Over the last few days we’ve witnessed quite a hubbub in cyberspace and on the network news over the speech that Rick Santorum delivered at Ave Maria (a Catholic) University on August 29, 2008.
The secular Left is just appalled that a political figure would dare to be so public about their faith. And they’re shocked to hear that a presidential candidate actually believes in a heaven and hell. How extreme. How divisive. How intolerant.
 
Here’s how one Leftie put it:
(Santorum’s) a man of deep religious faith who seems to truly live by his beliefs… Indeed, it is this which makes him so grounded and consistent. [So what’s the problem?]… In this case, however, extremism is a vice that makes him unfit to govern a free nation.

 
 
Oh – kind of like this guy I guess… ➡
 
 
 
What do you think?
The Daily Caller posted several excerpts from the Ave Maria speech:

“This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war at all. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies, Satan, would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country, the United States of America.”
 
“Once the colleges fell, and those who were being educated in our institutions, the next was the church. Now you’d say, ‘Well, wait, the Catholic Church?’ No.”
 
“We all know that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic, but the Judeo-Christian ethic was a Protestant Judeo-Christian ethic. Sure, the Catholics had some influence, but this was a Protestant country and the Protestant ethic. Mainstream, mainline Protestantism.
 
“And of course we look at the shape of mainline Protestantism in this country and it is a shambles. It is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it. So they attacked mainline Protestantism, they attacked the Church, and what better way to go after smart people who also believe they’re pious — to use both vanity and pride to go after the Church.”
 
(Santorum also insisted that Satan has cheapened American pop culture.)
 
“The corruption of culture, the corruption of manners, the corruption of decency is now on display, whether it’s the NBA or whether it’s a rock concert or whether it’s on a movie set.”
 
“That great acidic quality of time corrodes away even the strongest foundations. And (here’s the part the Left really hates) Satan has done so by attacking the great institutions of America.”

 
As a Lutheran, I believe he went a bit far in writing off all Protestant denominations, but agree that most have gotten far too liberal over the last few decades. Not a few Catholic priests however are right behind them (the “sanctuary churches” for illegals, the “health-care-is-a-right” homilies, the occasional crazy like Father Pfleger in Chicago, and I won’t even mention the pedophile priests…). Moral relativism has sucked far too many Christians into the swamp of egalitarianism.
 
Seems to me that now, only months away from a presidential election, is a great time to be having this debate with the Left. It forces them to show whose side they’re on, if you catch my meaning. And it’s an opportunity for “squishy” Christians to re-read the Book… and re-think their blurry worldview. There’s a clear choice to be made here, with everything at stake.
 
In his great little book, “When the Crosses are Gone,” Michael Yousseff explains that there’s no middle ground in this conflict:

The cross is a message of love to humankind – but to those who would rather perish than accept God’s love, it is an offensive message. They want no part of it.
 
The cross cannot be neutral. It will either bring you peace or make you angry. It will either save you eternally or judge you eternally. The cross will either reconcile you to God or bear witness against you in the Day of Judgement…
 
The cross disturbs the psyche. It troubles the soul. It forces you to make a decision: Will you say yes to Jesus Christ – or no. Are you with Him or against Him? The cross leaves no room for neutrality, and that is why so many people want to remove the cross from our world.

Progressives – the far Left – are clearly offended by the message of the cross. Each of us should be asking ourselves if we are also… or not.
 
Whether Rick Santorum ends up being the eventual Republican candidate, he’s courageously articulated the clear choice we’re faced with: good vs. evil. There’s no room for neutrality. Are we a nation “under God” – or not?
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Related:
Full audio of Senator Santorum’s 8-29-08 speech, “Faith in Public Life: A Personal Journey,” is available at Ave Maria University’s site – HERE.