Texas Governor Rick Perry has been in the press quite a bit lately. Most recently he attended a prayer rally called "The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis" at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Evangelicals were there in abundance. No doubt that is why Perry was there. In addition to the unease any appeal to prayer by a public figure generally causes, the presence of many religious groups on the margins of society distinguished the event out as one of particular concern. Evangelicals such as John Hagee, known for his declaration that Hurricane Katrina was an act of divine vengeance and that the Catholic Church is the "Whore of Babylon" and groups like the International House of Prayer (not to be confused with the International House of Pancakes) whose leader, Mike Bikel, has called for a campaign of "spiritual warfare" against abortion and gay marriage were there. The list of speakers was long and troublesome one. Perry's presence at the conference raised eyebrows among many Republicans. Some are questioning why Perry, an early front runner for the Republican nomination, would seek to divert attention away from the economic crisis in Washington by attending a controversial prayer conference. All evidence indicates that the economy will be the major issue in the next presidential election.
Pundits, as well as many GOP political brokers, are shaking their heads. It is difficult to fathom why Perry would seek to carve out a place so far to the right and plant his flag so firmly on social issues when it is not necessary to do so.
With all the turmoil in the Middle East and the painstaking negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, is it helpful for Perry to quote Scripture and declare that God gave Israel to the Jews? With all the technical and scientific deficiencies plaguing our public schools, shouldn't he give the issue more thought than to argue that creationism should be taught along side evolution? With so many other issues facing the nation, why would Perry seek to make a stand on moral issues, particularly issues likely to be divisive in the extreme?
Perry's appeal to evangelicals is counterproductive given the economic challenges the nation is facing. Perry has a strong economic platform to run on and no challenger to the right of him. To invoke divine guidance and rail against abortion and same sex marriage threatens to polarize an electorate increasingly united in its unease at the current state of affairs. Moreover, it serves to detract from Obama's growing vulnerability by giving him the opportunity to pose as a bulwark of moderation and reason, if not sanity, in the face of religious mania. The farther to the right Perry runs the closer to the center Obama will appear.
I do not understand what Perry is seeking to gain in his fundamentalist fervency. He has little to gain from it and much to lose. His conservative credentials are already impressive. I, like many political observers, have been inclined to see Perry's actions as some sort of political maneuvering. But it might not be maneuvering at all. Perry might sincerely believe that we can petition the Lord to come to our aid in our time of need and that God will continue to bless the U.S. as a light unto the world only so long as we uphold our covenant with Him. If that is the case, I wish him luck and would suggest he get himself a good agent. I see a job as a commentator on the FOX network in his future.
