What Obama and Newt Gringrich Have In Common

The New York Times has a nice article on Newt Gingrich and his conversion to the Catholic Faith. (On a Louisiana note on page two there is a interesting tidbit about who is backing him for President)

There are some things I don't like about the article. It's a tad too political leaning for my taste. I mean did the fact that Newt realize perhaps the wonderful gift the Eucharist was come into playu. For converts that often plays a major role. You know the whole Mass thing.

Newt's life has been messy no doubt as to moral matters. However so are most of our lives that manage to live beyond the age of 20. I notice the lines at confession at not exactly packed before Mass. I do wonder if many Catholic people that feel free to comment on how genuine his conversion is are in those lines on a regular basis.

What does this have to do with Obama. Well I have the same genuine unease when people call out Obama as being a fake Christian. How do you know? Can you get in his mind?

As to both Newt and Obama they of course SHOULD be called out when they are not acting in accordance with their Christian faith.. But the bipartisan Christian habit of calling people fake Christians needs to be handled with care. There are of course obvious examples of cultural Christians that act in everyday oppositon to their faith. As to Obama one could say he is for things that violate 2000 years of Christian tradition. However Obama came to his Christian faith is a somewhat Progressive Protestant Faith Community. Christ can still work there and call people personally.

Here is another point. For those that so publically call out Newt's and Obamas faith experince as fake , what if you are wrong. More importantly how is that going to go down when you face the ultimate judgment yourself. A point to consider.