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TechnoratiIn his newfound role as "front-runner", Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is the subject of increased scrutiny by the media. For many in the secular media, Huckabee's prior role as a minister is of far greater concern than his prior role as governor of the State of Arkansas. (A preacher as President? Heaven help us!) Consequently, Huckabee has been the candidate among the Republican wannabes who has had to field most of the tough "God questions" during their debates.
Without a doubt, the intersection of faith and politics is one that requires careful navigation. This is particularly true in America, where our founding fathers worked hard to ensure that religious freedom was preserved for their descendants. For many, religious liberty is the "first right" and liberty of conscience has always been highly prized in these United States. The Framers of the Constitution refused to establish a national church. Conscience was deemed to be a private domain where government had no right to intrude.
The secularists among today's media elites seem to think that candidates for office who profess fervent religious faith are incapable of playing by the rules set by the Constitution. Their index of suspicion for candidates like Huckabee—a man who has vigorously and publicly professed his faith—is much higher than for those candidates whose faith has been a "private matter" or non-existent. A recent editorial by USA Today entitled "Huckabee's Challenge" is a case in point. In their analysis of Huckabee's candidacy, the paper's editors raise "concerns in several areas", including his failure to declare whether Mormons are Christians, his disavowal of evolution, and the particulars of his intention to take the nation back for Christ. In their registration of these concerns, the editors demonstrate a poor understanding of the tenets of the Christian religion and of the Constitution.
The editors express concern that Huckabee's "equivocation about whether Mormons are Christians" creates questions about his "acceptance" of others' beliefs. They imply that Huckabee's failure to declare Mormons to be "Christians" also creates doubt about his understanding about the separation of church and state. Such criticisms are nothing short of muddleheaded. If the First Amendment means anything, it means that neither Mike Huckabee, nor anyone else, is required to "accept" anyone else's religious beliefs. That's part of the beauty of our Constitution. We are not required to accept any religious belief and we are free to reject them all.
Nonetheless, presidential candidates are running for Commander in Chief, not chief theologian. Whether a particular denomination falls within the orbit of the Christian faith is not within the ambit of a president's authority and, if he were to make such an official proclamation, religious and irreligious alike should be indignant.
Of course, there are profound differences between what historic Christianity and Mormonism have taught about the nature of God, the means of salvation, the virgin birth and the scope of the Scriptures; but, the resolution of these theological tensions is not to be sorted out by anyone in his or her capacity as a representative of the United States government. Therefore, Huckabee got it right when he declared, "I'm just not going to go off into evaluating other people's doctrines and faiths. I think that is absolutely not a role for a president." Continue >>
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