Charles Halton

Exegetical Liberalism of the Bush Administration

When one thinks of the Bush (43) administration, the word “liberal” rarely comes to mind.  However, an examination of the use of Bible verses on intelligence briefing cover pages reveals that the people who produced these reports were thorough-going adherents to reader-response criticism (and apparently the “seniors” who read the reports liked the practice).  GQ broke the story and you can see photos of the memos here on their site, but I first read of this in a WSJ piece.  Here are some of the verses that the compilers lifted out of context and used for their own purposes (via WSJ):

Next to a picture of an American tank is the quote: “Open the gates that the righteous nations may enter, The nation that keeps faith. Isaiah 26.2″

A photo of two soldiers in prayer is accompanied by the quote, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us. Here I am Lord, send me! Isaiah 6:8″

A photo of an American tank at sunset has superimposed on it, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13″

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