Thursday, August 10, 2017

The Atlantic: "Hillary Wants To Preach"

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The Left leaning, widely read Atlantic says Hillary's long time pastor told them about her secret desire has been to be a preacher.

Former Newsweek editor Kenneth Woodward says she told him the same thing back in 1994, saying she wanted to become an ordained Methodist minister---but asked him not to write about it.

The Atlantic says, "Religion is playing a big role in Clinton's post-election tour. What does she have to gain from sharing her faith now?"


The Atlantic says, "Scattered bits of reporting suggest that ministry has always been a secret dream of the two-time presidential candidate: Last fall, the former Newsweek editor Kenneth Woodward revealed that Clinton told him in 1994 that she thought 'all the time' about becoming an ordained Methodist minister. She asked him not to write about it, though: 'It will make me seem too pious'."

"The incident perfectly captures Clinton's long campaign to modulate---and sometimes obscure---expressions of faith," the Atlantic says.

And they say, "Now, as Clinton works to rehabilitate her public image and figure out her next steps after her brutal November loss, religion is taking a central role. After long months struggling to persuade Americans that she is trustworthy, authentic, and fundamentally moral, Clinton is lifting up an intimate, closely guarded part of herself...In sharing her faith, perhaps Clinton sees something left to win, whether political or personal."

Hillary's parents were conservative Republicans who reared her in Park Ridge (Illinois) First Methodist Church--- a conservative suburb.

She has recalled her youth pastor taking her on field trips to see figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. She has said while other young girls were "flipping through beauty magazines, she was reading about Vietnam and poverty in a now defunct Methodist magazine called 'Motive'."

Has biblical Truth now captured Hillary's heart---is she returning to some kind of biblical faith in Jesus Christ---has she always carried a biblical faith in her heart, only now choosing to share it publicly?

Or is something else going on? Is there, in the words of The Atlantic, "Something left to win?"

The story is based on an interview by The Atlantic at a photo shoot for her new, soon to be released book titled, "What Happened," which is her 500-page account of why she lost the election.

Her pastor, Bill Shillady, also has a new book coming out titled, "Strong for a Moment Like This," which is a collection of inspirational writings he and others wrote for Hillary while she campaigned.

Is all this about that?

The Atlantic correctly notes that during the presidential campaign, nearly half of Americans described Hillary as "not very religious," concluding that keeping her "religion" under wraps may have cost her politically.

Then they pivot to a quote from Erick Erickson: "The conservative commentator Erick Erickson pointed out that some leaders were more willing to believe Trump is a Christian 'without ever professing Jesus as his Lord and Savior' than they were to believe Clinton's stated faith in the gospel."

What the Atlantic fails to say is that Erickson has alienated most of his conservative audience by his relentless attack on Trump since the primary campaign.

However, maybe we can help with Erickson's dilemma of why people supported Trump over Hillary on matters of faith.

We evangelicals, that Erickson has excoriated for voting for Trump rather than Hillary, really don't see either one of them as a spiritual leader.

However, Hillary has a long history of not only a differing view on abortion but being hailed and celebrated as a champion of advancing abortion.

In 2009, she received the Margaret Sanger Award from the abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood for her work in promoting PP and advancing abortion worldwide.

In her acceptance speech, she had high praise for both PP and its founder, racist and eugenicist Margaret Sanger, saying "I am, really in awe of her, there are a lot of lessons we can learn from her life."

This is hardly a rallying cry for biblical evangelical Christians.

In 2016, 7 years later, her beliefs had not changed.

In a Washington Post op-ed, Marc Thiessen wrote this:

In a speech not long before she launched her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton made a stunning declaration of war on religious Americans. Speaking to the 2015 Women in the World Summit, Clinton declared that “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”
Religious beliefs have to be changed? This is perhaps the most radical statement against religious liberty ever uttered by someone seeking the presidency. It is also deeply revealing. Clinton believes that, as president, it is her job not to respect the views of religious conservatives but to force them to change their beliefs and bend to her radical agenda favoring taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.
This is the context in which we must read a recently released trove of emails — which, according to WikiLeaks, come from the accounts of Clinton staff — showing the rampant anti-Catholic bigotry that permeates Clinton World.

In her video endorsement of same-sex marriage and of the homosexual advocacy group Human Rights Campaign in 2012, Hillary said this:

“LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones – and they are full and equal citizens, and deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage,” Clinton said in the video. “That’s why I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law, embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and for all Americans. […]To deny the opportunity to any of our daughters and sons solely on the basis of who they are and who they love is to deny them the chance to live up to their God given potential.”

Evangelicals also have a clear understanding of the kinds of justices she would appoint to the Supreme Court, given the opportunity. Neil Gorsuch would not have been on her list.

To be clear, her pastor insists his book is not intended to help Hillary repair her image even though she wrote the forward to his book---and it just happens to be coming out at the same time as Hillary's "What Happened" book.

Of course.

Pastor Shillady says Clinton "doesn't wear religion on her sleeve, she just practices it. She follows the edict of what's attributed to St. Francis: 'preach the gospel always, and if you need to, use words."

And the pastor says, "Given her depth of knowledge of the Bible and her experience of caring for people and loving people, she'd make a great pastor."

Deeds speak louder than words.

While the religious Left would no doubt be welcoming and inclusive to Hillary as a pastor, the political problem remains.

Most of the so-called religious Left is already on board with Hillary--- and voted for her.

The millions of evangelicals who did not, most likely won't because we too have some depth of knowledge of the Bible.

The New Testament is filled with warnings regarding those who preach another gospel.

Hillary's is "another gospel."

This is one of many warnings in the New Testament regarding false teachers.

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (Gal. 1: 7-9).

Be Informed. Be Faithful. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful.