BREAKING THE HUDDLE

 

 

 

Coach Dave Daubenmire
November 25, 2004
NewsWithViews.com

The big story of the election of 2004 is not that President Bush was re-elected, but that the Church finally decided to play. Pundit after pundit, in the post-election analysis, have grudgingly come to the conclusion that it was the "moral values crowd" that made the difference. Let's take a closer look at what that means.

To many who view their faith as a lifestyle, rather than a social club, President Bush, a professing Christian man, was not the reason that they stormed to the ballot box. Although they appreciated his public stance concerning his faith, many were concerned that his walk had not matched his talk on the issues that were important to serious church-goers. Although the likes of Pat Robertson and Richard Land had advised us that we were not electing a "theologian in chief", we were looking for a man, who like us, would not compromise on the issues that our faith teaches us are non-negotiable. For many of the moral-mainstream, Tuesdays vote was not so much pro Bush, as it was pro-God.

Ever since the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, the moral-mainstream have been frustrated with the Republican Party. Frustrated to the point, that in 2004, more and more were beginning to look at alternative political parties. Not content with the verbiage of "conservatives", a move was being made to expose conservativism as nothing more than a saltless form of Christianity, good for nothing and feeding off of the oxygen of compromise.

In early June I was part of a group of nine folks who sat in a meeting in a church in Columbus, Ohio. The Supreme Judicial Court in Boston had just legalized same-sex marriage, and we were smart enough to see the storm clouds heading our way. We had lived in Ohio long enough to know that a snowstorm that comes from the east is usually a city-stopper. As watchmen on the wall, we knew that we couldn't just sit by and watch this gale blow in.

Under the leadership of Phil Burress and Citizens for Community Values, we tossed around how to best protect from the soon-coming Noreaster of anti-God behavior that would soon blow-in from Beantown. With only 9 weeks to work, the group determined that we could not risk leaving it in the hands of conservative Republicans, the pretend salt, but that if this tide was to be held back, the mandate to stop it fell at the feet of the Church. Facing a staggering, uphill battle, the decision was made to call on the Church to arise and defend the homeland.

Miraculously, 10 weeks later the marriage issue was on the ballot. On Nov. 2, it became law. The moral-mainstream had spoken.

Although the news is reporting a tremendous victory for President Bush and the Republicans, the real story is not being told. The victory belongs not to the Republicans, but to the Church.

Recent polling information shows that the "values crowd" turned out in record numbers. In all eleven states where protection of traditional marriage was on the ballot, the anti-god forces were repulsed.

George Bush didn't win. The Church did.

Mathew 18:6 says, "Upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

It is the Church that the gates will not prevail against. The Church....not conservatism. The Church...not Republicanism. On Tuesday the Church stormed the gates.

The Church said "NO" to:

Michael Moore, Al Franken, and Howard Stern. To Hollywood, Bruce Springsteen and Puffy Combs.

"No" to MTV and Rock the Vote. To Cheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks. To the National Education Association, liberal college professors, and their presidents who support same-sex benefits.

The Church said "NO," To Dan Rather and CBS. To CNN, NBC, ABC, NPR and Broadcast media. To The New York Times, The LA Times and the Chicago Tribune.

NO to Tom Daschle, Al Sharpton....and John Kerry. NO to Moveon.org and George Soros.

"NO" to liberal extremist judges and those who want to purge all mention of God from the culture. "No" to the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"NO" to the Episcopal Church and Homosexual Bishops, and same-sex marriages.

Make no mistake. The Church said "NO".

I believe the greatest fear that BOTH political parties face is an awakened, alert, involved-in-the-culture Church. You know, the kind Jesus was talking about....the gates-of-hell-storming church.

As a 25-year veteran football coach I have learned the hard way the truth of the philosophy espoused by legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes who said, "You win with People". Want to know the quickest way to lose? Just believe you are the reason you won.

No, GW Bush did not win. He may have been the coach, but he and his coaching staff may want to remember Woody's admonition. The people delivered this one. You best not forget.

One word of warning to the Republican party. Many of us do not like what we see. If you think it is all about you and your great "strategery", and not about values, you are setting yourself up for a fall. The values voters turned out and we can just as easily turn in.

Something stinks. Pro-abort Arlen Spector as head of the Senate Judiciary committee, pro-abort Alberto Gonzales as head of the Justice Department, Senate seniority rules trumping the will of the people. As one of my coaches taught me years ago�.fool me once, shame on you�.fool me twice, shame on me.

A caller to my radio program last week indicated that we should give Senator Spector the benefit of the doubt. He said that perhaps he had seen the light, and after all, we as Christians should understand forgiveness. The caller intimated that if an employee had stolen from the company, then repented and changed his ways, shouldn't we forgive him and allow him to move forward with his life? I responded that yes we should forgive him, but let's not put him in charge of the cash register.

So what was the first move that President Bush made upon receiving his mandate? How did he choose to spend some of his "political capital"? He pushed for the legalization of literally millions of illegal aliens that have swamped this nation.

If the Republican party and it's standard bearer think that after we have made it possible for them to go to the Inaugural Ball, they can sit us in the corner while they dance with their new-found girlfriend they will be shocked to learned the other side of Woody's admonition�"You lose with people".

The Church has spoken. The moral-mainstream is watching.

� 2004 Dave Daubenmire - All Rights Reserved