his duty to protect his nation.
You can make a Christian argument for the War in Iraq as a just war just as you can make a Christian argument for a just war in Germany or in Korea. And you can make just as Christian an argument that it –isn’t- just. Because Christianity has never been uniform in its approach to human society and by making this argument just as you made the argument that evangelical political churches get targeted by the IRS you end up with a future backfire far worse then this one.
“Perhaps it is good economics to give me, an actor on a television show, over a quarter of a million dollars in tax relief over the last five years as the poverty rate climbs, as we burden our children with structural budget deficits and cut services for our most vulnerable citizens.
But it is not Christian.”
Tax cuts (with fiscal restraint by the government) lead to robust economic growth. Tax cuts (without fiscal restraint) lead to average economic growth.
Do we get people out of poverty by wishing it so? Or do we get them out of poverty by providing them –jobs-.
I am sure no one needs an answer to that. Nor does anyone need an answer to how private groups all around the world have consistently proven more effective then the government at not only providing the services, but by getting people in to provide services.
Is it Christian to throw money down a rat hole? Is it Christian to waste people’s money when their spending the money with their own choice (with the free will god gave them) will do more good for society and those who suffer?
Because when people start to give to aid the poverty of others in private it builds community in things like churches. Which will build a community where people know, love, and care about each other again which I believe –IS- a Christian value.
“Perhaps the Death Penalty is an acceptable way to punish criminals.
But it is not Christian.”
Are you saying Christ is a pacifist? He told his followers if they did not have a sword they needed to sell the clothes on their back to get one.
There is a reasonable argument that the death penalty is Christian, just as there is a reasonable argument it is –not- Christian.
I know you are on The West Wing so you think your opinion has some political validity so let’s take a rational realistic argument.
Calls to silence the Republican oriented Christian churches have lead to a real silencing of a leftist oriented Christian church.
How do you think labeling one set of politics Christian or Not Christian by theology will work?
And while we are at it look at the people fleeing the Episcopal Church which has studied liturgy to worship Christ as female. Again tell me how these views have been working out for you in the long term