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Many critics don't understand the complexity of religious and specifically Judeo-Christian language. Through religious language, as Fuller Theological Seminary President Richard Mouw recently put it, Bush "has reintroduced into the culture the language of morality and moral distinctions." Even a critic like Pagels recognizes this value: "We need moral language to better understand horrific acts, such as the terror attacks of 9/11."

Yet that same language points beyond the world to the source of morality, a Creator who, according to the biblical tradition, stands above all human aspirations and opinions. In making religious/moral judgments, the speaker yields to a greater authority. In the Christian tradition, this tends to instill a clear perception of human fallibility. And thus Bush, in his State of the Union address, not only outlined his moral vision in foreign affairs but acknowledged that "we do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life, and all of history."

This is not to defend all the President's speeches, or to pretend that some previous American forays into religiously tinged policies (some of those based on "manifest destiny," for instance) were not disasters. It is only to suggest that for political leaders to use biblical categories to describe their policies is hardly inappropriate. Bush is certainly not the first President to do so—though this tradition was only recently revived. Many have forgotten the nation's surprise when Bill Clinton began inserting religious allusions into his remarks.

Let's move from wringing our hands that Bush or any politician has a religious worldview, and stick to debating whether the specific policies that emerge from that worldview actually bring peace and justice to the world.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also appearing on our site today:

The Bush Doctrine | The moral vision that launched the Iraq war has been quietly growing in the president's inner circle.

Related Christianity Today articles include:

What George Bush's Favorite Devotional Writer Says About War | "War is the most damnably bad thing," wrote Oswald Chambers. (March 24, 2003)

Texas Pastor James Robison on the Life-Changing Faith of George W. Bush | The president of Life Outreach International talks about his friend's faith, the moral need of America, and his own conversion. (March 11, 2003)

Scrutiny of Bush's Faith Continues with Newsweek Cover Story (March 3, 2003)

Christian Leaders Respond to Bush's National Security Strategy | The White House outlines foreign policy in a changing world. (September 25, 2002)

Bush's Defining Moment | The President, facing a grief-stricken nation under attack, finds his voice and his mission. (November 2, 2001)

The Minister of 'Good Success' | Meet Kirbyjon Caldwell—megachurch pastor, real-estate whiz, community developer, and the President's spiritual confidant. (October 5, 2001)

A Presidential Hopeful's Progress | The spiritual journey of George W. Bush starts in hardscrabble west Texas. Will the White House be his next stop? (September 5, 2000)

Other related coverage includes:

Bush puts God on his side—BBC (April 6, 2003)

The footsteps factor—Kevin Phillips, Los Angeles Times (April 6, 2003)

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May 2003, Vol. 47, No. 5