Ms. Callahan's post here is hyperbolic. No one has suggested that the cross is a "horrid thing." And I am not sure to whom she is referring when she writes inclusively that "everyone knows," in as much as "everyone" does not include me. Nor can she know with any assurance whether those who express regret or not, Christian or otherwise, are sincere in their belief. Calvinist doctrine teaches the doctrine of absolute depravity, which is to say, the unredeemed human will is incapable of *any* morally correct act. Since God offers grace only to some people, and since the unredeemed human can do nothing to earn or merit it, it behooves all of us to be humble. We may or may not be among the saints, when God judges between "the quick and the dead." Satan, the great deceiver, can mislead us about our own prospects of salvation--assurance, in other words, can never be complete. Hypocrisy, among those who claim "visible sainthood," is rife. All of this is standard reformed theology. Those of us who are believers, and who locate ourselves within these commitments, will recognize that final judgment belongs to God, and not to us. Its hard enough to achieve personal assurance. Its presumptious to pass judgment in such a cavalier fashion about people whom we do not know. This is one important reason, by the way, why Madison (who understood his theology considerably better than most evangelicals do today) advocated strict separation of church and state. The danger, as he well knew, was greatest when the rulers are hypocrites. Given the viciousness, and the corruption, introduced into politics today by the degrading process of (civic) election, who can doubt that a great many of the civicly elect, by their very participation in the process, reveal the doubtfulness of their theological election? I hesitate to draw individual judgment--it is possible that some pure men and women survive the process. But the process surely does seem designed to favor the unscrupulous and the unprincipled over the Godly. Do we *really* want to trust our religious faith to such people? Does anyone really doubt that a great many of our civicly elect have used professions of religion for secular purposes? All best, Kevin ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:53:36 -0800 >From: Clara Callahan <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: Wren cross at W&M >To: [log in to unmask] > >Let's just do what it is we're going to do (get the horrid and offensive thing OUT of here) and deal with the unwashed masses who may protest later because everyone knows that once something like this is done, not much is going to be done to undo it. Offer some fake, faint words of regret, pretend to humble onesself as a "Christian" who has "seen the light of diversity," create a committee to "handle things" and get back to business as usual. Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D. Department of History James Madison University To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html