Ryan Streeter
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Let’s be clear about one thing in the whole Pastor Jeffress controversy that swirled around Rick Perry this past week: calls for him to condemn Jeffress’s comments seemed to come with greater intensity from mainstream outlets that were a bit quieter back in Barack Obama’s Jeremiah Wright days.
That said, Rick Perry has a bit of a problem in the affair that he should just end by giving a speech on faith in the public square, his understanding of it, and why Jeffress is perversely off base.
By not speaking out clearly and forcefully on the whole matter, Perry has let the Jeffress issue linger. And now that’s created a bigger problem: via Kathryn Jean Lopez, we learn that Catholic League president Bill Donahue has pointed out that Jeffress also has said that:
The Roman Catholic Church was the outgrowth of a “corruption” called the “Babylonian mystery.” He continued, “Much of what you see in the Catholic Church today doesn’t come from God’s word. It comes from that cult-like pagan religion. Isn’t that the genius of Satan?
Jeffress hasn’t just created a Mormon problem for Perry, he’s created a Catholic problem, which is a much bigger deal.
And as if this hasn’t made faith an issue that’s complicated enough for Perry, his wife Anita spoke emotionally today when she said that he had:
been brutalized and beaten up and chewed up in the press to where I need this today. We are being brutalized by our opponents, and our own party. So much of that is, I think, they look at him because of his faith. He is the only true conservative - well, there are some true conservatives. And they're there for good reasons. And they may feel like God called them too. But I truly feel like we are here for that purpose.
It’s hard not to feel deep sympathy with what Anita Perry is saying. These have to be trying times for her and her husband. Rick Perry has been brutalized – in the polls and public opinion. But most of this has come on account of his poor debate performances than because of his faith. Perry has been incredibly open about his faith, and his prayer rally before he launched his campaign – though sneered at by elites – did him no harm whatsoever. He polled well with independents shortly thereafter and launched a much-anticipated campaign that saw him skyrocket in the polls.
Faith didn’t become a problematic issue until the whole Jeffress mess.
Given what Jeffress has said about the Catholic Church, and given how the Perrys apparently feel about the role that faith is playing in the public treatment of Rick Perry, it would be good if the Texas Governor would give a speech about religion in the public square. He could, like George W. Bush, talk personally about how his faith has changed him and guided him. It would also give him an opportunity to speak out against those who use religion as a weapon of division and hate. And he could talk about how religion keeps families together, inspires people to live well and be productive, and is a force for good in America.
It could also serve the purpose of bringing energy back into his campaign.
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