George W. Bush
 The Real Deal?
by Pastor Stephen M. Brown, M. Div.

Recently a friend sent me an e-mail of a report written by Bruce Vincent of his visit with a group to the White House to receive awards from the President.  He was awed to be in the White House and meet the President face to face.  Near the end of his visit he shared with the President his mother had cancer, the President then prayed with Bruce and held him on his shoulder as he prayed.  Bruce broke down and wept in response.  He then concludes that because the President cared enough to pray with him he was the real deal or a genuine good Christian.  Is the fact that the President is willing to engage in prayer with someone on a personal level a sure sign he is the real deal?  Let us consider this person’s evaluation of the President in the light of the sure foundation of truth – Holy Scripture and see if he is correct or not. 

Jesus Christ teaches us much through the scriptures on how to discern who are false Christians and who are true.  Praying in front of others for someone’s need is not a dependable criterion to use to see if someone is the real deal.  Christ taught that both the false and the true will use prayer in their lives as well as quoting scripture, and speaking of one’s faith and hope in God.  (Matthew 6:5-8 and Matthew 7:15-23) Satan himself will quote Scripture and even pray with you for your need if he thinks he can fool you through it.  For the Scripture says in II Corinthians 11:14, "Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light."  No wonder Jesus said, "Don’t be like the Pharisees" who would publicly pray in front of others to get their praise and support.  Jesus teaches that prayer should be a private matter between God and us and not used to gain men’s praise and support.  It is holy.  Bush has used his so-called faith to publicly pray and get men’s votes and support.  Vincent’s report proves my point.  If Bush had prayed for God’s glory then the article would praise God.  The article is written to praise Bush.  Why?  Even the recipient of Bush’s caring prayer, I believe, shows a type of profanity to use God and prayer in the public arena to gain men’s praise for George Bush.  This is the fruit of a Pharisee and not a man of God.  Do you know who the Pharisees were in Jesus's day?  Jesus called them hypocrites and children of Satan and they refused to accept Him as the Messiah. They were the ones who conspired to kill Jesus. No, prayer can be misused and is certainly not proof of any one being “the real deal.”

If public prayer and confessing faith in God cannot be sure signs of genuine Christianity, how then can we discern whether Bush is the real deal or not?  A person’s attitude about war and honestly or lying are dependable fruits to determine whether one is a genuine Christian or a hypocrite and charlatan. 

First let's examine George Bush in the light of Biblical truths regarding war. Jesus taught that his mission and his disciple’s mission was to save men’s lives and not destroy them.  Because Christ died on the cross and shed his blood for all He has lifted the value of all human life – even our enemies whom He loves and we are called to love. In the early church new Christians were forbidden to serve in the Roman army because of Rome’s pagan philosophy of war and idolatry.  Rome waged war to destroy life and plunder nations for greed and wealth.  Their purpose of war was evil and destructive.  They also demanded all soldiers to worship the emperor.  Hence, all Christians refused to fight.  Soldiers who became Christians usually were put to death because they refused to fight.  True Christians throughout the centuries have always been anti-war.  In the fourth century when Christianity had become the religion of the Roman Empire, a church father named Augustine developed a theology of war for a Christian society.  The only justified war is when a Christian state is first attacked by a foreign nation and then defends itself.  Any type of presumptive strike where a nation attacks first is an unjust war.  War should only be a last resort and is always considered an evil necessity because of man’s corrupt nature.  It is a pagan war philosophy that loves war and seeks to go to war when unprovoked and the fruit of an unbeliever and heathen. George Bush has embraced this philosophy. He loves war and is a warmonger. He wanted war with Iraq before 9/11 and after 9/11 he was eager to go to war.  He declared a worldwide war on terrorism as well as Iraq rather than just taking out Bin Laden and al Qaeda.  This Iraq war is a crime against God and the people of Iraq.  No true Christian is a warmonger.

George Bush used much deception to manipulate people to support his war policy.  He used great deception in propaganda to convince Americans that his war on Iraq was just.  After each lie was proved false he still justified the war by saying Saddam Hussein was evil.  This means if a leader is evil we are justified to go to war and conquer him even if he never attacks us, but I digress. Christ also taught his disciples not to swear by another but to speak the truth always.  Bush is a master politician and full of deception in his politics of war.  Bush has used the office and pulpit of the President as a means to convince the people of his propaganda that the preemptive strike on Iraq was justified.  It is like he was saying, "maybe I could lie to you as a politician; but would the President of the United States ever lie to the American people after we have been attacked and are at war?"  Thus he used the office, as someone would swear by heaven.  He swears by speaking in an official capacity as President.  Jesus said when a person must use special devices to convince people to believe him then it comes of evil. Much of Bush’s propaganda about justifying the war has been proved false.   Bush is a deceiver and has deceived the American people to support him in an unjust war. 

Worse than the war is the pagan philosophy concerning war Bush has led Congress and the American people to embrace.  In our past, America has tried to live by the Christian theology of a just war.  We never went to war unless provoked by being attacked first.  Bush has led the nations to embrace the heresy and pagan philosophy of preemptive strike.  Behind Bush’s war are the same reasons of greed and plunder that Rome believed in.  Many pastors and theologians have forsaken Christ and support Bush in this unjust war.  The nation is heading down a very dangerous road in changing our philosophy of war.  If we continue to embrace this philosophy it will eventually lead us into other unjust wars that could lead to a World War.

George W. Bush is a dangerous man.  He has deceived many using religious practices such as prayer and verbal confession of God.  Christianity has been lowered to a shallow and superficial plane by Bush to help in his deception of the masses. His actions of plunging our country into an ungodly and unjust war through much deception screams out much louder then his talk of faith in God.  He does not walk the talk.  He is a warmonger, heretic, and deceiver, all fruits of an unbeliever and charlatan.  George W. Bush is not the real deal.  He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is leading our country into a philosophy of war that could eventually destroy us.    

It is sad that Bruce used such a shallow and superficial criteria to decide whether President Bush was the real deal or not.  Even sadder is that in this same way millions of others are being deceived by the charlatans of today.  When people no longer depend on the foundation of truth to guide them in their judgments, but rather lean on their fleshly wisdom and emotions, they will be deceived.  We must return to Christ and His holy scriptures to guide us in discerning who are the real Christians and genuine good people.