George W. Bush's most savage sin of all

After more than six years of George W. Bush being President, it still hadn't hit me about what has been the most absolutely horrible atrocity he has committed during his time in the White House. And then today I read "The Worst Tragedy Of The Bush Presidency" by Christian minister Chuck Baldwin... and it hits me like an anvil between the eyes:

George W. Bush has almost completely destroyed sincere Christianity's foothold in America. And in its place, Bush has allowed a blasphemous god of power to take the place of Christ in the hearts of many, many professing believers: idolatry on an unprecedented scale.

Here is some of what Chuck Baldwin says in his piece...

... the worst tragedy of the Bush presidency lies with something even deeper and more permanent (if that is possible). The worst tragedy of the Bush presidency is the damage he has done to the image and influence of Christianity. It is no hyperbole to say that George W. Bush has done more to demean and mitigate the positive influence of genuine Christianity than any single person in American history. And I do not say that lightly.

Because George W. Bush successfully portrayed himself as the ultimate Christian president, his life and policies are indelibly linked to the very definition of what it means to be a Christian in public office. The Religious Right also share in this perception, as they almost universally and totally gave their allegiance to Bush. Hence, as far as most Americans are concerned, George W. Bush is a Christian, and, therefore, his philosophies and ideas are assumed to be Christian as well. THIS IS A TRAGEDY OF UTMOST PROPORTIONS!

For example, Bush has reshaped Christianity to include the acceptance of torture, the launching of unprovoked, preemptive (not to mention undeclared) war, the denial of constitutional rights to American citizens (whose legal status may be redefined at the whim of the President), the doctrine of religious egalitarianism (Bush repeatedly declared, "Christians and Muslims worship the same god"), the neglect and even repudiation of constitutional government (by his repeated refusal to allow the Executive branch to be held accountable to congressional scrutiny or judicial oversight), and the inattention to secure borders and national sovereignty (through his infatuation with providing amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and his unilateral decision to merge America into regional, hemispheric political and commercial entities).

As a result, not only do non-Christians look askance at Christianity, many genuine Christians have had their entire philosophy regarding Biblical principles uprooted and redefined. Worse still, many Christians have, either wittingly or unwittingly, chosen to adopt Bush's brand of Christianity, and in so doing, have abandoned genuine Bible Christianity.

There is much more at the essay's link.

Trust me: if you are the kind of Christian who, as Stanley Hauerwas has put it understands that "the God of God and Country is not the God of Jesus Christ", then prepare to be filled with righteous anger after reading this piece.