CASTING STONES
On Saturday U.S. Senator Larry Craig, R-ID, resigned from his seat in the Senate. Craig will leave office on September 30, after serving in Congress (House & Senate) for over 25 years. Craig had been under pressure to quit since news surfaced last week that he was arrested in June at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and later pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge. The arrest was made by an officer investigating reports of sexual behavior in an airport restroom. In a post-arrest police recording, Craig denied that he was trying to engage in lewd behavior in the airport bathroom and suggested he was entrapped by the arresting officer. Then why plead guilty Senator? Nevertheless, this comes on the heels of U.S. Senator David Vitter. R-LA. being linked to a DC escort service and just a year after Congressman Mark Foley resigned because of improper contact with Congressional pages and Don Sherwood, R-PA getting beat after he admitted a long term affair. What is up with Republicans? We are supposed to be the party of morality and family values. Our platform clearly takes a conservative, traditional stand on moral issues. So why are we seeing Republican elected officials not walking the walk?

First, we all have inherited a sin nature. We got it from our father, who got it from his father and so on back to Adam. By our inherent nature, we are depraved creatures. That goes against the secular theory that everyone is good deep down. Any serious Bible student and person with an honest conscience recognizes we are all crooked deep down(words/music at supplied link)http://derekwebb.musiccitynetworks.com/index.htm?id=7013&inc=7&album_id=735#6110

Craig, Vitter, Foley, Sherwood, Delay, and others are doing what people do- they sin. Falling is understandable, because everyone does it, but when they try to hide their sin, that’s another issue. That doesn’t excuse misbehaviour, but it does explain it.

Secondly, conservative Christian GOP activists need to recognize that some of the elected officials within our party are only “talking the talk” to get elected. They are not “walking the walk” and never have nor have any intention to start. Some Republican elected officials are charlatans- they do not practice what they preach. They use our resources and influence to gain support and votes. They don’t believe in the principles we hold important. They use the Christian right to accomplish their goal- which is to stay in power- and then ignore the principles we hold sacred once they are in office. We should root out those elected officials and expose them. If we become satisfied with just having more Rs than Ds, that is not truly standing for the principles we believe in. Politics make for strange bedfellows as evidenced by some of the partnerships formed in recent years by groups that had historically not worked together. These strange alliances have been justified because it furthers “the cause.” The key question is- what is “the cause?” Why I am active in the Republican party may not be the same reason others are active. I can accept and appreciate that fact. That means I can still work with them on issues that we agree on as citizens. The cause for me is simple. The election of honest, ethical indidivuals that will be candid and principled. For the most part, Republicans have more of those than Democrats, and that’s why I’m a Republican. But no party or man can escape the inherited sin nature I spoke of earlier. There will always be moral failures. How the leadership of the party reacts is a critical sign of who we are. Republicans, for the most part, react with moral indigation toward members of our own party when they fall. That’s not the case with Democrats.

Take for example, the moral failure of President Bill Clinton. The Democrats held a pep rally at the White House after the impeachment vote to show their support. In July of 1990, Congressman Barney Frank, D-MA, was reprimanded by the US House for his role in a male prostitution ring, but he still serves in Congress. Congressman William Jefferson, D-LA, has been indicted for racketeering, solicitation of bribes, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, violating the foreign corrupt practices act, and conspiracy, yet still serves in Congress. Yet the Democratic leadership shows no outrage when one of their own fails- only when it’s a Republican. When former House Majority Leader Tom Delay was indicted, Nancy Pelosi said, “The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom DeLay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people.”

Culture of corruption? Pelosi is right about that- we are born corrupt, but moral failure is not partisan. In John 8, Jesus stated, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone .” There are consequences for actions and elected officials should pay the price, but party officials should be consistent with their righteous indignation.