Huckabee Hides His Full Gospel?
Is Mike Huckabee the presidential candidate shunning Mike Huckabee the preacher? Before entering politics, he was a pastor at two Baptist churches. Now his campaign tells Mother Jones it won't make his sermons available to the media and the public.
Mon Dec. 10, 2007 12:00 AM PST
Now that he has his moment in the political spotlight, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee does not want his days at the pulpit to be scrutinized.
As Huckabee has surged to the front of the Republican pack in Iowa, his religious views have drawn media and voter attention. After all, Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, has been campaigning as a "Christian leader." But he has vacillated on how far to interject faith into politics. At an early debate, he indicated he does not believe in evolution, but at a more recent debate, when he was asked by Wolf Blitzer if the creation of the Earth occurred six thousand years ago and only took six days, as stated in the Old Testament, Huckabee said, "I don't know. I wasn't there." During a question-and-answer session with students at fundamentalist Liberty University last month, he asserted that his rise in the polls has an explanation that is "beyond human" and is due to the power of his supporters' prayers. Afterward, he backtracked slightly, adding, "I'm saying that when people pray, things happen.... I'm not saying that God wants me to be elected." (At a victory rally held after Huckabee won a 1993 special election for lieutenant governor, Huckabee told his supporters that he had only won because God had intervened, according to the Texarkana Gazette.)
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With Huckabee walking this fine line, his campaign has declined to make available sermons that Huckabee delivered during his preaching days.
Before beginning his political career, Huckabee was a Southern Baptist minister for 12 years in his home state of Arkansas. He assumed the pastorate at Immanuel Baptist Church in the town of Pine Bluff in 1980, at the age of 25. Six years later, he moved to Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana. In both locations, Huckabee's energy, ambition, and skills as a communicator energized his congregation. Under his leadership, each church grew.
When asked for copies of the sermons Huckabee delivered at Immanuel Church, an employee there claimed none could be found. A Beech Street Church pastor's assistant maintained that much of the archival material from Huckabee's tenure as pastor had been destroyed during a remodeling. The rest, she said, was not available to the press.
When Mother Jones contacted the Huckabee campaign and asked if it would help make his previous sermons available, the campaign replied in a one-sentence email that it had received multiple requests for such material and was "not able to accommodate" them.
Only a small sampling of Huckabee's early speeches are publicly available. While the pastor at Beech Street, Huckabee became president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. (At 34, he was the youngest person to ever preside over the 490,000-person group.) He held the office from 1989 to 1991. Several of his sermonlike speeches were featured in the convention's publications. In a 1990 speech to his fellow state Baptists, Huckabee urged the audience to hold to what he called "The 10 Commendations," including "Thou shalt love like a family" and "Thou shalt be found faithful." Huckabee also said, "It doesn't embarrass me one bit to let you know that I believe Adam and Eve were real people."
This remark was a bolder endorsement of biblical creationism than any comment Huckabee has been willing to make while campaigning for president this year. During a CNN/YouTube debate, the Republican field was asked by a man holding a Bible, "Do you believe every word of this book?" Huckabee said that portions of the Bible should "obviously" be seen as "allegorical." He again stated that he could not know the exact meaning of parts of the Bible, saying, "There are parts of it I don't fully comprehend and understand, because the Bible is a revelation of an infinite god, and no finite person is ever going to fully understand it." His earlier comment about Adam and Eve suggests he takes at least Genesis literally.
Huckabee certainly has reason to be concerned about an examination of his earlier remarks and sermons. Comments he made 15 years ago about AIDS and homosexuality recently became a campaign issue. During a failed run for the U.S. Senate in 1992, Huckabee noted in response to a questionnaire, "Homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk." He suggested that the federal government commit no additional federal funding to finding a cure for AIDS, then considered by many to be a gay disease. In the same reply, Huckabee displayed callousness toward AIDS victims and an ignorance about the ways in which AIDS could be transmitted. "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," he wrote. "It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents." Instead of additional federal funding, said Huckabee, "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor [,] Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
Seeking to explain these comments recently, Huckabee made it clear that he still sees homosexuality as sinful, but that he has softened his position on AIDS research. "If I were making those same comments today, I might make them a little differently," he said.
Huckabee has indeed mixed religion with policy previously. In 1997, when he was governor, he answered a question about capital punishment during a call-in show:
Interestingly enough, if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, "This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency."
Huckabee's argument: since Jesus didn't say that, according to the New Testament, capital punishment is fine. Also that year, Huckabee refused to sign legislation to assist storm victims because the measure referred to tornadoes and floods as "acts of God." Putting his name on such legislation, Huckabee explained, "would be violating my own conscience" due to the bill equating "a destructive and deadly force" as "an act of God."
In all the sermons Huckabee delivered before jumping into politics, he no doubt revealed beliefs and ideas that would be of interest to voters today. But his campaign, looking to attract evangelical Christian voters without alienating others, is not interested in seeing that material become part of the current political discourse. Huckabee the candidate is shunning Huckabee the pastor.
Comments
Huckabee is Jerry Falwell the Second. He's actually much slicker than Jerry. But there's a reason he doesn't want anyone to read the texts of his sermons and that's because they would expose what a fanatic he is. But if he is running as the President of the United States, his sermons may have been just for Baptists, but being president is about leading ALL the people, so now, everyone deserves to read them. Obviously, he is aware that most of the country will not embrace his radical form of Christianity, so he's trying to run from his past and hide his thoughts by hoping he can re-invent himself as being more palatable to the public.
Good Lord. Check out what he did to Chuck Norris: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MDUQW8LUMs8
While it might be an interesting read, should Huckabee's sermons to his two congregations really be considered "public speeches"?
We know that while most churches invite the public to services, do they not still consider themselves "members" of the church?
While we regularly see politicians campaigning from various pulpits, (a practice I detest) isn't it still odd to see one reluctant to so retroactively?
-T
Huckabee is crackers and (apparently) he doesn't have being a crackhead alchoholic as an excuse.
Has he truely read the bible? Did he miss the numerous examples of god randomly visiting destruction on victums, randomly devastating people for no good reason?
How to reconcile that god with Jesus the prince of peace, love and understanding?
His belief that people deserve AIDS?
Ya, the "rapture" is truly a right-wing "christian" codeword for blowing goats in hell. Maybe Pat Robertson will be his date for the party.
Looks like good old plain anti-Christian bigotry is alive and well on the far left. These attacks make those who hate Christians happy, but it will just help Huckabee in actual elections.
There are many parts of the Bible that are allegorical, and God creating the universe is not one of them. If you spent your time getting drunk and high in college, why suddenly think you know how to understand a very large book you've never seriously studied?
Huckabee, the mainstream media's new golden boy, has the same superficial affability and well-concealed meanspiritedness as Bush. He's a theocrat and jingoist now coyly trying to position himself as a moderate. Perhaps he does have his more decent moments, such as some of his positions on immigrants, but he's still a far right wing conservative.
This is Huckabee the presidential huckster. He's selling his folksy old-time-religion wholesomeness, looking to be everybody's guiding light. Not surprisingly, the light being shone on those attitudinal skeletons in his closet has his campaign wishing for an audience with fewer scrutinizers and more sheep.
Will the Real Huckabee Please Stand Up?
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/29678.html
Flip Flop Huck!!!!
In New Ad, Romney Attacks Huckabee on Immigration
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/politics/11huckabee.html?_r=1&ref=p...
Huckabee: If You Don’t Give, I’ll Tax it Out of You
http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2007/12/10/huckabee-if-you-dont-give-ill...
Huckabee Rhetoric: Destroying Government Documents is Anti-American
Huckabee Record: When leaving office, Huckabee destroyed 83 hard drives and four servers in four locations
http://www.earnedmedia.org/fred12101.htm
Anyone interested in what Huckabee is really like face to face should try this funny (but it actually happened) column:
http://goupstate.us/index.php/lanefiller/2007/11/02/title_14
Can you blame him? It's not like the press will delve into his sermons for any honest reason - they'd be searching for dirt, for something "weird" he said in a sermon 25 years ago that they can splash a headline with. It's pure religious bigotry targeted at a group the supposedly objective and open minded media find weird and kooky.
Sermons preached to a group of people voluntarily present and of the same faith represent a different context than the public square. When Huckabee became governor his audience changed, and he governed accordingly - as a Republican but not a preacher. Find me a sermon Huckabee preached from the State House in Little Rock after he was elected, then I'll be concerned.
I hope there were no lies regarding the sermons. Nonetheless, one must objectively ask why anyone wants these sermons. the answer is simple: to find something to attack. When one seeks out a thing only in hopes of using it for cruel or satirical purposes, he or she should not be surprised to find roadblocks along the way.
Of course this is the same man who claimed angels carried his bullet to a deer when he was hunting...and tried to remove the furniture from the governor's mansion when his term ended. A reporter in Arkansas relentlessly covered him as Governor, and it appears Huckabee wriggled off the hook more than once over shady dealings.
His quick rise on the Christian circuit, his mean-spirited homophobia, his rediculous religious claims (Adam and Eve were real people, etc), his dodgy responces as presidential candidate lead me to believe Huckabee is more huckster than preacher.
Keep an eye on this one. There's alot more to him than his doe-eyed dumbness, ah-shucks act.
Of course Huckabee is a huckster..isn't anyone who uses their religious faith as a political platform? (Talk about the ultimate hypocrisy) And in Huckabee's case, that's all he really has going for him. * Yawn * Huckabee is flake playing the Jesus card. How is that news these days?
Hey, David. Go ask the Arkansas Democratic Party for a copy of his sermons. They made copies of all of them when he ran for Lt. Governor in 1992 (not that it did much good.) I can't believe you printed an entire article about your inability to find a copy of his sermons. Maybe you guys should get out of the Beltway now and then and actually work for a story.
What I am seeing from Mr. Huckabee thus far, is that, depending upon the crowd, either his belief system is very fundamentalist when the crowd is evangelical or more progressive when he is addressing a more moderate group. All of which makes him just another politician who says what needs to be said at the time to the people involved. The integrity gene is obviously very rare in politicians. However, if you really believe pouring over his prior sermons tells you more about the man, go for it. As for me, I would prefer a different read. And finally, I think people are making far too much of what the voters in Iowa think of any candidate. By and large, Iowa is neither progressive nor mainstream America.
I recently posted a transcript of a Mike Huckabee sermon on my blog (his 11/4/2007 sermon at Prestonwood Baptist Church). Here is the link if you are interested in reading one of his sermons.
http://www.rayfowler.org/2007/11/15/mike-huckabees-sunday-sermon-at-pres...
Being wary of Huckabee and his schewed message doesn't made one anti-Christian or unfamiliar with the Bible. So many of us had to leave the Southern Baptist Convention because of rigid, non-thinkers like Huckabee. It isn't unChristian or even left-wing to question someone's teaching. Especially after our recent painful and deadly experience with those who think they speak for God.
The one thing that we know for sure is that Huckabee does not believe every thing in the bible when he tried to blame the released prisoner for murders that he commited after being released. He blamed Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker for the prisoner being released. When the facts about this case came to light it was Huckabee that had gone before the paroll board and ask them to release the prisoner. Just another case of a lying, hypocritical republican politician.
The passage quoted below is disingenuous in the extreme. In the first debate, the question was posed to *all* candidates as a *yes-or-no*, show of hands query. Of course Huckabee didn't elaborate at that point.
Critique the man for his policies, but, really, this attempt to spin is pathetic in a forum such as this.
Quote: "But he has vacillated on how far to interject faith into politics. At an early debate, he indicated he does not believe in evolution, but at a more recent debate, when he was asked by Wolf Blitzer if the creation of the Earth occurred six thousand years ago and only took six days, as stated in the Old Testament, Huckabee said, "I don't know. I wasn't there." End Quote
I didn't think it possible, but Huckabees equivocates more than our prez, DUH-bya! This guy comes across as a nice, smiling, "compassionate conservative." Beneath the surface lies an rabid fundamentalist. We do not need this kind of Christian-Taliban in any public office, much less the White House! Spread the word about real Mike Huckabee!!
If you don't believe that his religious views are bad for politics you should still be able to recognize that his politics are bad for his religion. If I were a Christian and I truly "believed" then I can tell you confidently that I would be able to look you in the eye and say that "I believe the bible and what it says." If you bring evidence before me that contradicts the words therein, I would explain to you that this is why they call my conviction "faith". I have "faith" that these things are true even when there is reason to doubt. Huckaby is ready to deny his faith for his own ambitious goals. He will hide his faith in the shadows. He, like most Christians of his ilk, would be quick to turn there head from the Roman soldier in denial when asked, "Is this man your King, Jew?" This man has no conviction. No faith. You want this as your president? Don’t think that he’d sell out our constitution as easily as his faith to get what he wants? This is why the founders of this country wanted a clear separation of church and state, to make it more difficult for people like this to try and take our freedom.
Man. believe it or not, I went to High School with this guy at Hope High School in Hope, Arkansas. This was back in the Sixties and it seemed like Mike wore a suit to school every freaking day. Since we weren't in the same 'social group', Mike was the typical 'hawk' in those days over the Vietnam War and I was the
High School 'Flower Child.' But, he always came across as slightly 'spooky'.
He didn't drink, he didn't smoke and he didn't dig chicks so we all figured he would turn out to be a mortician. Not a presidential candidate. Wow. How America
has changed!!!
After his denials (lies) regarding rapist pardons, I as a Democrat hope that the GOP makes Huckabee their candidate; anyone who refrains from disclosing his spiritual sermons has a flock that absorbs lies as they do now from Bush and will harnest the 27% support Bush does now as well. I Heart Huckabee.
Clear exposition of what this guy is about. The refusal to provide sermons is most telling. You can be sure that they're just filled with venom. He's got that Nixon chip on his shoulder but smiles all the time. I found this on Huckabee, very dark portrait. http://tinyurl.com/yuebgd
The Arkansas alternative and suburban press is doing a real number on him too. Very ugly recent parole (rescinded) and call for a moratorium on paroles by prosecutors and outraged citizens. Quite a guy;)
Conservative Baptists preach the same sermons. You liberal democrats should try attending conservative baptist churches if you want a piece of Huckabee's sermons. GO AHEAD, they've been there ever since this country's formation even drafting the constitution's first ammendments. Don't fool yourselves pretending to be "searching". Just enter one of those churches and those pastors would be very glad to accomodate. It's about time you hear real stories and not just monkey tales -- monkeys turning to humans? It's more believable if humans turn into monkeys like most democrats are.
Huckabee's statements in the pulpit should be of public record. Churches don't pay taxes and in most states are required to hold at least two events each month that are open to the public. Most churches want attendees and open their doors every sunday. In my opinion anything that said during an "open house" is a matter of public record.
steppenRazor - High school was an awkward time for most of us and we all change (hopefully for the better). Look at yourself, you're not still a "Flower Child" are you. Last time I was in Hope, I didn't see many. BTW, I love Hope watermelons.
I have to say, I would really appreciate a candidate who could willfully admit to being an atheist and move on. Our political system is a sham, plain and simple, and the fact that we vote for such mediocre human beings, is nothing more than a symbolic gesture of our imagined participation in a democratic state. It's amusing that so many Christians express feelings about being persecuted by a debased secular society. It's one of the most extreme cases of outright narcissism I can possibly think of. We basically function, socially, through false appearances, and have no idea where the light is coming from.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!!!! What he is doing is standing up for the constitution by not trying to bring his "religion" into his politics (Most Evangelicals do not believe in religion, it is a walk of faith. The term Evangelical is represneted as many things and, in this case,is simply a demographic).For him to be a president who is elected by implications of his spiritual leading and not his political logistics(executive experience, record of adminisration, etc.) would be a blatant shoving aside of the constitution.
t really is unfortunate that the Huckabigots are interested only in supporting another evangelical and bashing a Mormon. If they would actually look into what these candidates have said and done they will see that Huckabee is VERY liberal on illegal immigration (despite his recent “endorsment”), VERY liberal on foreign policy, and VERY liberal on fiscal issues. Maybe the Huckabigots will wake up before they manage to nominate a candidate who is a sure loser to Hillary in the general.
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