Jesus Never Rode an Elephant

Here's another country boy we can relate to:

Many American Christians have stories like mine. I was raised in a faithful and loving church and a loving and faithful home. When I was a child, every night my parents said The Lord's Prayer with me .... We also prayed together before meals. I don't recall us ever eating at home without saying what Dad called "Grace" or Mother called "The Blessing." Mother and Dad, having been through the Depression, always were thankful. And they knew Whom to thank. My parents knew that they and our family and many neighbors had survived the Depression through the grace of God. And, quite frankly, through the policies of the Democratic Party.

Kind of slipped up on you, that last line?

The author, Tennessee state senator Roy Herron, is writing in response to a trend in GOP self-righteousness that started years ago, got a full head of steam in 2004 with iPootValues, and now seems set in concrete in some of our mega-churches not to mention small halls of worship. "You can't be a Christian AND a Democrat" is the message.

To which Roy Herron responds: "Is the Scripture wrong? Is John 3:16 not to be believed? Is the Gospel not about faith, but works? Not about grace, but politics? Not about what Jesus did for us, but what we must do for Republicans?"

Herron has a big hand in the launch of FaithfulDemocrats.com.

And he reminds us strongly of our own Rev. Steve Goss, running for the N.C. Senate against David Blust. Mr. Blust in our opinion is possibly the emptiest pharisee we've encountered in over six decades in this pharisee-rich soil of the God-blessed American South. Surely people can recognize the difference in character between Goss and Blust. Or has our religion beccome so corrupted by power politics that a poseur will out-poll a genuine human being?

INCIDENTALLY: Today's Watauga Democrat gets around to reporting that Blust paid $7,000 in "advertising" to his own property management company. Wonder if anyone reading that will say, "Whaaa?" Or will they shrug and say, "What a supremely big ole fat CHRISTIAN thing to do!"