Two more items on Brit Hume appeared since yesterday and are worthy of note. First, Albert Mohler has devoted an entire episode of his radio program to this topic. Perhaps the most helpful part of the conversation is Mohler’s careful explanation of what Buddhism is. It’s not a theistic religion, but a philosophy. Thus, Brit Hume was correct to say that Buddhism does not offer redemption and forgiveness as Christianity does. You can listen to the program here or press the play button below. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/totl/2010/AMP_01_07_2010.mp3]

I like Brit Hume’s blunt analysis of the media’s regard for Christianity: CT: Is Christianity welcome in the media? Hume: No. Christianity is scorned by many in the media. CT: Did you see that before you made this statement? Hume: Sure. Think of how many times we’ve seen an athlete interviewed on the sidelines of a football game who says he owes it all to God or owes it all to Christ, and the weird silence that greets those statements. People are uncomfortable with it. People don’t want to talk about it. Politicians who proclaim their faith, the next question is about something else. There are some other interesting personal…

Peter Wehner’s article at National Review Online is right on target about Brit “Humes’ Gentle Witness“. Wehner rightly points out the double-standard of those who cry foul against Hume’s remarks about Buddhism. He writes, “When Christopher Hitchens, whom I like and whose company I enjoy, appeared on television shows promoting his book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, he was far more critical of Christianity than Hume was of Buddhism. Yet I don’t recall the Left saying that those criticisms were inappropriate for public debate. In fact, they weren’t — and neither are Hume’s words. Furthermore, those who are unnerved by Hume’s ‘sectarianism’ were untroubled by the aggressive…

“Christianity is uniquely and especially about redemption and forgiveness. That is what the cornerstone of what the faith is about. Now other faiths aren’t hostile to the idea, but think of what the message of Christ and Christianity is. It is that the God of the universe sent His only begotten Son, who died a hideous death on the cross, to atone for all of our sins. And we are thereby offered through that act a new covenant in which we are offered forgiveness and redemption on a continuing basis in return for our faith in God and our continuing efforts to live the Christian life. That is a unique…

The media mouths continue to heap scorn (and blasphemy in some cases) on Brit Hume for his comments about Christianity and Buddhism (e.g., Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, ad infinitum). Tom Shales also adds some barbs of his own in his regular column for the Washington Post. One sentence in particular from Shales’ article struck me. He writes:

Brit Hume has been taking some flak for his remarks yesterday about Christianity and Buddhism. My previous post has the video of his full remarks in which he encourages Tiger Woods to become a Christian. In his own words, “Whether he can recover as a person depends on his faith. He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'”

“Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”