Obama is the Antichrist, Part II

Before this blog attracts a Tea Party endorsement, allow me to first scream out OBAMA IS NOT THE ANTICHRIST. The title of this blogspot, and the picture I've put up is due to Pastor Buddy Wallace calling Obama the Antichrist in a sermon at Union Gospel Mission [See my prior post on the topic.] and, now, an email exchange I've had with the Vice President of Student Services at Epic Bible College [formerly, Trinity Life Bible College], warrants a second visit to the "Obama is the Antichrist" topic.

The email exchange with that VP was strange and leaves me worried.

To begin, I made Epic Bible College aware of my disgruntlement with the preaching of Buddy Wallace, on February 19, at the Union Gospel Mission. Via the contact form at Epic's/Trinity's website I both wrote that I was disgruntled and, later, sent a link to my post about Wallace's odd [to my mind] statements about Obama and China taking over America.

The VP of Student Services, a well credentialed person with alphabet soup following his/her name, wrote me, with this being the nut of it: "I would like to apologize if you were offended. It is never the desire of any preacher to offend, unless the shoe fits." He also wrote, "Yours was the only complaint received [re Wallace's sermon], we actually got great reviews of his message."

I responded that I wasn't offended. (Nor was I seeking an apology from Wallace ― or his stand in.) I wrote, in part, "I don't think that the Antichrist shoe fits President Obama's foot. I would wish there was someone at Epic who might want to counsel Pastor Wallace on the meaning of agape and its power. I would wish that Christ's message resonated at Epic. But, woe to me, I know much much less about the scripture than you all. But if Pastor Wallace is the epitome of the product of an Epic education, then your college does no good for the world."

The VP responded, in full:

I guess the apology was not accepted. There seems to be a lot of hate in your own words, "epitome of the product of an Epic education" so are you saying Ron Smith fits that category also, as a graduate? And remember we do not promote or arrange the speakers, Ron Smith does. Maybe your venom should be placed somewhere else. Learning to forgive is much more important than being right! Remember if you can't forgive how can you be forgiven. Let's try to forgive, and move on. Hopefully, there can be a healing.

Well. For starters, epitome means "typical." No, Ron Smith wouldn't be typical; he is outstanding.

I have to say, here, that I have particular trouble with hysterical, fantastical Obama bashing, that, likely, this VP doesn't have.

There was an op-ed column by Frank Rich in the New York Times, recently, "The Axis of the Obsessed and Deranged" about the deranged netherworld of the political far-Right Tea Partiers who are so upset they've become totally wacky, justifying extreme violence. Then, there is this nutzoid Stalinist Communism in the Leftist/totalist contingent of the Sacramento homeless-help industry [i.e. Loaves & Fishes; SHOC; SafeGround; and Sacramento Housing Alliance]. It is all looney beyond the pale.

Also, threatening talk against an American President is just, flatly, out of order. I think six out of 45 of our presidents have been assassinated, including Kennedy during my lifetime, and more have had attempts against their lives, including, in my lifetime, an attempt to gun down Ronald Reagan and two attempts on Gerald Ford's life. Calling Barack Obama the Antichrist can "inspire" a mentally ill person to try to take him out. It simply is talk that is beyond the pale and any half-reasonable person should self-censor that kind of foolish blather that, OF COURSE, has no grounding in truth. I think a preacher who takes up that kind of talk should find another profession that has nothing to do with his mouth.

I wrote back, in part,

I don't *think* I'm being venomous. How does one offer a retort to someone else saying something so ludicrous as calling President Obama the Antichrist, exactly?

Dr. Oakley, we get nowhere if it is acceptable to call the president the Antichrist. We have to be more reality-based than to allow things to move in that direction.

Yes, we should move on. Yes, we should forgive. But also, the intense hatred that comes from many preachers ― apparently very much including Buddy Wallace ― needs to cease.

I added a zinger at the bottom, but it was meant to bring forward the absurdity, vileness and wackiness and unreality of the topic of our conversation.

I wrote: "The truth simply is that Buddy Wallace is a horse's pitoot." By the way, pitoot, as defined by the Urban dictionary, is "A nonsense word signifying something significant."  Just as Obama isn't the Antichrist, Wallace isn't a horse's pitoot, of course. Name calling, which was all I really believed Wallace was doing, at this point, is just a bunch of silliness.

The VP wrote back [emphases, mine],

Obviously there is no satisfying you, apology not excepted, hatred for Bubby Wallace, no forgiveness, I guess if someone can call you the devil or hitler, which seems to be all right with you, then I don't understand your anger at someone else making a statement he believes to be true. You are not God neither is he, everyone has opinions, so just learn to forgive and move on. I believe that you probably mean well, but this whole situation has caused you to be no better than the person you are complaining about, if he is wrong then your actions are wrong, too. You don't bring healing by being hateful, or vindictive to someone else. What would you suggest, that we nail him to a cross, or forgive him? Anger, serves no purpose, at least any constructive purpose. Maybe a little bit of grace is needed the same kind of grace Christ gave you when he went to the cross for you. Think about it. My goal is not to defend Bubby but to bring reconciliation to the situation, and that can only be done through forgiveness. This will be my last communication with you concerning this topic, as I believe further discussion will only lead to further separation rather than healing.

It remains fully mysterious to me what I'm to forgive Buddy Wallace for, and how this VP kissing my pinkie ring or me kissing his/hers would accomplish anything or represent anything ― much less forgiveness or reconciliation.

Buddy Wallace fully, absolutely and comfortably represented Epic Bible College when he said Barack Obama is the Antichrist; the VP tells me Wallace fully believes the fantastical crap that he said; and this graceless Vice President of Student Services at Epic Bible College, Terry Oakley, effectively, defends Wallace's crap, allowing it to besmirch his institution.

It's a sad day in Mudville.