Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Dear Mr. Pharisee

Rob Schofield generously excerpts a letter that several of our state's Christian pastors and theologians have written to Franklin Graham, after he supposedly apologized for suggesting that he still thought of President Obama as an alien Muslim (you know that kind of apology: "I'm sorry if your feelings got in the way of my righteous smugness").

You can read the entire letter by following Rob's link at The Progressive Pulse, but we especially value the passage that reminds Mr. Franklin about the meaning of how he named his personal empire:
...please recall that the name of your organization is Samaritan’s Purse! Jesus set the example for us by positively interacting with Samaritans, Syro-Phoenicians, and Romans – the vilified and hated infidels of his day. In the parable from which your organization gets its name, Jesus used the account of the hated Samaritan enemy to serve as an example. It validates Jesus’ instruction to “love your enemies.” It validates the merits of regular peaceful contact with one’s enemy.” ...

Explaining why Franklin Graham has consistently behaved as he has toward President Obama, one will never find answers in the Bible. You'll find the answer in his status as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party.

1 comment:

Liberal POV said...

A big Amen!

Rev. Graham needs a lot more humanity and a lot less piety.