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After one term, George W. Bush is turning out to be the most consequential U.S. President since Ronald Reagan. We're hoping he can show equal initiative regarding the great moral issues that face our nation.

Even opponents recognize Bush has accomplished a great deal already: implementing the Department of Homeland Security, launching democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, reforming education, cutting taxes, and shepherding the economy out of recession. Conservatives have been pleased that he signed the first piece of federal legislation to restrict abortion since Roe v. Wade, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban (now tied up in the courts), and that he also pushed to remove barriers to federal support of faith-based charities.

Now he wants to accomplish even more. Last night, in the annual State of the Union address, he laid out an ambitious second-term agenda. Two items of note:

First, Bush praised the Iraqi people and American soldiers for their heroism in making democracy possible. The President noted, "The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom."

Fortunately, the President is the commander in chief, not the theologian in chief. Political rhetoric aside, Christians know that human freedom cannot bring lasting peace and prosperity—only the sovereign Lord of history can do that. Nor can freedom fill our greatest need, which is peace with God. That being said, we rejoice in the spread of political freedom around the world and pray it will lead not only to shalom with neighbor but increased opportunities for shalom with God.

Second, Bush spoke on saving Social Security. In this, he has shown unusual boldness. Most politicians have feared to touch this third rail of American politics.

"The system," he said, "on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security."

Where's the Life?

Viewers who had to tuck their kids into bed may have missed the President's brief remarks on life issues, wedged as they were between the speech's far more detailed sections on Social Security and political freedom. Does this suggest that now that Mr. Bush, who ran on a pro-life platform, has safely won a second term, he is less than eager to spend some of his "political capital" to defend the sanctity of human life and marriage? We hope not.

Yet, in an hour-long address, the President devoted but two short paragraphs to what we'd broadly call "life issues" (for lack of a better term). The words were good, but they were too few if he is really serious about building a "culture of life." This brevity in the midst of the nation's unfolding moral confusion is unsettling. Why is he bold and visionary on economic issues that may affect our children and grandchildren, but strangely reticent on the very definitions of human life and community? While "values voters" certainly care about Social Security, they didn't return Bush to office on this basis.

Granted, the President is not the nation's senior pastor. But his words and actions can set a tone that allows a culture of life to flourish.

On gay marriage, during the campaign, the President repeatedly affirmed his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which limits the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Supporters say the FMA is needed because federal judges are likely to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton to keep marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.

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February (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49