During his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama got into trouble with his famous comment about too many working-class Americans clinging to their guns and religion. At the time, he had to backpedal from the remarks, but as we saw in the last election his observation was prescient. Bible thumpers and gun toters have ushered in scary times for many of us labeled “libtards” by the fundamentalist/NRA faction.
The other pillar of this unholy trinity is hypocrisy. Nowhere is it on finer display than at Liberty University. If it can be believed, its leader, Jerry Falwell Jr., was asked to be Secretary of Education in the new regime. This, after preaching the virtues of arming his students and faculty and directing pointed language at Muslims. Liberty now attracts the likes of John Luke Robertson, a member of the clan from the reality-television series “Duck Dynasty.” His major? Adventure Leadership and Outdoor Ministry. Wonder what that looks like on a diploma.
The latest disgrace occurred yesterday when Falwell gushed over his new hire for athletic director, Ian McCaw. For those that don’t follow college football as passionately as I do, you may not know that McCaw was the AD from that other bastion of Christian values, Baylor University. He resigned from the same job at Baylor after the school placed him on probation for his part in the athletic department’s failure to adequately respond to multiple reports of sexual assault by football players.
“In disgrace, he leaves one morally bankrupt institution and is welcomed by another.”
Just two weeks ago, Baylor revealed that he and former football coach Art Briles had been informed about an allegation from a student-athlete that she’d been gang-raped by football players. McCaw failed to report any of that to judicial affairs. McCaw’s former boss and Baylor president, Ken Starr, also lost his job. You may recall Starr’s “Christian” crusade against Bill Clinton.
Baylor’s board of regents is grudgingly cleaning up its mess, but Falwell’s quote about his hire says it all: “You look at what Baylor was able to do during his tenure, it fits perfectly with where we see our sports programs going. This is an exciting time for us.”
And he’s absolutely correct. McCaw’s indiscretions were just a minor inconvenience, unworthy of any review or mention. In disgrace, he leaves one morally bankrupt institution and is welcomed by another. No repentance necessary, brother.
For many like Falwell, or Donald Trump for that matter, Christianity is Machiavellian. It fits with the same nonsense that produced the statement that “the second amendment guarantees our God-given right to bear arms”. I’ve heard it many times. Almighty God provided Moses with that provision in the constitution instead of the founding fathers.
McCaw is the perfect fit for a hypocrite like Jerry Falwell. Knowing this man represents what passes for an institute of higher learning, why would any real God-fearing parent want to send their child there? Unless of course, Liberty folds the scholastically challenging Outdoor Leadership major into a new BFA program—Bachelor of Firearms & Ammo.
