THE PRESIDENT

God and Politics: The Controversial Faith of George W. Bush

By Melissa Charbonneau
For CWNews

January 9, 2004

CBN.com – WASHINGTON, DC - He is called one of America's most faith-based Presidents, his speeches infused with scriptural references and invocations of the Almighty.

George Bush is said to read the Bible daily, pray in the Oval Office, and on occasion, open cabinet meetings with prayer.

Mr. Bush jolted the religious establishment when he was asked to name his favorite philosopher in a presidential debate, and he responded, "Christ, because he changed my heart."

That change began a decade before, when Bush says the Reverend Billy Graham "planted a seed in his soul" that led to his recommitment to Christ.

White House insiders say, despite his public professions, the President's convictions are intensely personal. "He's not someone who wears his religion on his sleeve," said Jim
Towey, the President's handpicked director of the Office of Faith Based Initiatives.

"He may talk about the importance of God and the primacy God has in his life, but beyond that you're not going to see him, I think, sharing personal thoughts about his own journey," Towey said. "And I think that's because he sees himself as unworthy of God's favor, and grateful for it. And that's why, I think, there's a real humility to how he accepts the graces and favors God has conferred upon him."

The President's openness about his faith makes him both the subject of praise and the target of ridicule. On the religious Left, some call Bush's religious rhetoric reprehensible, saying his framing the war on terror as a "fight between good and evil" stirs anti-American sentiments.

In his 2002 State of the Union speech, Bush said, "...we've been called to a unique role in human events." And critics say such statements reveal Bush's belief that he is chosen by God to combat the forces of terror, and they claim it is proof of a "Messiah complex."

But David Aikman, former Beijing Bureau Chief and international correspondent for Time magazine, said, "Mother Theresa believed she was called by God, but nobody's accused her of having a Messiah complex."

Aikman is writing a book about Bush's faith, and he says the record proves Bush has been careful to avoid religious language. "He's never said God told us to go to war, never said God told me to do anything. And I think he would be irresponsible if he did, and he hasn't. He's been very careful."

While Bush has pleased many religious conservatives, by naming conservative judges and banning partial birth abortion for example, his Faith Based Initiative enrages religious liberals who say it breaks the barrier between church and state.

"He's the Commander in Chief, not the chief high priest," said Brent Walker who heads the liberal Baptist Joint Committee. Walker continued, "The problem is it crosses that line and tends to establish religion by giving it money to establish its ministries."

But Towey said, "The President thinks that [that accusation is] wrong and unjust, and he's not going to be deterred simply because people are screaming 'Church-state! Church-state! You're tearing down the wall!' The President is trying to tear down the wall that separates the poor from effective programs."

Walker also says the President's tone is increasingly exclusive, shutting out Americans who don't share his strain of conservative Christianity, and devoting too much time to evangelical Christians.

"I think he has a tendency to try to ingratiate himself with conservative elements of the religious community and ignoring some of the more progressive parts, the National Council of Churches and Reformed Judaism and others," Walker said.

Others say Bush bends over backwards to include all faiths, evidenced by his outreach to Muslims after 9/11.

But Bush's embrace of Islam is "too inclusive" for some religious conservatives. Bush repeated a line in November that he has said many times before - "Islam is a peaceful religion."

"I think it was crucial for him to meet with certain Muslim leaders, in fact, to clarify that they were not all terrorists," said James Yacovelli of the conservative Family Policy Network.

But Yacovelli says that by hosting White House Ramadan dinners, Bush went too far.

"What we've been concerned with is not only has he gone out of his way to show Islam the front door to the White House, but he's allowing them to come in and practice their religion in the White House, and that's a bigger issue."

Yacovelli is also bothered by Bush's comments at a London press conference when he was asked if the god of Islam was the God of Christianity. Bush answered, "We all serve the same God."
But Aikman says, as President, George Bush is under international pressure "not" to spark political fireworks. "He has to be very careful. If he had come out and said, 'No, it's a different God,' it would have raised huge, huge, problems in America's relationship with Islamic countries and for Muslims in the United States," Aikman said.

Other religious leaders are rankled by some of Bush's appointments. Bush is the first Republican President to nominate an openly gay director for the office of AIDS policy, a man named Scott Evertz.

And he quickly and quietly named an openly gay ambassador, Michael Guest, when it took Clinton years to do the same with James Hormel.

Yacovelli said, "But actually appointing ambassadors and other high ranking positions in the State and Defense Department with activist homosexuals, you gotta wonder, is he naive? Does he just not get it? Has he not read his Bible?"

On every level, a President must walk a narrow line, balancing private conviction with public duty.

While some observers see Bush as inconsistent and defying all categories, others see a legacy that revived new respect for people of faith.

"You can't peg him according to a certain theology or philosophy, and that can drive religious people crazy who are looking for a consistent theological line," said Stephen Mansfield, author of The Faith of George W. Bush.

Mansfield continued, "There's no clear blueprint. There are underlying principles and guiding truths, but no clear blueprint. So he's feeling his way down the pathway of religiously responsible politics, and he's getting hammered by both sides."

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