In late Octoberof1990, comingoutofa White House meeting

with President Bush and some of his top aides, you wouldhave
thoughtthatDr. RobertP. Dugan, Jr., Directorofthe National
Association Evangelicals (NAB) , was in the driver's seat.
Said aconfidentDr. Dugan to 1heassembled press microphones
and cameras, regarding the President:
"Ifeeloptimistic. But, we'll hold his feetto the fire, especially
in tenns of this draft document we've submitted to him." He
said he hoped the Bush Administration would find a way to
express itself afresh concerning "traditional family values."
The NAB and the QuistianLife Commission of the Southern
BaptistConventionhadrequestedameetingwiththePresident
todiscusswhatanNABpressreleasecalls"theAdministration's
deteriorating relations with the evangelical community."
The "troublesome subjects" discussed in this get-together,
says this press release, included: Apparent White House
supportforhomosexuaIactivists, asdemonstratedbyinvitations
to them and their organizations to attend Presidential bill-
signing ceremonies; taxpayer-funded blasphemous and
pornographic "art;" religious implications of recently-passed
child care legislation; and "theneedformoralleadershipfrom
President Bush on a host of religious freedom and family
issues."
The "draft document" alluded to by Dr. Dugan which he
presented toPresidentBnsh- aproposedExecutive Orderon
"AffumationofTraditionaI Values" - calls for, among other
things, the denial of Federal grants to recipients that "promote,
encourage, directly orindirectly, homosexuality, bisexuality,
pedophilia, bestiality, orpromiscuousheterosexuality, whether
pre-marital or extra-marital."
PresidentBush,however,accordingtothisNABpressrelease,
was "non-commital" about supporting this suggested
Executive Order.
So, the questions, naturally arise: What, specifically, is the
basis for Dr. Dugan's expressed "optimism?" And what, pray
tell, is this fire he says he will be holding the President's feet
to , since it is obvious that neither George Bush nor his top
by John Lofton
White House staff give a [darn] what evangelical Christians
think about anything?
Infact, thispatheticmeetingwiththePresidentand some ofhis
top people, demonstrates anew the truth of what Doug Wead
said this past July in a candid interview with "Charisma &
ChristianUfe" magazine-namely, no oneinWashingtonis
nnming scared of Christians, no one inWashingtonasks "how
high" or "through whicbhoop" when Christians say "jump!"
SaidWead, whenaskedifpoliticianstakeevangelicalClJristians
seriously these days: "Ithinktheykindoftreattheevangelical
movement like a seven-foot-tall high schooler who can't play
baskethall. Ifeverhe leams to play, he's goingtobe awesome.
In the meantime, they'll do everything they can to take
advantage of his awkwardness."
Notingthatevangelicalshavethenumbers, Wead-alongtime
Christianacti.vistwhowasunceremoniouslydumpedfromthe
White House staffearly in 1990becausehebehavedlikeareal
Christian-declared: "Butthey arevery clumsy and seemingly
unabletodoanythingforthemselves. Blacks,Hispanics,Jews
and other lobbies have the networlc in this city. They have
Senators and Congressmen to worlc with. They have
bureaucrats to work. with. There are people in the media they
work. with. And the evangelicals don't have this."
Doug Wead concluded that despite their numbers in the
country-an amazing four-out-of-five adults in America say
they are Christians, according to a recent stody by the Barna
Research Group in Glendale, California - that: 'They can't
muster enough support to get what they feel they want."
Well, amen, Brother Wead!
The Christian Right Establishment in Washington D.C. and
their allies around the country, are, without a doubt, the most
ineptandineffective "special interest" group trying to gettheir
way in the Nation's capital.
They get no respect because, alas, they deserve none - due
to the way they behave. And this most recent White House
meeting between Christians and the PreSident, and the events
The Counsel of Chalcedon April 1991 Page 29
surrounding and leading up to it, demonstrate this sad fact, in
spades.
On the very day Dr. Dugan and Company were to meet with
Mr. Bushandsomeofhistopaides,agrim-facedPatRobertson,
waS "700Dub" program
what he called "an exclusive" report, "a shocking revelation"
about "actual religious bigotry in the Bush Administration"
against Christian staffers.
This breathless, over-hyped amateurish report - which one
Christian in the recent White House meeting sneetingly
likened to "an evangelical version of A Current Affair,' a
national secular tabloid TV program - featured one
unidentified Christian, blacked out in darkness, his voice
distorted purposely to protecthisidentity. This individual was
said to be "ahigh-rankingBushAdministrationofficialfamiliar
with White House operation.s"
This person says there are "several members of the White
House staff' who have left, or been "pressured out". of their
jobs, because of their Christian standards and morals. He adds
that in "some instances" there are "some"WhiteHouse people
who have bragged about forcing Christians out.
No names are givenhere-either of those Christians who left
or who were forced out; ditto, no names of those who,
allegedly, forced them out.
"700 Dub" White House reporter Ken Lormand repeats that
there has been "an exodus" of Christians frOm the White
House and Administrationj6bs. He cites several statistics at
different levels of employment. But, again, no names are
named - with the exception of Doug Wead whose firing
received national publicity even though the reason for his
dismissal has never been officially stated.
Lormand says, without naming any names, that "a group of
senior staff members" are blamed for ousting Wead. He says
- once more, citing no names - that "sources" say that
"some" Christians in the White House have "been victims of
bigotry because of their faith." And an indication of this,
suppoSedly, in an October 21, 1989 memo from a member of
the President's senior staff-not named - which asked for
a list of all evangelical appointments.
Lormand later, however, says that the motive behind this
memo "is kind of hard to determine." Robertson adds thathe,
too, has heard his own share ofmmors but has no "hard data."
And Lormand says -giving no names - that the problem is
at the staff level and in some cases involves senior staff.
The Counsel of Chalcedon April1991 Page 30
Then Pat Robertson, seeming to push for some kind of
Christian quota system in hiring, notes that 35 percent of the
American people are evangelical Christians. And 20 million
evangelicals voted for President )3ush. Yet, such Cqnstians
have only one percent of the White. House jobs. He asks,
metorically: "How do you explain that?"
Robertson adds-no name mentioned-thathe'sheardfrom
one former key White House staffer that there are "a number
ofhomosexuals in key WhiteHouse jobs" and they may be the
source of this anti-Christian bigotry. To which Lormand
replies - no names mentioned - thathe, too, has heard such
"rumors."
Robertson concludes by sayingthatthere is "no Question" that
there has been "a shut-down of evangelical participation" to
exclude evangelicals from "political participation."
Now, from what little I know about this subject, there is lio
doubt in my mind that Christians within the White House and
elsewhere in the Bush Administration, have been, and are
being, discriminated against because of their faith. I say from
what little I know because I have made no systematic
investigation of this subject. Yet I have received some
information, as they say, "over the transom," from individuals
in a position to know what they're talking about, individuals
who ask not to be identified.
)3uthaving said this, I must also say this the "700 Club" report
is one of the most smpid, ineffective, embarrassing, shoddy
pieces of supposed investigative journalism I have ever seen,
bar none. And it is particularly disgraceful since it was done
by people tlaiming to be Christians.
For openers, this report - by not naming names - was
unBiblical in that it repeatedly engaged in gossip and
mmormongering which is prohibited by Scripmre.
Secondly, it violated a cardinal rule as articulated by Oliver
WendellHohnes,lr.-thatis: "Whenyoustrikeataking,you
must kill him." But, journalistically, this report "killed" no
king - in this case, President Bush. And it "killed" none of
those around him who are, allegedly, discriminating against
Christians.
In fact, this report specifically exempted PresidentBush from
any blame. The person shown on the program, in the dark,
withhis voice distorted, saiddiscrirnination against Christians
is not an Administration policy and that President Bush
"probably doesn't know about it."
And when the NAB's Dr. Dugan carne out of his White House
meeting with the President, be said that MI .. Bush himself
brought up this "700 Club" re)Xlrt and that he seemed "hurt"
about it. Dr. Dugan said: "So, he may be unaware. Thestaffmay
not have told him everything." He added that MI. Bush may not
even know that certain people were evangelical Christians. But,
he said, the President's staff is "doing something" and is
"playing political hardball."
Alas, evangelical Christians, however, are not playing such
hardball, which is why they are losing, and losing bad.
For example, there are names that could have been named on the
"700 Club" and in the meeting with President Bush. And
heading this list would be Bobbie Kilberg, Deputy Assistant to
the President for Public Liason. Ms. Kilberg has played a key
role ingetting invited to WhiteHouse bill sigttingsrepresentatives
of such homosexual activist groups as the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign Fund, and
members of the far-left American Civil Liberties Uttion and
People for the American Way. I have copies of memos which
prove this. And so do others.
Other individuals on the White House staff where there is
probable cause to believe they have been involved in anti-
Christian activity are: DavidDemarest, Assistant to the President
for Communications; and Andy Card, the man who told Doug
Wead he was fired. Bill Kristol, who is on Vice President
Quayle's staff, is another person who would have been worth
interviewing. I am, reliably Ibelieve, told that Kristol was a critic
of We ad's.
But, incredibly, two individuals who were in this recent White
House meeting between Christians and the President and some
of his top staff, tell me that the Christians mentioned none of the
names I mention here. And they gave the President none of the
copies of the memos I and others have, including the October 21,
1989 memo which was shown on the "700 Club."
"No, no one at this meeting mentioned any of these names," says
Richard Cizikofthe NAB who was in this WhiteHouse meeting.
In fact, the "700 Club" rejXlrt wasn't mentioned until President
Bush brought it up. And no one pressed the President to find out,
specifically, why Doug Wead, one of their own, was fired!
But, says Cizik, Dr. Dugan did hand the President a suggested
Executive Order they felt "would be a demonstration of his will,
his opinion, his values. Ifhe's on our side, he will do somet:hing
with it. If he's not on our side, he'll do nothing with it."
Cizik characterizes their approach as saying to the President:
"Now we're going to give you a choice. You either come to
our side of the table or you go to the other."
But my Christian brothers and sisters need to wake up!
George Bush and his top staffers have already. demonstrated
their "will, opinion and values." They have already chose
which side of the table to sit on. And they did this when they
allowed homosexuals andotherfar-left, anti-traditional values,
anti-family groups to attend official White House bill signing
ceremonies.
The message of George Bush and his top staffers to Christians
is, loud and clear: Drop dead! We don't care what you think!
Could anything be plainer?
Instead of seeking useless, futile meetings with the President
and his top staffers, Christians and Christian groups should
take aleafoutofthe book of some of those mentioned by Doug
Wead in the "Charisma" magazine interview. Christians
should grow up and realize that they are outside the camp and
behave accordingly.
Christian leaders should learn to play political hardball.
Insteadofbehavinglikeimmature, unloved kids, with
their noses pressed against the Oval Office window,
begging for crumbs from the President's table, they
should hold press conferences, picket, hold rallies and
use their TV, radio shows and pUblications effectively
to mobilize the tens of millions of Americans who say
they are also Christians.
But no, says Richard Cizik, this would not be "an appropriate
response." He says that "our mentality" is to do what they did,
first meet with the President at the White House." He insists:
"You have to present your case to him." Cizik says: "you may
not like that approach but that's the wisdom of our group."
Well, no, I don't like this approach. It is not wisdom. It is
unbelievably stupid. And it's not working.
In Washington D.C., and all across the country, so-called
Christian leaders and their followers are, for the most part, a
Biblical example of the blind leading the blind. And the result
is, as our Lord predicted, all have fallen "into the ditch"
(Matthew 15:14).
A sad but instructive footnote: A few years ago, I attended a
conference in Washington D.C. titled "Religion, Politics And
The Media" and sponsored by the rabidly anti-Christian group
"People ForThe American Way." A guest atthis meeting was
The Counsel of Chalcedon April1991 Page 31
the above mentioned Dr. Dugan of the
NAB.
Atonepointin the program, afilm clip was
shown of conservative Christian Dr. Tim
LaHaye, presidentofFamllyLifeSeminars,
saying secular humanists should not hold
public office in America because our
Constitlltion is not compatible with such a
view, because our Constitlltion was
founded by those committed to Biblical
principles. And, he added,itis a document
best fulfilled by people who share these
same principles.
In addition, the narrator of tllis film was
shown' saying, with alarm, that
fundamentalist groups across our country
are asking candidates fur Pllblic office
such questions as: Can you honestly say
YOllhavea personalrelationsbipwithJesus
Christ? How well do you know Him?
How often do you go to church? Do you
believe Bible clubs should be allowed in
our public schools?
Andgpess w'JattheNAB'sDr. Dugansaid
when asked what he thought about these
remaiks? Why he denounced them as
"emba1'l'assing" and ''not part of the
mainstream of evangelical Christianity."
Infact, he said: ''We encourage people not
to ask these kinds of questions."
When asked if there was any position a
candidate might take againstthe Christian
faith that would causehim to tellhispeople
not to vote for this person, Dr. Dugan
replied: ''No, because there are so lllany
issues to be considered." He adds that
fuere is not "one Utmus test," that there is
"great complexity" regarding the various
issues.
Wow. This tells you a lot about why the
ChristianEstablishmentis losiog so badio
our nation's capital, doesn't it? n
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The Counsel of Chalcedon April 1991 Page 32