Bush Elaborates on His Theology
October 8, 2007 by Ingrid Schlueter
There can be no clearer declaration regarding the President’s faith than this one from today’s Worldnet Daily. Unfortunately, it’s not the Christian faith. I remember hearing during the rah rah early years of his Presidency, that George Bush was “born again”, read Charles Stanley devotionals and The Purpose Driven Life, and so forth. By his own testimony as to who God is, Bush may be a modern “evangelical”, but not a Christian. That’s because you cannot be a Christian if you believe that you can reach God the Father by praying to pagan gods. How tragic that Bush has been led to believe that this is Christianity. There is one name, under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved, and that name is Jesus.
Further, Bush’s willful ignorance of world history has him praising Islam. The march of Islamists through history has been known as the Sword of Islam for a reason. Those reasons don’t trouble our President at all. What a dangerous thing for the leader of the free world to teach at a time like this. Islam is peace. All paths lead to God. This is, however, the reality of what President Bush believes.
Here is link on youtube to Pres. Bush interview, I believe from back in 2004. Appears he is a universalist.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t_8GoF9SLas
Guess he missed the part of the Bible that says there is only ONE way to God & that’s through Jesus.
He sounds like he should be a member of the Unity church or some New Age - all roads lead to god cult.
How sad that he is exchanging the truth for a lie.
If you want to read about how “peaceful” Islam is read this article.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58015
This is very frightening! We have such a ’slow boil’ ongoing in the community…brainwashing is at a peak!
I really think Christians miss the boat when they unreservedly support President Bush on the basis that he is the President and one that calls himself a Christian. I have long been troubled by his actions and statements. I do believe he’s paving the way for some terrible persecution of real Christians, not to mention other bad things. I don’t believe he is a born-again Believer. In fact, I think he’s far from even being close.
I think Bush is trying to do and say the “politically correct” thing here.
BUT…here’s the bottom line….
I believe that you cannot be a true professing Christian and “Politically Correct” at the same time.
i.e. John 14:6! It doesn’t get any clearer than this. And in no way that the world can consider this as a “politically correct” thing to say. Non-believers will consider this as intolerant, a hate-verse, judgmental, and legalistic.
My answer to that is… So what? it is what it is.
my two cents…..God Bless!
Hi Ingrid,
When I first saw the excerpt from the interview I was sorely disappointed. But then my disappointment quickly turned to looking at this article as a “conversation” starter with my “christian” friends and family. The Lord has been deeply pressing on my heart the need to step out and stand up for His holy name. I see that the majority of professing “christians” have no idea who God is.
My Pastor said this last Sunday…”You can get alot of things wrong and still have Jesus”. Well I couldn’t disagree more. Pres. Bush is a perfect example of how someone thinks he has Jesus but isn’t even close, and he couldn’t be more wrong on God. How can you be wrong on God and still have Jesus? Today there is hardly a mention of God. It’s all about getting the seeker in the pew to make a decision for Jesus. So we now have a whole church that has the Son without the Father. (well they think they have the Son). Funny thing is, is that for the last week or so prior to seeing this article I began to get together the verses that clearly show that there is only one God and any belief in a god other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is called idolatry. So I actually am planning on using Pres. Bush’s unbelief to make a stand for God.
People all around are talking about having a biblical world view…well no one even has a biblical faith so how can they have a biblical world view? Anyway…I refuse to be discouraged and actually now I’m getting pretty excited about the possibilities.
For goodness sake! What do you expect a president to say? I’m sure he’s been advised up and down to say nice things about Islam. I can just picture his advisers saying “you don’t want to inflame them, say something positive, etc.”
Any president of a non-theocracy is in an impossible position. He has to appear impartial and tolerant to every one and this includes world leaders who may NOT be tolerant, or who may be downright dangerous.
Doesn’t everyone remember shortly after 9/11 Bush was shown touring a mosque?? He complimented the design, and said it was beautiful, etc. This appeared very calculated to me and something he was probably advised to do to “keep things calm”
As far as whether he is a “true” Christian - I have no idea. I suppose only those who know him in private life know his true beliefs. He certainly has been friendly to evangelical leaders and appears to base his foreign policy on Bible prophecy (pro-Israel, etc.)
This is what happens when the Church of Republicanism is allowed to be substituted for actual faith.
It’s happening in this race, too … People want Christian voters to rally to Romney (they’ve got to be kidding) or Thompson (the object of a $100 challenge for anyone who can prove that they saw him at church).
Being a Republican and being a Christian aren’t the same thing. And being a Christian is supposed to be the more important thing.
Sad but no shocker really if you have seen and heard what he has said throughout his presidency, this is not the first time. I do love though it seems every time some huge person like Bush, an American Idol, or an athlete professes to just even say the word god, we assume he or she must be a Christian and we fill these so called Christian bookstores with their books, stories, etc.
Sad, but this is truly no surprise.
We need to really pray for this man, his family and his salvation.
Lord bless…
I agree that the President’s theology is all wrong. I’m not sure it matters all that much to his performance as President. I don’t go into the voting booth to choose a pastor, but a President. But the point made above is a good one — Christians shouldn’t elevate anyone save Christ Himself, for all others will let us down, some more than others.
I’ve often wondered whether someone — anyone — can be a Christian and an effective President (that is, effective in a purely political sense). Note I’m not saying that Bush has or has not been effective — I’m not interested in commenting on Bush’s job performance one way or another — just that I’ve wondered about this issue.
For example, there are probably times when a good President would need to protect the USA by doing some pretty ugly things to bad people before those bad people do bad things to Americans. And there are probably times when a President ought not forgive his country’s enemies — would a proper President just forgive bin Laden for 9/11 and not retaliate? Yet one could argue that Christians are called to do just that, for “vengeance is Mine, saith the LORD.”
On a less militaristic front, there are probably times when a responsible President must veto bills and otherwise not “give to those who ask,” even if they’re truly needy, because the country lacks the financing to meet every need. Yet Christ calls us to meet the needs of the poor and to trust the Lord with our last two mites.
So, is it possible for a president, any president, to simultaneously be a true Christian and a good, effective president? It may be — but boy, would it be tough, and he probably wouldn’t get re-elected. I wouldn’t want that job in a gazillion years.
Lisa K,
No President is obligated to say that the Islamic religion is “great”, least of all one who was President during 9-11 and saw the consequences of the Sword of Islam here in the US. Any person who says one thing publicly and another privately on matters of spiritual truth is a hypocrite and a liar. Ronald Reagan was not obligated to call the Soviet Union and Communism a “great nation” and a “great ideology”, was he? Indeed not! He called it an “evil empire” and an enslaver of millions. He spoke truth. George Bush is no Ronald Reagan, that’s for sure. I resent and reject outright your idea that Bush was ever obligated to bow and scrape before the Islamists, particularly after they launched the most brutal attack on America in history.
Ingrid - you may remember we were not being attacked by the “evil empire” of the Soviet Union during Reagan’s presidency. Reagan had no reason to placate them.
I am definitely not defending Bush in praising Islam. I’m just saying I bet he was advised to do so. He IS bowing and scraping before the Islamists. I don’t know why exactly, but he is privy to much more info than you or I have.
I agree with the comments of “Christian” - being president of the U.S. is extremely difficult. You are almost guaranteed to do or say something that you would NEVER want to. You have people pulling at you from all sides, and dangerous situations you have to deal with.
We’ve seen how the fundamentalist Muslim leaders rule their theocracies. Do we want a fundamentalist Christian leader in this country? Maybe you feel we should have a Christian theocracy?
One other thing: I don’t think Bush is a theologian in any sense of the word. I think he knows absolutely NOTHING about Islam. Most Americans don’t. Before 9/11 my own husband got them mixed up with Hindus! I think Bush has been made to look like a fool by his advisers or his own ignorance - I was amazed he was praising the beauty of a mosque shortly after 9/11 - talk about pandering!
One thing I found out recently: Muslims have an “end times” philosophy (somewhat like the Christian end times belief where Jesus will come back to earth, and the rapture, etc.). I learned about the Muslim belief just the other day and even found a website explaining it.
http://contenderministries.org/prophecy/eschatology.php
Myself, I believe Politician will use anything to get into Power…Even God.
Cristina
“One other thing: I don’t think Bush is a theologian in any sense of the word. I think he knows absolutely NOTHING about Islam.”
From his words, I would add he apparently knows almost nothing about Christianity either.
Christian - It comes down to faith. Do we believe that God is in control of everything — including our nation — or not? If God’s principles can’t apply to governance, then apparently God was wrong and the secular world is right.
Wickle:
I agree — and I hope that if I were ever president, I would govern that way, and let the political consequences fall where thay may. Alistair Begg makes a good point about how the Roman government, set up by God’s providence, protected Paul and allowed him to continue God’s work. God and government aren’t mutually exclusive, but God sets up government to do what is right.
That said, it’d be awfully difficult for anyone to live up to that in the maelstrom that is the presidency. And a truly Godly president would do things that are very different from what most presidents would do, and what the world would expect. I did specify that I wonder whether one could be a Christian and a politically effective president.
I don’t doubt that governing God’s way is the right way — but it might lead to some interesting times and difficult decisions…what if (for example) we didn’t respond to 9/11 with firepower, but rather forgiveness? Would bin Laden have realized we’re nice guys and stopped attacking us? Hardly…there’d be more dead Americans as a result, for sure. So is it even right for a president to enact a policy of forgiveness toward enemies like bin Laden in his role as President? Personally, yes, we should forgive. (I’m working on it and not getting too far!) But governmentally, I don’t see how letting more American blood be spilled by inaction would be just. So how does one go about putting Christian principles into action as President? It’s tough to be sure.
Ingrid, I realize this is going pretty far off topic, so I’ll end it now if you want. This is just something I think about and your post brought it up.
LisaK:
I don’t think Ingrid has ever called for a theocracy — if she has, I’ve missed it. But she calls for professing Christians to be truly Christian in doctrine and belief, and Bush certainly isn’t that.
Personally, I will say for myself that I don’t think it matters that much what faith our president has or doesn’t have — as Wickle says above, God is in control, and contrary to what the Dobson types say or imply, He can do whatever He wants regardless of who is in office. He sets up kings and deposes them according to His will. I do want a leader to be clear and honest about his beliefs, whatever they are.
That is an interesting way to look at the situation - God is in control no matter WHO is president!
I still have to say: a Bible-believing Christian president would be making headlines EVERY DAY if he were honest about everything he believed public (the evolution topic alone would start a war :)). And I think being an effective leader does not mean a president has to be a religious person in any way. I actually was taken aback by a question at a recent presidential debate where the candidates were asked their favorite Bible verse. Most of them gave cliched or uninformed answers. I would rather a candidate say “I don’t have one” - or I’m not a Bible expert - than to give some pat answer (Sermon on the Mount) and pretend to be pious (which many did)…
I have no problem with what Bush said. What is he supposed to say?
There are two separate questions here: Is Bush a Christian? and what is a president supposed to do in this situation?
To the former, it has to be stated that nobody gets to see into another’s heart, so it will inevitably be a bit of mystery. Indeed, we are told to expect surprises (Matthew 7:21-24). For what it’s worth, Bush’s testimony and biography give me the credible expectation that I’ll see him in heaven. But that is an empty discussion, unless you are his friend or advisor.
What we should all want from our president in that interview is the question, and I am not sure that I would expect a different answer whether the prez was a Christian or no. Remember that his audience is the Islamic, particularly Arab, world, and that he represents the national interests of America. He is not serving as prophet or evangelist.
He needs to do two things when that question is asked: he needs to make a distinction to his Muslim hearers between the “radical” Islamists, the perhaps 10% Muslims who furnish manpower to our terrorist enemies, and the majority of the world’s Muslims, who have no desire to fight with us; and he needs to present America as a palatable ally to that majority. I think that he succeeds pretty well on both counts.
Theologically, I don’t think that he does that badly either. Remember that his audience is the Islamic world, and his purpose is political. He doesn’t say that all paths to salvation are valid, or that obeying the Prophet will get you into heaven. He essentially affirms that there is one God. That God isn’t Allah, but he does not need to say that. It is also certain that God hears the prayers, and is involved in the lives, of people who are not Christians - after all, God had the heart of Cyrus in hand, and made Nebuchadnezzar his servant. So Bush doesn’t lie, though he gives a diplomatic answer. As he should.
I would say that Bush does all right here, pretty much what I would want him to.
One other thought. Bush probably has a better view of the dangers of Islamic theology than any of us critiquing him. Certainly he is aware of the dynamic for global domination that fuels the Islamist movement. Much of what he says, that we might think naive, is rather an attempt to frame the war of ideas, to define Islam in the direction he’d like it to go. It is one way world leaders try to shape the world.
Friend Wickle, clearly God’s principles apply to governance. Can we say that what God requires of those in governance, in the exercise of their responsibilities, may be specialized?
In this instance, I think that it is not the role of the president to point out to one fifth of the world’s population that they live by a false theology. There are those that consider Bush a warmonger already, and you couldn’t possibly come up with stronger “fighting words” than that.
Some here have been willing to attribute all manner of ignorance, bad faith, and simple unbelief to Bush based on his interview. Nobody yet has offered an example of what he should have said. And only a few have acknowledged the incredible difficulty of his job. Let me humbly submit this is an appropriate place for an application of grace.
“So how does one go about putting Christian principles into action as President?”
Sorry, but that sounds like the folks who say that they’re personally opposed to abortion but are pro-choice in governance.
Do we walk by faith or by sight? Do we trust God’s wisdom or ours?
There is a lot of room for the government to defend its people and punish wrongdoers — and that is its duty.
That being said, Lisa K is right. A Bible-believing President should be gaining attention.
Lisa K: Please do not be naive. George W. Bush knows PLENTY about Islam. You are aware of the extensive economic, political, and personal ties that the Bush family has in the Middle East? Not everything that the Moveon.org Fahrenheit 9/11 leftists say against Bush is false. Quite the contrary: a lot more of it is true than Bush’s evangelical supporters will ever admit.
Truthfully - I don’t think Bush knows a bit about the religion of Islam. Remember this is a guy who NEVER traveled outside of the U.S. until he was President. This is unbelievable to me that someone with his resources would be that uninterested in the rest of the world! He may have business dealings with Muslims, but the actual tenets of their faith - well, let’s just say I doubt if he has read the Koran or knows anything, other than what he’s been told by advisers. As a country, we know little about Islam - it simply has not been a part of American culture until fairly recently. One can have business dealing with people of other cultures and know very little - other than the social courtesies they must learn to close the deals.
Uh, Lisa, if he didn’t know anything about Islam before 9-11, he certainly would be without excuse post 9-11. He is surrounded by the supposed top flight advisers who certainly do know what Islam is and what it has tried to do since the 8th Century in taking over the world.
Can somebody do this? Give an example of what Bush should have said in that interview. Presume that he is the Christian president you would want him to be, and post the answer he should have given. Some of the critics should do that, and let us see how those answers measure up, not just theologically, but to the diplomatic/political imperatives of the moment.
I agree with Ingrid, that ignorance of Islam cannot be attributed to Bush. Our issues lie elsewhere.
The problem I have with much of this commentary is that some seem to feel it is appropriate to make the most important kinds of critical judgements about the state of Bush’s soul based on this statement in an interview.
Could he have done better? When could have any of us not done better with anything we have ever said? Can we just acknowledge that answering that question for that audience is just the slightest bit of a tricky thing, that it didn’t happen on paper, but on camera, extemporaneously, in a moment loaded with all kinds of possible consequence not related to how his answer would play with the Christian base?
And it can hardly be denied that God, knowing his heart (for good or bad), views that answer with considerably more grace than us. Here is a thought:
“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
Of course, Bush has seen what radical Islamists did on 9/11 BUT he has this public image crafted for and/or by him wherein he states things like “Islam is a beautiful religion”.
Now, does he REALLY think this?? I don’t know - do you? Bush does not strike me as the type of person who studies and does research and reads up on a subject. He has a team of advisers that brief him. Ingrid - I bet you know far more about what Muslims believe than he does!
1) Why don’t y’all do some research to find out how much President Bush really knows about Islam? That might be helpful.
2) Please remember that the United States has never been a Christian country. There are Muslims living in this country. Christian or not, the president doesn’t want to insult anyone living in the country he’s leading. That has nothing to do with theology; he’s being diplomatic when praising Islam (I have no idea if this tactic works or not, but I think that was the idea).
3) Who wrote that article? Do we have video evidence of him saying that? I don’t trust reporters– they have a way a twisting everyone’s words. I’ll have to do more research on that part myself.
4) Before you stop supporting President Bush, please remember that his term in office hasn’t been easy. He’s had to deal with 9/11 and did as much as he could to keep the U.S. safe. I agree with separation of church and state and don’t really care about politicians views on theology as long as they have the safety of our country in mind.
I agree with a lot of what Merry says - especially point number 2. A President is the leader of ALL the people, not just the Christians.
As for truly knowing what Bush believe about Christianity or Islam - that may be known ONLY to him - or shared with close friends and family - I don’t see how how a stranger could do research on this. I do know Bush counts conservative Evangelicals among his supporters and has met with them in the White House on several occasions.
I believe Bush was on video when he made the comments about Islam - so the quotes were directly from him.
I know this is somewhat off topic, but I’ve been quite impressed lately with Mike Huckabee - he was a Pastor and appears to be much better informed and articulate in communicating his political ideas than Bush ever was. Unfortinately, he probably won’t get the nomination.
You cannot simply move from statements made in a public place to assume what Bush knows about a subject. He isn’t debating us, and he is not going to reveal everything he knows. His purpose isn’t to impress us.
Lisa, your impression that Bush isn’t “the type of person who studies and does research” is a caricature - a liberal and media caricature - of the man. He is very bright, and he is very well-informed. He is not a great communicator, except in small groups or in person.
I suspect that he knows a great deal about Islam in general, and about the distinctions within Islam (Wahabbi, Shia, Sunni, etc) because those distinctions in theology have very significant real-world consequences (think Pres Ahmadinejad and the 12th Imam). He certainly knows the difference between the Christian and Islamic view of God.
Listen to George W. Bush’s interview (i.e. this video) with Charles Gibson on ABCNews in 2004. In this interview, he clearly expresses a belief that Muslims, Christians, and non-Christians in general go to Heaven by their own paths.
Nothing requires Bush to say such things. He is not America’s “Theologian-In-Chief.”
So, with this in mind, how could a “born again” believer actually say such a thing in good conscience without at least being an anti-John 14:6 apostate?
Now, I would agree that one should not force their beliefs on others, as echoed in the First Amendment. However, if you want me to endorse someone, then I expect the said someone to reflect and represent my personal beliefs to my satisfaction (i.e. a public affirmation of John 14:6). Otherwise, I have no problem with not voting.
“Impossible position”? Mabye. My problem? No.
I will not compromise my beliefs for the sake of politics.