MY NEW HERO
Bob Schieffer
Since 1991 Bob Schieffer has been the anchor and host of CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” On Sunday, in a conversation on same-sex marriage and Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing, the veteran journalist who also serves as CBS’ chief Washington correspondent introduced Family Research Council president Tony Perkins as the head of an anti-gay hate group…. “Mr. Perkins, I’m going to say this to you upfront. You and your group have been so strong in coming out against this and against gay marriage that the Southern Poverty Law Center has branded the Family Research Council an anti-gay hate group,” Schieffer said, introducing Perkins. “We have been inundated by people who say we should not even let you appear because they, in their view — quote — you don’t speak for Christians. Do you think you’ve taken this too far?”
Too often, reporters and journalists treat those who traffic in hate speech and discrimination as if they have something of value to say. They act as if their opinions are every bit as valid and legitimate as those whose Christianity isn’t shot through with hatred, racism, and homophobia. People like Tony Perkins are given a forum with which to spread their hyper-religious hatred and bastardized Christianity without being questioned or confronted about their intolerance and inhumanity. Before you know it, Perkins is treated like a Very Serious Person, and hate speech has a forum in the guise of Christianity. No reasonable person would believe hate speech and the teachings of Jesus Christ to have anything resembling common ground. Then again, “reasonable” is a qualifier unlikely to be used to describe Perkins or his theology.
That Bob Schieffer was willing to call out Perkins for what he is is noteworthy because most in his profession lack the cojones to do the same thing. They either fear losing access or they lack the moral courage to call out those who traffic in hatred and homophobia. Schieffer introduced Perkins as the leader of “an anti-gay hate group,” which is in fact what the Family Research Council is, and he should be applauded for telling the truth. Perkins and the FRC believe they speak for Christians, when in fact hatred and homophobia are antithetical to the Gospel. Schieffer is notable for being one of the few in the media willing to do the right thing and call the haters what they are.
The question of whether or not Perkins should have been invited to appear on “Face the Nation” is a difficult and more nuanced question. Perkins and FRC are certainly entitled to their point of view- this is still nominally a free country- but they have no right to expect that the hatred they spread in the name of their “religious faith” be treated as a legitimate, worthy philosophy. Perkins’ theology is not merely an ultraconservative flavor of Christianity; it’s a complete bastardization of what the Lord and Savior he claims to worship taught and stood for. FRC is a hate group, plain and simple, and their homophobia and opposition to same-sex marriage makes a mockery of their alleged Christian beliefs. Jesus didn’t preach against homosexuality or same-sex marriage, and if Perkins is going to hearken back to the Old Testament, I’d have to wonder is he’s eating shellfish or wearing clothes of mixed fibers.
When you break it down, Perkins is just another cafeteria Christian, a bigot and a hater who picks and chooses his theology in a poorly camouflaged effort to support his fears and prejudices. The Family Research Council is as much about Christianity as Louie Gohmert is about intellectual rigor and reasoned debate. FRC is “Christian” only insofar as it inaccurately claims that label to describe itself. When you look at what FRC stands for, though, it’s not difficult to see that it has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ; it’s about hatred, homophobia, and discrimination. Tony Perkins couldn’t lead a Christ-like life if handed him an instruction manual.
Would that more in the mainstream media could display the honesty Bob Schieffer did.
