The Case of the Waffling Weasel
Posted by Melvin Jones on May 30th, 2008
You know, I didn’t realize that wide-girthed weasels could survive for very long in their natural habitats. But apparently they can.
All of you know how virulently anti-catholic John Hagee is. I’ve listened to his broadcast on occasion and have heard him call them some pretty…uh… creative names.
But a couple or three weeks ago, the press brought this fact to the attention of the general public, the unsaved general public. According to Fox News he said something to the effect of:
Hagee, leader of a San Antonio megachurch, has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as “the great whore” and called it a “false cult system” and “the apostate church” — “apostate” means someone who has forsaken his religion.
This kind of language didn’t go over very well with the Catholics, the Democrats, or the Republicans. A firestorm ignited around McCain and, by extension, Hagee. Hagee had spoken his mind and got unexpectedly hammered by the press. I’ll be the portly preacher was a bit surprised by the whole thing.
After a month plus of constant complaints from the press, comparisons to Reverend J Wright, and other such experiences, Hagee apparently had a major epiphany (are there minor epiphanies?). Here’s a portion of the letter the rotund reverend wrote to the Catholic League:
“Out of a desire to advance greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful. After engaging in constructive dialogue with Catholic friends and leaders, I now have an improved understanding of the Catholic Church, its relation to the Jewish faith, and the history of anti-Catholicism.” [WSJ]
Again these people prove they are not the equal of the Reformers. Here’s what Martin Luther said about the Catholic Church/pope:
If the pope were the head of the Christian Church, then the Church were a monster with two heads, seeing that St. Paul says that Christ is her head. The pope may well be, and is, the head of the false Church. Where the linnet is, there is also the cuckoo, for he thinks his song a thousand times better than the linnet’s. Even thus, the pope places himself in the Church, and so that his song may be heard, overcrows the Church. The cuckoo is good for something, in that its appearance gives tidings that summer is at hand; so the pope serves to show us that the last day of judgment approaches. There are many that think I am too fierce against popedom; on the contrary, I complain that I am, alas! too mild; I wish I could breathe out lightning against pope and popedom, and that every word were a thunderbolt. [Luther]
And I daresay he never apologized.
So then is Hagee saying Catholocism is as valid as Christianity? Is he saying that the two are compatible and that we should work together to make the world a better place? It seems to me he’s going to have a hard time explaining the flip-flop to his congregation. I mean, one minute the Catholic Church is just one step below the Antichrist, or at least in bed with him. And the next the church is an entity with which we should have greater unity.
Huh?! Greater unity? What exactly would this unity be based on? Sure, I as an individual can work with Catholics to get stuff done. I can hire them to work in the soup kitchen with me. But do you really think First Baptist Church of Dirtpoor Idaho should join forces with the Church of the Sacred Dirt Scratchers across the street to run a homeless shelter?
While I wouldn’t call the Catholic Church the “great whore,” let’s face it – Catholicism is not consistent with the Bible and people who follow its doctrines will die in their sins. Are the members horrible monsters who want to corrupt the world and make way for the antichrist? Certainly not. My brother and his wife are Catholic and they are nice people. All his children are Catholic. Are they little mini-Harlots? No! Are they Christians? Not from what I can tell, and certainly not as a result of what they believe. But they aren’t horned demons waiting to lure people to their doom either.
If Hagee believed what he said, he should stick with it. And if it makes McCain’s life more difficult, I’m not seeing that as a problem. I never did much like McCain anyway.