I’m not a fan of mudslinging politics and get progressively tired of the candidates attempts to dig up dirt on each other. I admit that there may be a place for it in a sense. Voters should be informed and since our (and the media’s) attention spans are so short reminders of a person’s political and legal record can he helpful. But honestly I really don’t care about when Obama first wanted to be President (was it 1st or 3rd grade!!!) or if Hillary planted questions in her audience (isn’t that what politicians do???).
But one thing I read recently did surprise me. Apparently pastor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee isn’t allowing the public or media access to his sermons. Granted he has faced some embarrassing moments recently as public comments he made in the 90’s have resurfaced (quarantining AIDS patients and comparing environmentalism to pornography…), but it just seems weird to me that a pastor should hide his sermons. Is he embarrassed by what he preached? Has his theology changed? Is he just afraid of controversy?
One thing I’ve noticed about politics and often the church as well is the sheer aversion to admitting that one has changed one’s mind. If a politician voted one way 20 years ago, they apparently have to stick by that decision. They never say, “well, I have grown and changed as a person and I would vote differently now.” Same with pastors. Since their words are often delivered as nearly divinely inspired to recant or speak of an evolving theology is strictly taboo. I have no clue what Huckabee’s issue with his sermons is, I just wish this fear of admitting change and growth didn’t plague our politics and churches. I’d much rather have truth and transparency than backpedaling and cover-ups.
Maybe that’s just me. I have no problem admitting that my theology has changed drastically over the last ten years. Some of it has changed over the last year for that matter. I’m sure there are papers I wrote in college that I would cringe to read these days, and not just for the poor writing style (like the one for my Theology of Culture class where I named Postmodernism as the greatest threat to Christianity today…). Similarly I am sure there are archived threads on The Ooze and elsewhere that could get me labeled an official theological schizophrenic. I’m okay with that. I like to continue to learn and to grow. I don’t want to ever arrive and cement my thoughts in one static location to never be challenged again. That scares me way more than having to admit I was wrong or that I’ve changed.
But I also would never run for President.