A weak and flaccid Almighty?

Is, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save...?

Two applause lines that ought to be forever excised from every Christian speaker, preacher, leader, and talk show host's material:

We've removed God from our schools

We've removed prayer from our schools

Is God so weak that He can be summarily kicked out of public schools by a vote of the school board, the legislature, the Supreme Court?

Is God so uncaring and unconcerned that He would simply leave our schools when a few strident, perhaps hostile voices demand that He do so?

Is prayer redefined so that if it is not verbal and audible that it is not prayer?

Is the prayer by state paid bureaucrats offered over children of such great value that every national tragedy, every mass murder to be attributed to the  lack thereof?

There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle:

• A gun loving, doomsdayer, affluent middle-aged woman...
• ...who was the mother of a troubled child whom she taught to use weapons...
• ...which child likely practiced in fantasy scenarios...
• ...before selecting classrooms of innocents for reality.

The churches I have pastored have had members who were public school teachers, public school administrators, and elected board of education members and legislators as members. None of these, not one, were hostile to the things of God blamed by cheapshot public commentators for the latest, horrible tragedy.

That there is some degree, small overall I would say, hostility to the things of God in our society is manifest, but we are a highly religious society with churches everywhere. I'm having difficulty imagining the frail God who is rendered impotent by public officials. That is not our God.

Mike Huckabee, when asked how he reacted as a pastor and what he would say to those who had suffered unspeakable losses, wisely said that he would say little or nothing but offer hugs and tears. 

That was sage advice. He should listen to himself.

Too early for 2012 politics? How about the Mormon candidate, Romney?

I voted for Mitt Romney in the Georgia primary in 2008 and McCain in the general election...and don't apologize for it.

Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Romney pretty much divided the Georgia primary votes into about a third each (about 34%, 32% & 30% respectively) although Huckabee ending up with about 70% of the delegates. Huckabee didn't have a chance of getting the Republican nomination much less of beating Obama. McCain was an extremely weak candidate. Romney would have done much better, I think.

But that was last election.

How about this headline: Christian Backs Mitt Romney; Says Mormonism Doesn't Matter

Hmmm. Imagine that.

It is a long time until the Georgia Republican primary which will be held sometime between January and June of next year, our state Republican brain trust preferring to wait and read the political tea leaves before committing to a specific date. Romney will be on the ballot unless something happens and he drops out.

While it is too early to know the full list of choices for our primary ballot next year, we have a number of declared candidates: Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Gary Johnson and some fringe folks.

I agree with commentator Charles Krauthammer that Ron Paul doesn't offer a philosophy that is suitable for governing and is a fringe figure. Herman Cain is catching on. He is pure dynamite and I like him but he has no chance. Unlike some of my colleagues, I would have no problem voting for Gingrich. If highminded Baptist preachers found it expedient to vote for John McCain with his past moral failures, I don't see how they can object to Gingrich. The others I just don't know much about.

Romney is serious, intelligent, experienced, and presidential. He has all the moral qualifications that some of the brethren say are important.

Ah, but he is LDS whisper, or shout, some of the brethren.

And?

While some of my SBC friends see that as an absolute disqualifying factor, I don't. In fact, those who say that they would vote for Romney if he just weren't a Mormon might look up the definition of religious bigotry. I bet that most of us would find a way to vote for Mitt Romney over Barack Obama, Mormonism or not.

The fun starts about now and goes until November 6, 2012.