Saturday, November 15, 2008

Nicely put: Doug Wilson on 'evangelical' Obama voters

In a mostly-skippable duo Patrol magazine interview of Hitchens and Wilson, the latter is asked to explain his view that 'evangelical' Obama supporters are struck with a kind of judicial blindness. "Sure," he says, then lets loose.

Wilson observes that it once was the case that certain things simply were known to be true among evangelicals, and needed no defense — such as that one doesn't defend abortion, period. This is no longer true, Wilson notes, as indicated by this phenomenon of "evangelical" support for Obama. Specifically, at about 17:40, he says:

"...Once you start not being able to see the big 'E' on the eye-chart anymore,
then I conclude that you can't see.
...You can't see the most obvious things"


Update: in one of his older posts, Wilson adds this:
Now this next distinction is crucial. The fact that secular conservatives can see it and so express their support for things like pro-life legislation or marriage protection laws does not mean that they are capable of helping us out when it comes to the more complex, systemic and corporate issues we must face. The fact that they can read the big E on God's eyechart for mankind does not mean that they can see the lowest line. As Trinitarian Christian we must affirm that our ethical responsibilities are both individual and corporate, which means that however much we might agree with certain Republican talking points in a campaign (on issues like abortion and sodomy), we also must acknowledge that such appeals are inadequate -- they do not fill out our vision for Christendom at all. They are fine as far as they go, but they don't go very far.

In the case of liberals, it is completely different. They celebrate sodomy, and say that a woman has the right to chop her baby up in little pieces. They cannot read the big E and insist that being asked even to try reading it is an insult to their core values. Now, this being the case, I am not even going to ask them to read the lowest line. My reason for this is that they are clearly blind.

Think of basic issues that are biblically easy -- abortion and sodomy heading the list -- as a qualifying round. Those who fail at this point don't get to move on to the semi-finals. Those who do get to move on, who clear that first round, have not thereby demonstrated that they are going to win anything later on. Liberals want to lose their races to men, and then move on to prove their prowess in running against horses.

17 comments:

DrThomasHo said...

I can STILL "see the big E" on the eye chart and I am confounded WHY others choose NOT to:

http://tomho.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!AE3622A174EFDD29!1110.entry

Anonymous said...

Love the Wilson quote.

It's way passed time for "christian" supporters of baby dismemberment to be called on it.

Kay said...

Discussed this with some dear friends who seem to have jettisoned logic on the matter. I keep getting stat tables about the terrible things that happen in the Phillipines and other places where abortion is illegal.

Nobody has yet given me a satisfactory answer as to why our response to the suffering and abuse of one set of people should be the legalized murder of an even weaker set of people. They call me simplistic.

Anonymous said...

Libbie,
Better to be simplistic than be a simpleton.

I have a feeling that your friends would sing a different tune should they one day become the even weaker set of people.

By the way, I have long appreciated your comments here and elsewhere.

Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DJP said...

One Salient Oversight

Well, you've finally done it. Your refusal to abide by (or even read?) the rules has made you, I think, the second person to be banned.

I'd urge Christian readers to pray for OSO. Were I to tell you what I know of how he's been spending his energies over the last month or so, my fear is you'd find it funny, when actually it's pretty sad.

I hope you find healing and wisdom in Christ, OSO. But in the meanwhile, you don't get to be a fly-by, sniping disruptor who can't accept the simplest word of correction.

Do not post anymore, on anything. That's what "banned" means.

P.D. Nelson said...

Nice comment from Doug Wilson, I asked one of my co-workers as professing Christian how he could support Obama when his position on abortion was so well known and that the co-worker in question didn't support abortion.

His reply was that he believed in the person's right to make mistakes.

After hearing that apoplexy ensued.

DJP said...

Yes, this would sound like someone who no longer can read the big "E" on the eye chart.

(Oy!)

Anonymous said...

Dan, I told you this morning that your blogs have been inspiring my thinking in what to preach this coming Sunday evening. And so, after much consideration, I have decided to preach on 1 Kings 18. Specifically, "The Church - Limping Between Two Opinions." With probably something similar to follow up with the following Sunday evening.

I think there are many parallels between Israel during Elijah's time and the Church during our lifetime. This text has always struck me with the irony weaved all throughout it. Please be praying for my preparation and delivery of it. Thanks brother.

CR said...

Make that at least two of us, that will be praying for you, Chad.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

The lengths "evangelicals" go to in order to justify killing babies is maddening.

How do you keep your sanity?

CR said...

As you and I probably both know, Stan, is that they deceive themselves into thinking that we need to do things to "reduce" abortions. It's the Lord giving them over to a depraved mind. It's Romans 1.

DJP said...

StanHow do you keep your sanity?

There may be a false (or overgenerous) premise there, bro.

(c;

CR said...

Just saw both videos in their entirety. Hitchens really disparaged her calling her a pentecostal witchcraft believing philistine. Well, first, I would say to Hitchens, witchcraft is in the Bible, but if I'm not mistaken the whole witchcraft thing was a about a bishop or someone praying over her to protect her against witchcraft.

Secondly, he doesn't appear to be a honest person. He says he's a one issue voter on the war against jihad, so he voted for Obama? That's like saying I'm a one issue voter against abortion and I'm going to vote for Obama?? This guy is probably self-deceived on more than just his atheism.

Anonymous said...

There may be a false (or overgenerous) premise there, bro.

Sorry about that. Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm the only one on the planet that is bumming out and that everyone else is super spiritual and has it together.

CR said...

On your update, this is key. Liberals do not pass go or get a get of jail card. Nor do they get to tell us, "let bygones be bygones, let's move on and hope that Obama changes his positions on abortion."

Anonymous said...

Doug Wilson wins the award for The person who regularly ticks me off yet still manages to impress me quite often.