For close to a year now I’ve been annoying, tormenting, pestering, plaguing, worrying, badgering, harrying, persecuting, irking, bullyraging, vexing, disquieting, grating, besetting, bothering, teasing, nettling, tantalizing and ruffling Duane Patterson, producer of the Hugh Hewitt radio show, about making an appearance on said program to talk about the book. To date the answer has been variations on “not at this time.” Well, that and occasional barbs tossed back and forth. Especially when the A’s and Angels cross swords… er, bats.
Anyway, yesterday Hewitt had as one of his guests Dan Riehl, mention of whom has previously appeared in this quiet little place. The cause for Riehl’s presence was a blog post he had written the previous day roundly criticizing Hewitt for raising a ruckus about how the GOP has been spending money on (ahem) “lobbying” efforts at business establishments where the hard stuff isn’t exactly defined as whole milk instead of low fat accompanied by double chocolate chip cookies rather than regular prior to a quiet evening of Bible study and prayer. As Riehl wrote, Hewitt was being a Puritan prude. Pinched in. A prig, even. In short, Riehl played the provocateur. Positively perturbing!
Leaving the letter P aside for a moment, along with Planet P Project unless you’re a diehard Tony Carey fan, based on his blog Riehl lives to push buttons. He treats Twitter in a similar fashion. Witness this tweet from earlier today:
Running? Haste makes waste! RT @huffingtonpost: Man takes running leap off Empire State Building (UPDATES) http://tinyurl.com/yffzw4z
Because, you know, nothing screams funny like suicide.
Snark aside, what is the point of such exercises on Riehl’s part? Other than the obvious one of drawing attention to himself as he plays the Beltway wannabe game. This furthers the debate? This makes a case for conservative politics? Right. And my pet unicorn is in the backyard dancing with bejeweled butterflies.
This isn’t about “so what does it take to get on Hewitt’s show.” If taking potshots at people was the sole requirement for traditional media inclusion I’d have more air time than President Obama.
It’s about the people with whom one chooses to associate and be associated.
I’m not preaching isolationism or insisting that everyone you work with pass some kind of holiness litmus test. What is being said comes straight from Scripture: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’”
If we call ourselves followers of Christ, and we believe our political views are shaped by our faith and His teachings, shouldn’t the company we keep in pursuit of winning over hearts and minds, establishing policies and installing policies along with practices thereof, honor our primary commitment to Jesus? If He is Who He says He is, and He is not Savior alone but also Lord, how then can we promulgate the deliberate sinner or boastful unbeliever? To do so is saying, in deeds if not words, the ends justify the means. Good luck finding Biblical affirmation for that notion.
We live in troubling, troubled times. Acting like the world in order to combat the world isn’t going to cut it. We need to stand firm in love, not compromising our beliefs for the sake of political expediency. Politics come and go. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.
Choose your associates carefully.
P.S. The list of fifty or so ways to say “don’t bother the…” in the first paragraph comes from a sign at the San Diego Zoo imploring visitors to leave the animals alone.
P.P.S. Speaking of Tony Carey…
