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GayPASG
Note: See our comments at the end of this article.
Review of Tempting
Faith by J. David Kuo
From Google Book
Search, January 30, 2008
David Kuo came to Washington wanting
to use his Christian faith to end abortion, strengthen marriage, and help the
poor. He reached the heights of political power, ultimately serving in the
White House under George W. Bush, after being policy adviser to John Ashcroft
and speechwriter for Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, and Bob Dole.
It was a dream come true: the chance to fuse his politics and his faith,
and an opportunity for Christians not just to gain a seat at the proverbial
table but to plan the entire meal. Kuo spent nearly three years as second
in command at the president's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Yet his experience was deeply troubling.
It took both the Bush White House and a severe health crisis to show him how his
Christian values, and those of millions of Americans, were being corrupted by
politics. Instead of following the teachings of Jesus to serve the needy,
Kuo found himself helping to manipulate religious faith for political gain.
Public funds were used in battleground states, for Republican campaign events.
The legislative process was used as a football, not to pass laws but to deepen
purely symbolic fault lines. Grants were incestuously recycled to
political cronies.
Both before and after 9/11, despite lofty rhetoric from the president claiming
that his faith-based program was one of his most important initiatives, there
was no serious attempt to fund valuable charities. Worst of all was the
prevailing attitude in the White House and throughout Washington toward
Christian leaders. Key Bush aides and Republican operatives spoke of them
with contempt and treated them as useful idiots.
It became clear, during regular conference calls arranged from the White House
with a key group of Christian leaders, that many of these religious leaders had
themselves been utterly seduced by politics. It is time, Kuo argues, for
Christians to take a temporary step back from politics, to turn away from its
seductions. Tempting Faith is equal parts headline-making exposé,
political and spiritual memoir, and heartfelt plea for a Christian reexamination
of political involvement.
NOTE: After distributing
“The Faith to Outlast
Politics” I was afraid that it might not give you a true picture of how deep
the corruption re the Faith Based Program actually is so I found the above
review that spells it out so clear it can not be missed.
It would be great if we could get
some of you on this list to start using the information to write letters to the
editor and contacting legislators
John Crowell Campbell
Baron of the Magna Carta
and a wannabe Humanitarian
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