For Christians, selectively holding our political and prospective leaders to high moral standards reveals in us an unsettling lack of faith.
The past few months have been dominated by an endless parade of revelations about the sexual misconduct and predations of powerful men. From Hollywood to New York and from Minnesota to Alabama, and just about everywhere else in between, the depths to which fallen human nature can sink have been laid bare.
While these revelations are dismaying, they aren’t, or at least shouldn’t be, surprising. But what is both dismaying and surprising is the willingness of too many people to deny, excuse, overlook, and even dismiss wrongdoing when it’s committed by someone on “their team.”
Thus, one elected official, whose Christianity is well-attested, told the press that she was “troubled” by the accusation of sexual misconduct against her party’s candidate and that she “certainly had no reason to disbelieve” the candidate’s accusers. And yet she announced her intention to vote for that candidate because, in her words, “the United States Senate needs to have in my opinion, a majority of Republican votes to carry the day.”
It’s difficult to see what distinguishes this sort of reasoning from Gloria Steinem’s infamous defense of President Clinton two decades ago. Steinem urged feminists to defend Clinton because he was “vital” to “preserving reproductive freedom.”
Steinem concluded by writing “What if President Clinton lied under oath about [his sexual misconduct]? . . . There seems to be sympathy for keeping private sexual behavior private.” To do otherwise, Steinem concluded, “will disqualify energy and talent the country needs.”
Now someone who disagreed with that kind of rationalizing back then and would, I’m confident, disagree now, was Chuck Colson.
At the height of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandals, he called the sympathy Steinem alluded to “completely wrong-headed.” He went on to say that “In a democracy, character and leadership are inseparable.”
Based on recent events, it’s reasonable to wonder if the same thing is true of us. Now let me be clear; due process is due to the accused. However, too many are justifying the well-documented 180-degree turn Christians have done on the importance of character in public office by appealing to some overriding, political concern.
But if it was wrong 20 years ago, it’s wrong today. And it’s a terrible witness.
In the end, where do we place our trust? We do not have to sacrifice our principles or our witness on the altar of political expedience—precisely because of the ultimate Truth we believe in and live for: that Christ is risen, that He is Lord. And that He ultimately will restore all things. No election can ever change that.
Actress and producer Roma Downey recently shared her take on the “shameful” stories of sexual harassment coming out of Hollywood.
In a recent interview with CBN News, the “Touched by an Angel” star addressed the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal and how it’s taken Hollywood by storm. The accusations have now given a voice to others who have come out and accused other big names in the industry such as Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and top film director Brett Ratner.
Downey admitted that she hopes the scandals will bring a demand in the entertainment industry to really see a shift take place.
“It has been a very painful time,” Downey told CBN. “It was a dark time but the lights are on now fully. And hopefully we will see real and lasting change.”