Howard Dean continued his pandering toward Christians in Iowa over the weekend as he put his foot in his mouth again, pretending to be more religious than he is. Is that judgmental? Maybe, but Dean himself is showing every time he talks about his faith that he really doesn’t know as much about Christianity as he claims he does. For example, he has claimed to have sat down and read the whole Bible.
He said a trip to Israel in December 2002, when he had already been to Iowa a couple of times looking into a possible presidential bid, had a particularly dramatic effect on him.
“If you know much about the Bible—which I do—to see and be in the place where Christ was and understand the intimate history of what was going on 2000 years ago is an exceptional experience,” he said.
Asked to name his favorite book in the New Testament, Dean cited Job—which is in the Old Testament—because “it’s such an allegory.”
A simple misstatement? Maybe. But remember that Dean is the guy who converted from Episcopalian to Congregationalism because the Episcopal diocese in Vermont opposed the construction of a bike path through its property. He told the Boston Globe, “I didn’t think [opposing the bike path] was very Godlike and thought it was hypocritical of me to be a member of such an institution.”
This is the same guy who’s description of Jesus Christ made him sound more like a social worker than the Messiah and the Second Person of the Trinity.
This is the guy whose Christmas message never mentioned the word “Christmas” not the name “Jesus Christ,” but did mention Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson and foreign policy.
Don’t be fooled by the panderer.
