VOLuntarilyConservative

Former Senator and RINO posterchild John Danforth wrote this column in Friday's New York Times defending his unprincipled herd of RINOs. Danforth, of course, opines in error throughout the column. First, what is a "moderate Christian?" I have never heard the phrase, and it seems an oxymoron. The Bible teaches that a Christian is transformed when he becomes such by accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. That isn't a moderate metamorphosis. Does Danforth mean that he moderates the effects of Christianity upon his life? I would sadly respond to that reading as someone who never really accepted the teachings of Jesus, because He taught that believers should embrace the world as a countercultural movement. (For more on this, I recommend Tom Minnery's "Why You Can't Stay Silent.") That is the assumption that I must make, but the final decision is between that "moderate Christian" and the Lord.

Danforth, in this column and in other op-eds and interviews he has given over the years, likes to subtilely paint Christian conservatives as a little nutty, saying that we "know God's truth" while not saying how we receive said "truth," leaving open the possibility that we are in a constant auditory dialogue with God. I certainly can't speak for all Christian conservatives, but I read my Christian thought from The Bible. I assume that Christian RINOs do the same, but the difference is that they don't let the words change their political tact. They embrace pragmatism over principle. Danforth says in his column:

"It is important for those of us who are sometimes called moderates to make the case that we, too, have strongly held Christian convictions..."

Yes, but is it really a conviction if you don't act on it? I will have to take your word on your "Christian convictions," Mr. Danforth, because there is little evidence of such if you don't allow your convictions to make a mark on your political life and policy positions. Overall, a typically disappointing showing from Mr. Danforth, one that only moves us further down the road to Pat Buchanan's predicted splintering of the GOP.

MORE: For more commentary on Mr. Danforths' op-ed, take a look at Jeff Harwell's blog, SouthTennBlog. Jeff espouses on the issue with a slightly different - and certainly more eloquent - take than mine.

EVEN MORE: Danforth isn't the only one attacking Christian conservatives. Check out the goings on at Mirror of Justice, in a post on David Rubenstine, Dean of Cardozo Law School. After reading Rubenstine's ignorant remarks, I feel so fortunate to have studied under a great Dean.