The story:
SAN ANTONIO — Senator John McCain got support on Wednesday from an important corner of evangelical Texas when the pastor of a San Antonio mega-church, Rev. John C. Hagee, endorsed Mr. McCain for president. Mr. Hagee, who argues that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive, biblically prophesized military strike against Iran that will lead to the second coming of Christ, praised Mr. McCain for his pro-Israel views.
The response:
Yesterday, Senator John McCain said he was “very honored by Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement.” The Republican presidential hopeful also called Hagee “the staunchest leader of our Christian evangelical movement,” citing the minister’s pro-Israel stance.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this today:
“There are plenty of staunch evangelical leaders who are pro-Israel, but are not anti-Catholic. John Hagee is not one of them. Indeed, for the past few decades, he has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it ‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’
Hagee, to put it mildly, is an unpleasant fellow – I went over to McCain’s website to see if there was more on this, and so far I haven’t even found it mentioned. I hope that Senator McCain will address this issue – but I am also quite confident, due to McCain’s past actions vis a vis Catholicism, that he doesn’t in any way, shape or form agree with Hagee’s views of the Catholic Church. My bet is that McCain was aware of Hagee’s staunchly pro-Israel stance, and that is what McCain was thinking of in obtaining this endorsement.
In general terms, I never engage in a fight with my brothers and sisters in Christ – and even though I view Hagee as terribly wrong, I won’t even fight him on this. I’ll pray he’ll allow God to enlighten him on the truth of these matters, but I see no profit in fighting a fellow Christian – however erring – when the whole of religion is under attack in our nation. I understand, and respect, Mr. Donohue’s position and agree that such things need to be brought up, and condemned, but in my view there is a need, also, for a careful understanding of the real stakes in 2008; Hagee’s influence is relatively small, and no matter how destructive he might be, he won’t do nearly the damage that a President Obama or a President Hillary will do.
UPDATE: Given that our lefties are trying very hard to pick a fight between McCain and Catholics over this, I think it worthwhile to bring up Catholics for McCain; there are quite a lot of my fellow Catholics who are enthusiastic backers of John McCain and this is a much stronger indicator of McCain’s views about Catholicism than the fact that the anti-Catholic Hagee endorsed him.
UPDATE: John McCain responds to the firestorm:
Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee’s views, which I obviously do not.
I am hopeful that Catholics, Protestants and all people of faith who share my vision for the future of America will respond to our message of defending innocent life, traditional marriage, and compassion for the most vulnerable in our society.
Of course, it would have been better if the endorsement had never happened – but it did happen, and one can’t undo the past; meanwhile, we don’t want to alienate those followers of Hagee who are sincere, if misguided, Christians who do want what is best for America and the world. This is the best way around it all – making lemonade out of the lemons, as it were.
Blogs For Victory 
Mark oozes the milk of human kindness and genteel forgiveness for the Republican Party’s presumed nominee while proffering imagined scenarios about how unaware of John Hagee’s views that Senator McCain must have been. Okay, Mark. Hypothetically, let’s say that until two days ago Senator McCain and his staff had no idea that Hagee is a Catholic-hater (what Senator McCain has called an agent of intolerance) despite their history with him. However, they don’t have that luxury any more.
So, what does a man of integrity, a man whose own words were extremely clear in 2000, do? Does he just think, as you offer, “Oh, well, it would be a ‘foolish consistency’ to follow my own idea that hating Catholics brings shame on my faith, my party and my nation so I’ll just say I’m proud to be endorsed by a religious bigot even if I don’t agree with everything he says.” Perhaps a man of integrity would pay the political price of saying that he cannot accept the endorsement of someone who espouses a hatred of a particular religious group? Mark says it would be the former. You do sell integrity off at bargain basement prices, don’t you?
This cached copy of Blogsforbush 12 October 2007 comments field:
Watch the Glenn Beck program at 6 pm on CNN. Glenn Beck interviews Pastor John Hagee for the full hour about the End Times. I agree with Pastor John Hagee. I believe we are living in the End Times. Watch Glenn Beck’s interview with Hagee tonight at 6 pm PST or 9pm PST.
If you haven’t done so already, convert to Christianity. Accept and believe in God and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior!
🙂
Posted by: Freedom1 at October 12, 2007 08:27 PM
Freedom,
Just to be sure we’re on the same page – you’re sure we’re in the End Times, right?
Posted by: Mark Noonan at October 12, 2007 08:56 PM
Well, that would seem to be a nail in the coffin of Mark’s claim in Comment # 188, “As it is, I had never heard of Hagee until January of this year – when Huckabee decided to give a sermon at his place.” In Mark’s defense, however, he may not have even paid attention to Hagee’s name and instead focused on the End Times reference.
Mark: Your last comment was all about how big a person Hagee is – with the implication that I, or McCain, must have known about him and his views. I advised you that claims of Hagee being well known are likely exaggerated.
Google [John McCain John Hagee 2007]. It’s pretty clear McCain and Hagee are not strangers. That part of your argument if false. Whether you are familiar with Hagee is irrelevant.
Kahn –
I do not support people who support abortion. I get the impression from my learnings about Jesus that He would not support those who support abortion either. I consider myself to be a follow of Jesus and His teachings.
This rant is still going on? Wow.
Try this out for size.
http://www.jobberonline.biz/Prophecy.html
Matthew 24:36 – ‘But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.’
–Jeremiah–
Dan 12:8-13
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
222. RALPH | March 1st, 2008 at 10:42 pm
And I thought Jeremiah and js were the religious nuts around these parts……..
Most simple minded people dont grasp the meanings of the Spirit because they live for the flesh.
Re: 218. Pain | March 1st, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Pain, I’m glad you took note (but you should have included the link to Billy Graham!). For the record, I don’t know much about Pastor Hagee (I had only heard one or two of his sermons, and had no idea he didn’t like Catholism), but I really do believe that we are in the End Times. As Matthew 24:36 says –
We will not know the day or the hour – only God knows that – but we will see the signs and know the season.
One Christian pastor I do know well is Billy Graham, and he has been saying for a while that we are in the season of the End Times. Don’t wait, the Bible does not promise anyone tomorrow, accept Christ, today!
Steps To Peace With God
Mark Noonan:
Mark, I suppose that might be true for some Protestant Churches, but the ones I’m familiar with (really familiar with) discuss the End Times infrequently. For example, my local church has had only one series of sermons on Revelation in the last 5 years, IIRC. Other preachers like Billy Graham give the occasion sermon on the End Times. They don’t dwell on it, but to ignore it is not wise, either.
But, Mark, you as a Christian already have Salvation. Isn’t it also your job (and our job as Christians) to help Save others before the Second Coming? That’s why it’s important to be aware of how short our time is…to spur us to help others come to know Jesus Christ.
Freedom,
Indeed, we are all to help each other on the journey home – but we Catholics do, after all, hold to a slightly different view of salvation than Protestants; boiled down, we take Paul’s word for it:
One way we formulate it is that we are being saved, we are saved, we will be saved – understanding that God isn’t limited to our timeframe and our salvation isn’t “poof” and done, but a process whereby we ever more carefully follow God’s plan in our lives with a mind towards being with Him for eternity.
So, I do hold that it is my job to be ready – to not, as it were, be caught in the arms of mammon when Our Lord returns.
Mark,
I think we are discussing 2 different points. As to the first point- Salvation – as Protestants we believe…
Our good works as Christians demonstrate our faith.
The second (main) point I was trying to get across, is that it is very important to try to share the Gospel with everyone…before it’s too late for them.
As Protestants or Catholics, we need to realize that time is short for people. A person can slip in the shower and die tomorrow morning, get killed in a car crash, or – since only God knows when- the End can and will come like a thief in the night. Since the End can come at any time, it’s important to act like we have very little time left. If a person dies without God and the Lord Jesus Christ, that person is eternally separated from God and Heaven. That’s a terrible thing.
I think it’s urgent to help people, today -right now! – to come to know Jesus. Then, they will be prepared for death whenever that happens and know that when they die they will be in Heaven with Almighty God – The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. 🙂
Amen, Freedom1.
As the days draw closer to the end, just as the prophecy of Isaiah were made and Jesus reiterated upon them –
Jesus considered earthly morals evil when He spoke at the Sermon on the Mount –
In verse 21 He says:
Thus, it can be said, ‘Faith without works is dead’ meaning Faith without obedience to what the Word says is of no value to ones Eternal Soul. Which may also be tied in with Ephesians 2:8-9 which says that works alone is useless.
They both tie together.
–Jeremiah–
Mark,
I’m hoping you can help me out with this one.
How do you recommend reconciling the disconnect between what Christ teaches and John McCain’s personal life?
I have loads of admiration for Senator McCain for so many things he has done for this country in combat and in Congress. That said, though, Christ is explicit that relations after a divorce, or with a divorcee, amount to adultery, and, of course, we all know how God feels about Adultery.
It would not bother as much if I did not put in context. As I understand it, he had a child with his first wife and adopted her two children before he left for Vietnam. (We all know what happened to Senator McCain, and my understanding is that his wife was [permanenty?] paralyzed during this time following a car accident.)
Anway, the two things I cannot shake are, first, that his wife waited faithfully for six years for him to return only to have him cheat on her. And, two, do you think he was wearing his wedding ring on the night he met Cindy?
Any insight might help me from sitting this one out this year. Thanks.
I should say that my question is really open to anyone who can help. Thanks.
Sam,
What do you want me to say? That McCain has sinned in his life? He sure has – but those issues are between him and God, and what reconciliation he’s done with his ex-wife and with God is something I cannot judge.
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