How Did I Get Here, Part 2
April 20th, 2006 | by Scott |Or, How Bill Clinton Taught Me True Grace.
I remained a good little Republican boy throughout the 90’s. However, 8 years of the Clinton presidency somewhat muted my enthusiasm for politics.
Sure, I had that momentary feeling of euphoria when the GOP “cleaned house” during the 94 mid-terms. However, that was short-lived.
After all, Bill Clinton was still in office.
Where I come from, hatred of Bill Clinton runs deep. The animus between many conservative Christians, in my experience, is not due to political differences.
It is not disagreement with his positions or ideologies.
It is hatred, pure and simple. Bill Clinton was the poster boy for all that is “wrong with America.”
In 1996, I stumbled a little bit. I made some mistakes, committed some sins, and left ministry. I wandered for a while before I made my way back home.
To come home, I needed grace. I needed forgiveness. Thankfully, I received that.
During that process of returning, I met my beautiful wife, Tracy. She, too, had the Republican pedigree: actively involved in the Arkansas GOP, a delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention. We were kindred spirits in more ways than one.
We married in 1998 around the same time a name entered into the vernacular: Monica Lewinsky. I was shocked and outraged at these charges, as was the rest of the country.
Of course, Clinton initially denied the allegations of sexual affairs in the White House. But when the truth emerged, he confessed and repented.
Yet, for many, there was no way he could be sincere. “The only reason he is sorry is because he got caught” was a chorus I heard over and over.
I struggled greatly with the Christian community’s reaction to all of this. I, too, had needed grace and received it. Why would we withhold it from Clinton?
My frustration finally bubbled over one Sunday night when we had a guest speaker at our church. He was a prominent man in our community of Albuquerque. A portion of his sermon was a diatribe against Bill Clinton.
He said, “The Bill Clinton mess is the perfect opportunity to teach our children about sin and about God’s judment on those who persist in such wicked living.”
I was boiling. Where was the grace? Bill Clinton had repented. He had asked forgiveness and prayers. He had asked three Christian leaders to minister to him and hold him accountable. But that wasn’t enough for many of us.
It wasn’t repentance we demanded of Bill Clinton. For so many, the only way Bill Clinton could redeem himself would be to change his political affiliation. It wasn’t Jesus that Bill Clinton needed to square himself with, it was Newt Gingrich.
That was the first time I felt like abandoning my political party.
When I got to our teen devo that night I said, “The Bill Clinton affair is the perfect opportunity to teach our children about God’s grace and mercy. It is the perfect opportunity to teach that we can find forgiveness no matter who we are, no matter where we have been.”
My years as a Clinton-basher ended that night.
He asked for forgiveness.
It was not my place to doubt his sincerity, question his motives, or withhold forgiveness.
It was my job to forgive.
And to love. Even Bill Clinton.
Next: Political Atheism
14 Responses to “How Did I Get Here, Part 2”
By Kevin Bussey on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
Amen Scott!
I still don’t like his politcial views, but somehow I like the man. Maybe it’s the Holy Spirit telling me I’ve got a lot in my life that needs to be purged.
By Terri on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
You’re good people. I want to be good people. I’m having trouble getting there.
By Larry on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
Scott, This is good!! I have learned over the past 54 years, that the only person you can change is yourself. It’s amazing what I am learning from my little brother.
Larry
By Mike the Eyeguy on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
Do I smell a best-selling memoir in the making?
Seriously, this is interesting stuff, and I agree on the whole Clinton thing. I always cringed when I heard the merciless reaction among many Christians to his shortcomings. I probably participated in my fair share at first, but eventually I saw the hypocrisy in it all.
I’ve also moved to toward the left from the right over the past 15 years but don’t quite have the political whiplash that you do, having landed in the “mushy middle” (where I am content to stay for now).
“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men who cannot save.” (Psalm 146:3)
(and I would add, “whether they be elephants or asses!)
By John on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
My trouble with Clinton and forgiveness is that I never believed that he was truly sincere in the apology. Maybe it’s just the cynic in me but I thought it was just another caculated political move. Just like the 60 Minutes interview in early 92 just after the Jennifer Flowers affair was exposed. I know it’s wrong to question someone on this since only God can truly know their heart but I can’t get past the feeling of it just another move in the game.
By Scott on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for all the comments.
Mike, keep that verse in mind as this little tale of mine unfolds. This is not a political pilgrimage but a spiritual one. This is in the context of politics right now, because politics formed the basis of my faith for so long. I’ll emerge soon.
John, I hear you. But look at the rest of Clinton’s story. The spiritual advisors that he tapped in the aftermath aren’t a bunch of yes men. They are firebrands and ones who have been in his shoes. The fact that he maintained them after leaving office, to me, speaks volumes. He could have shed them quietly after the furor of Monica died down, but he didn’t.
And regardless, Jesus says to forgive, not weigh whether or not the asker deserves it or not.
By Matt on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for posting this, Scott. I’m loving your blog more and more everyday…
By Doug Freeman on Apr 20, 2006 | Reply
I hope it was not too difficult for the Lord to forgive him. There is much more than the Monica deal that went on here in Arkansas. If you guys think he has been forgiven, then i accept. There is consolation in that God knows and that is sufficient for me. I am still ticked about him sticking me with a 50 plus dollar breakfast that i arranged for him. He wanted me to bring Max Cleland ( a triple Amputee ) to the Capitol Hotel for breakfast. I sit there and listened for an hour while they talked about running for President. When finished, Bill walks out and left me with the check. I had just paid Max Cleland $4.000 for a speaking engagement. Since Max was the secretary of State in Georgia, I carried him out to the Capitol to meet our corrupt Sec. of State. Remember, he is the one who took his secretaries out to Vegas for a love feast or whatever you want to call it at tax payers expense. Later, he was thrown out of office.
By extremist on Apr 22, 2006 | Reply
Forgiveness for the adultery is between him and HRC and God. That was never the point. Whether he ought to be forgiven had nothing to do with whether he should have been removed from office for repeatedly lying under oath, both in civil litigation and before the grand jury and for attempting to coach others in their testimony before the grand jury.
He should have been removed and then prosecuted. Just because you’re President and you say you’re sorry, doesn’t mean you’re above the law. By the way, he’s never admitted that he lied to the grand jury (remember, he denied ever being alone with Monica). Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought admitting you have done wrong is the first, indispensable step toward seeking forgiveness.
He didn’t admit to lying to the grand jury or seek forgiveness for that because to do so would have meant admitting to a crime — which might have had more severe consequences. If people view that as a bit self-serving, that doesn’t mean they don’t believe in forgiveness or grace. It just means that they are viewing the circumstances from a more analytical. level-headed perspective.
I realize my comment is a bit beside the point of your post, and for that I apologize. But, I couldn’t help myself.
By scott on Apr 22, 2006 | Reply
The adultery was the point. I heard the sermon that night. I heard the constant vitriole hurled at him and that continues to be hurled at him.
I never said he was above the law. But he did ask forgiveness for his sins with Monica. He was impeached for the lying.
If lying is grounds for impeachment…well, I digress.
By extremist on Apr 22, 2006 | Reply
You didn’t say he was above the law, but I think the source of the frustration (which may lead to vitriol by some) was that many, many, many people at the time *did* argue that there was nothing wrong with what he did and that he should face no consequence for lying to a grand jury. For all practical purposes, that is an argument that he was above the law.
As I said, though, I recognize that was not *your* point. Sorry for the sidebar.
By George Freeman on Apr 23, 2006 | Reply
To Doug Freeman –
50 bucks for breakfast? Where did you guys eat? I would serve you here for half that!
By Doug Freeman on Apr 23, 2006 | Reply
George, we ate at the Capitol Hotel. Normal prices for breakfast runs about 10 to 15 bucks. There was 4 of us.
By Jeff R on Apr 25, 2006 | Reply
Scott - Do you know how great it is that your dad and your brother - and your sister - all comment on your blog? I hope when my kids are grown we have these kinds of dialogue!