Politics,  Theology/Bible

No Religious Test . . . Except for O’Reilly’s

Mike Huckabee went Bill O’Reilly’s show last week and was subjected to a barrage of questions about his religious beliefs. In particular, he was asked whether he believed in Adam and Eve and whether he believed only Christians go the heaven. Huckabee did pretty well answering the first question and not so well answering the second. On the second question, I think he was trying too hard to avoid answering such questions. The answer ended up sort of muddled. Anyway, if you missed it, here’s the video.

See also: “Adam, Eve and Huckabee” – by Joel Achenbach (Washington Post blog)

9 Comments

  • Bryan L

    What was your opinion on that Denny? Did it bother you a lot? If you were thinking about endorsing him like JT and Carter has this given you second thoughts?

    I’ll be honest the way I saw heresy hunters jump all over Pagitt when he answered the question similar to Huckabee (and in more of an unfriendly patronizing environment than Huckabee) I hope I see the same reaction from those same people who were calling him and emergents heretic and unorthodox etc…

    But I doubt it.

    Thanks for linking that I thought it was interesting.

    Bryan L

  • Travis Hilton

    Uh, Bryan L., Pagitt’s not running for president. I don’t have to agree with Huckabee’s view of creation to consider him as the best person for the office of president. He didn’t say he believed people of other religions were going to heaven (like President Bush did recently). I call that an improvement.

    Bottom line, he answered most of the questions correctly like a Christian running for president should.

    TBH

  • Bryan L

    Uh, Travis, I fail to see your point. If Pagitt were running of president he would have been given a free pass to dodge the question?

    He’s asked if he believes muslims and jews won’t go to heaven because they don’t believe in Jesus. He refused to answer the question and dances around it. He keeps saying that’s not his job as president to tell people that. Well he’s not president yet so what’s the big deal?

    Look I’ll be honest I understood why he dodged the question and I’m not upset or bothered by it. I’m just concerned about the unequal measures used here, where excuses are made for Huckabee when he dances around the question and doesn’t give a straight answer but someone like Pagitt is branded as a heretic and unorthodox for dancing around the same question.

    There just seems to be a lot of double standards. Plenty of grace for some, but none for others.

    Is that right?

    Bryan L

  • Travis Hilton

    I wouldn’t call what Huckabee said “dancing around”, Bryan. He even said some Baptists weren’t going to heaven. He could have been more direct, but I think he’s smart enough to know that all the media needs is one soundbite out of context and his campaign is over. That’s why I said “Pagit’s not running for president.” In Pagit’s interview he had plenty of time to explain what what he believed. Everything that I heard was pretty incoherant. The reason Pagitt was being interviewed is because he’s a pastor of notoriety, the reason Huckabee was being interviewed is because he’s running for president.

    I think the reson you don’t see the same criticism with Huckabee is it’s easy to read between the lines and get what he’s saying. With Paggit, there are no lines.

    TBH

  • Bryan L

    He said the some Baptist not going to heaven as a joke Travis (although he probably did say it with truth).

    What’s there to take out of context and use from his statement? What he believes about the eternal destiny of some people who don’t accept Christ? He said it was important to be upfront about religious beliefs. He had no problem saying he didn’t believe we came from primates and that God was the creator. What will they take out of context? That he believes that Jesus is the only way to get to heave and that Muslims and Jews and anyone else who don’t accept Jesus as their savior will go to hell. That’s his religious belief. What is he afraid of?

    Huckabee had just as much ability explain himself and he had a way more sympathetic interviewer that was on his side.

    Pagitt wasn’t being interviewed because he was a pastor of notoriety, he was being interviewed because he’s part of a movement called emergent and the interviewer wanted to burn him as a heretic and expose him as unorthodox to the rest of the church which was obvious from the get go.

    Again Travis I see where you are coming from and I understand why Hickabee didn’t give astraight answer but I don’t think what he did was any different from pagitt and I think people are just looking for a way to say this isn’t the same thing and to excuse Huckabee (which I don’t think Denny did) and not excuse Pagitt.

    Let’s call it what it is – double standards.

    Thanks,
    Bryan L

  • Travis Hilton

    Sorry, somehow that published without me finishing my thought… But I had the same condemnation before me were it not for the grace of God. But I wouldn’t be running for president either. 🙂

    BTW, Pagitt is certainly a pastor of notoriety because he is in the Emergent Movement, thanks for reminding me. 😉 The interviewer did not burn him as heretic, but he sure did expose him by allowing him to talk. He didn’t put words in his mouth, he just asked the questions.

    Oh well, I tryed. Hope you consider Huckabee.

    Grace,
    TBH

  • Jesica

    Oh, Man!

    What a disappointment that was!

    “That’s not my job?!”

    The Word says that as a Christian, one of our most important jobs is to be ministers of reconciliation!

    Wow! That bums me out!

    If they can figure out another way to get there?!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!

    Man…that just stinks!

    Why won’t ONE MAN just stand up for God, and trust HIM?!

    God is the One Who raises up kings and tears down kings!

    Huckabee is too early in the race to be forgetting that!

  • Leo S.

    Haven’t watched this video… but I think in another public interview he did with the TV, he did answer that one can go to heaven only through Jesus.

    I am glad he is being examined with these questions about his faith. But why was Huckabee being singled out by these questions? I wonder if the TV interviewer will ask these questions to Romney? I wonder what he will answer? Is it fair to all candidates?

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