John Hagee Apologizes for Anti-Catholic Remarks
By now, you've all read about Pastor John Hagee from San Antonio apologizing for many year's worth of anti-Catholic comments in his sermons and on television. From my perspective, when are we going to realize that this approach to "reaching the world" simply doesn't work? You're not going to win the Catholic community to your way of thinking by calling them "the great whore." If that worked, missionaries would be out in 3rd world countries calling local tribes ugly names.
To win this world, we have to win their trust. I have no doubt that Pastor Hagee is a great man who's done many wonderful things. But from the perspective of communications strategy, creating an enemy like the Catholic church helps raise money, but it doesn't actually accomplish your goals. Plus - apologizing later like this, only damages your credibility to the very audience you want to reach.
You nailed it when you mentioned Jeremiah Wright. Just as he has been the decaying carcass around the neck of Barak Hussein Obama, John McCain is being tied to John Hagee.
I want to think that Brother Hagee has seen the error of his ways, but the cynic in me thinks it might just be the religion of politics speaking.
There are very many Catholics in this country who vote Republican, and Hagee's hate speech could send them into the arms of whoever is left standing in the Democratic primary.
Really? Barak Hussein Obama? Must you say his middle name? That's just as bad as Hagee's hate speach.
Then you say,"There are very many Catholics in this country who vote Republican, and Hagee's hate speech could send them into the arms of whoever is left standing in the Democratic primary." Like that is a bad thing?
The old canard "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care" is an old canard because there is truth to it.
"Donohue, one of Hagee's sharpest critics, said he accepted the apology and planned to meet with Hagee Thursday in New York.
"I got what I wanted," Donohue said in an interview. "He's seen the light, as they like to say. So for me it's over."
Hagee apologized. If apologizing "only damages peoples credibility", then no wonder it's so hard to get people to do it! I cannot agree with this reaction. How on earth are we to get people to admit their errors and promise to move in a new direction if we give them a hard time and claim we find them less credible after they apologize?
We all make mistakes, if we're too hard headed to accept an apology, the we deserve to be judged by the same stubborn standard we've abused others by!
I don't like Mr. McCain's affiliation with Hagee because I think Hagee's a Dominionist. That's a serious problem as far as I'm concerned. The good news is, Hagee's man enough to apologize when circumstances warrent it. That means he's got redeeming qualities!
And what planet to you live on? :-) Certainly an apology is always good. But think of the perception issue, and trust me, Jerry Falwell experienced the same thing: If what you say is right (and what a preacher says SHOULD be right) then he didn't need to apologize. On the other hand, if he was wrong all these years, then why are people listening to his messages? Either way, it puts him in a bad position, and to the non-believing culture, we continue to look out of touch and not credible.
What planet do I live on? Good question. It's obvious I'm out of step with the rest of the earthlings.
I live on this planet, right along with the rest of you. I don't trust pastors who pretend they're always right. After all, how smart could they be, if they think they're always right? How honest could they be if they realize they are sometimes mistaken, but insist on pretending they're always right? Such a "pastor" is either a moron or a liar, so why would I take him seriously as a spiritual leader? You are an expert in public opinion matters, and you're telling me the majority of people prefer this kind of pastor. OK, I believe you. The majority of people probably do prefer the horse's behind to the horse's mouth. I don't. I belong to a tiny bunch of cranks who like their pastors gracious.
It's important to know what the majority of people like, and I wouldn't be able to figure 'em out if I didn't listen to experts like yourself. The Hagee's of the world need to worry about pleasing the majority of people. It saddens me to learn that he's got to behave arrogantly to be deemed trustworthy by the majority. That's goofy, but I believe you. Truth is frequently stranger than fiction.
I think you're missing my point. The issue isn't that he asked forgiveness, but that he HAD to... Why did he say those things in the first place? It's not effective, it's not helpful, and it doesn't accomplish anything. Asking forgiveness is a wonderful thing, but I wish he had approached it in a way to begin with so that it wasn't needed...
" I wish he had approached it in a way to begin with so that it wasn't needed... "
Me too, but he wasn't alone by a long shot! Demonizing the Catholic church has been de rigueur in the Americas for centuries. It's the way far too many Protestants were raised. I doubt he questioned the validity or reasonableness of the behavior until recently. The strategy of demonizing Catholics has contributed to his success.
The temptation to "rally the troops" with imaginary enemies is a common leadership ploy. It increases organizational cohesion and contributions of labor and money. Nations do it, kooky cultists do it, and American religious movements do it too. The behavior is all too well understood, and pastors should be embarrassed when caught at it.
Hagee's successful. A lot of people are trying to emulate him. If his apology causes some of them to rethink the strategy of demonizing Catholics to rally the troops, some good has resulted.
I am with you ...80%.
Agreed that this is no way to reach Catholics or anyone else.
But the Wright/Obama connection was a 20 year relationship. McCain did not attend Hagee's church and sit in the amen corner with his wife and kids. It's not the same.
Double standards as always, even with those who claim the name of Christ. Of course Hagee is easily forgiven and less chastised by the general public, because he is a White American male.
I don't agree with Jeremiah Wright's behavior, and most of his comments, but to think that his indictment of White privelege in this country was false, is disingenious at best and imaginary at the most.
Hagee has called the Catholic church names OFTEN, I watch his show. He has also given wrong information about American history to win the hearts of those wishing for an idllyic America from "yesteryear".
Justice for all will be dealt out when Jesus returns; until then, even the ministers are suspect.
If people are looking to equate McCain's relationship to Hagee with Obama's relationship to Wright, they should look at it realistically. Obama attended Wright's church for many years, called him his spiritual mentor, was married by him and Wright baptized his children. None of these things happened between McCain and Hagee. Equating these relationships is a huge distortion of the facts.
It's not about facts or truth, it's about perception. That's marketing 101.
Put soundbytes of Hagee calling the Catholic Church the Great Whore of Babylon together with pictures of McCain hanging out with him, and play it in a strong Catholic region and it will get results.
The point is, we are crazy if we expect people to look at it "realistically". They will make a comparison between Obama/Wright and McCain/Hagee whether we like it or not - "they're all religious nuts!" is the popular sentiment - as Christian communicators we should all know that by now. The door is open and we keep slamming it shut. I don't say we need to compromise but we do need to establish trust at the very least.
If I make a statement that is actually correct, but not filtered through the love of Christ and is driven by any other motive, then I should expect to be perceived wrongly and be willing to pick up the pieces as tough as that may be.
Is it just me or does anyone else find it humorous, in a sardonic sort of way, that the albatross around the neck of the presumed nominees--Dem and Repub--are pastors normally praised and unchalleneged for their blistering rhetoric? Why does the church see that kind of preaching as bold and uncompromised until the world forces us to examine it and see that it's actually out of rhythm with the One we claim to proclaim?
McCain Rejects Hagee's Comments as deeply offensive and indefensible.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/22/mccain.hagee/index.ht ml
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