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Nonsense, says Brooks. Bush isn't led by simplicity, he's led by his faith. "In the secular world of the media, and the hyper-secular world of the university, we have a poor understanding of how faith informs judgment. But this seems to be the key." Bush's belief that God has placed him where he is, his humility before the Almighty, his moral compass, and his almost biblical straightforwardness that rebels against the State Department's foggy diplomacy have guided his decisions for the better. Yes, for the better. "Bush has used the word "evil" repeatedly during this conflict, and many people have cited this as evidence of his simplistic view of the world," writes Brooks. "But where on earth does anybody get the idea that to call something evil is to make a simple statement? Evil is a complex concept, containing notions of sin, temptation, the possibility of redemption, and much else." To say otherwise is foolish—as are countless other idiotic things said by "a lot of intelligent and learned people" since September 11. "Meanwhile, George W. Bush, lacking both deep learning and wide experience, has made a series of smart decisions," Brooks concludes. "Maybe it's time we reconsidered what it means to be intelligent."

Pat Robertson:

• Faith in hate | Once again, the Rev. Pat Robertson is preaching hate (Editorial, The Boston Globe)
  
  
• The recurring "they" and the truer "we" | Citing the Bible honestly makes it sound more like Robertson's version of the Qur'an than the simple story of a peaceful God and "us," God's peaceful people (Martin E. Marty, Sightings)
  
  

Politics:

• With God on their side | Don't expect sweetness and light from the U.S. government's latest religious phase (Duncan Campbell, The Guardian)
  
  
• Church organizations call for peaceful poll | Zimbabwe Christian Initiative for Peace looks for calm elections and beyond (The Herald, Harare)
  
  
• Christian group behind Harper run by lobbyist (Canadian Press)
  
  

Sex & marriage:

• The gay divide | No issue is as divisive among Christians as homosexuality. (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• As faiths open doors to gays, denomination divides deepen | Growing defiance of policies threatens to splinter denominations (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Sex and sensibility | It's unlikely that celibacy will catch on in our sex-obsessed society, but plenty of people would like to see sex postponed until marriage (David Yount, Scripps Howard)
  
  
• Sexuality is a treasured gift | Whether people agree with the Church or not, we all intuitively know that sex is extremely important (George Pell, The Australian Daily Telegraph)
  
  
• Another church sex scandal in Spain | A priest's flock is passing around the collection plate so he can fly in a woman he met online (Associated Press)
  
  
• Vatican stance on gay clergy criticized | Scholars see a ban slashing priesthood (The Boston Globe)
  
  

Abuse:

• Press hit over role in priest scandals | The controversy over Catholic priests and sexual abuse reported widely a decade ago has snowballed, some say, because of power struggles between the church and news media in Boston (The Washington Times)
  
  

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March (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46