Ok, one more on Drake

It is hard to resist. Saw this USATODAY.com where they too asked Drake WTF:

"Today, Drake told us by telephone that he has called for prayers aimed at smiting the AU and its leadership not because they oppose him personally, but because "they are attacking God's people."

Again, he equates himself with God's people. I think I am one of God's people, and I don't feel attacked. Well, not by Americans United. Feeling just a little attacked by idiots like Drake.

Speaking of idiocy:

Drake also said he had been careful to state that he was "personally endorsing" Huckabee, not throwing his church's support to the candidate. He put the endorsement on the church's letterhead, Drake said, "because I'm not going to let anyone tell me I have to hide who I am. I use letterhead to pay my phone bill and to send my mother a note.""

Could that be the answer to this riddle? Drake isn't just theologically challenged, but just not very smart.

The riddle is solved by, well me, and the Los Angeles Times columnist Dana Parsons. Parsons writes an interesting take on the Drake nutjobbery by connecting it to teaching the Bible in school. Should we, he asks, teach imprecatory prayer in Public schools? Would that violate the school's "zero-violence" policy? That part is funny and pretty apt.

But included is a little glimpse of Wiley Drake--the wingnut himself. Parsons has interviewed him several times and kind of likes the nut. Parsons assures us that Drake is "no ayatollah." Ok. I don't really care. But he includes this:

He's a Southern Baptist from Texas who is cookie-cut from the mold of men who like to preach the Gospel and issue press releases. I wrote 10 years ago that he "likes microphones for breakfast," and Drake didn't dispute it.

He acknowledged then that he probably had "been rightly accused of being somewhat self-aggrandizing and a media freak" but added that he'd actually accepted years earlier that he wasn't going to become famous.

You catch that last line?

he'd actually accepted years earlier that he wasn't going to become famous

See, I thought that Pastors were supposed to be about service. Drake is just one in a long line of people who are there (at least partially) for the fame and notoriety. The late Jerry Falwell comes to mind, for some inexplicable reason. Or James Dobson's tailored suit as he strides from the limo to meet with the centers of power. Oh, I am sure along the way all did some good to those around them. Drake supposedly fought city hall to establish a homeless shelter at his church, and Falwell famously did much for unwed mothers. Dobson undoubtedly taught some underprivileged couple to spank the hell out of their kid. But all of them love those microphones and revel in the wealth and fame.

Tony calls these types "celebrity Christians" and I agree. Unfortunately, they have a voice and it has been a very bad voice for, well, all of us. Everytime some idiot like Drake pops off, we forget that there are pastors like Tony who clearly are not in it for either fame or money and who recently had his VBS group raise money for Special Olympics (obviously not getting the Bush memo that Special Olympics is supported by the Kennedy family). This is not to single Tony out, except he is the one I know of right now. I also know that Anglican's priest here in Norman is just one hell of a guy and another man serving those around him. There are countless more out there, but those men and women are lost in the mega church-satellite service-video preacher-branded church-mindless "praise and worship"-non denom with the hip music and high tech show, etc., phenomenon. We need to focus more on them and shut the Wiley Drake's and James Dobson's the hell up.

One last thing, an image I found on a blog post about Wiley Drake is very interesting and quite telling. I don't know where the picture was taken or who the people are, but I think it came from the right wing "Move America Forward" website (cheap and cheesy response to Moveon.org, and dominated by a lot of right wingers). It tells us a lot about the Dobson/Drake/Falwell phenomenon. I am sure you will see what I am talking about.