Gov't Prof Agrees with Bush about Faith-Based Leadership
by Chad Groening
February 3, 2005
(AgapePress) - A born-again Christian college professor who teaches at one of the largest state universities in the United States agrees with recent statements from George W. Bush regarding the important part his faith plays in his presidency.In a recent interview with the Washington Times newspaper, President Bush said he does not see how a person can be president without having a relationship with the Lord. He also commented that many in the public misunderstand the role of faith in his life and his view of the proper relationship between religion and government.
Dr. Jay Budziszewski is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas in Austin. As a Christian, he says he understands President Bush's position and "I certainly agree with him, that you can't carry any real responsibility without help from God."
Budziszewski believes all people have an awareness of God within themselves. However, he says he has a number of atheist students who are very antagonistic towards religion. Therefore, he contends, they maintain a desire to negate the veracity of God in spite of themselves.
"My atheist students are mostly very angry students," the professor says. "There aren't a lot of them, but they carry a lot of hostility. I don't know what it is that they're upset about, but for some reason or another, they have some wish -- I think -- to try to hold down, to suppress that awareness of the reality of God that we all have deep down."
Budziszewski says if he were faced with two candidates that were otherwise similar, but one was a believer and the other was not, he would certainly take that fact under consideration. However, he realizes that a lot of people are offended by heavily faith-influenced thinking like his and President Bush's.
"Some people would say that attitude is religiously bigoted and prejudiced," the university instructor acknowledges. "But, you know, whatever your moral and religious views are, naturally if you think you're right, you don't want somebody controlling huge affairs of the nation who is desperately wrong."
For that reason, Budziszewski says he personally has no problem making political decisions based on religious factors. And for that reason, he is equally sanguine about having a man in the Oval Office who acknowledges his need for a relationship with Christ in order to lead the nation.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
