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character

Mike Johnson is feeling the rush of power

John Fea   |  November 17, 2024

Power is a heck of a drug. Just ask Mike Johnson. Watch: The conservative evangelical Speaker of the House appeared today on CNN’s State of the Union. During the interview, Jake Tapper played this clip of Mark Wayne Mullin talking […]

Follow me!

Jon D. Schaff   |  July 16, 2024

We need to teach young people about our history and institutions. Put me down as in favor. But we also need to teach about character.

“The real issue is the president’s character … [and] the way we have separated sin from consequences.”

John Fea   |  June 3, 2024

On February 19, 1999, Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, appeared on Larry King Live on CNN to talk about Bill Clinton’s impeachment. The Baptist Press did a story on that appearance. You can read it here. […]

“There were other indications that [he] was untruthful and immoral. Why, then, did the American people ignore so many red flags”

John Fea   |  June 1, 2024

This was James Dobson in a letter to his September 1988 newsletter to his Focus on the Family constituency. Read it here. By the way, the “he” in the title of this post is a reference to Bill Clinton. The […]

What Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed said about presidential character in 1998

John Fea   |  May 25, 2024

I ran across this Associated Press article about a Christian Coalition event in 1998. I was struck by a few lines: Reed continues to support Trump. So much for “character” and “moral leadership.”

According to the standards of Christian nationalist Rick Green, Donald Trump is not qualified to be president

John Fea   |  May 16, 2024

You really can’t make this stuff up. Rick Green is the founder of something called the Patriot Academy. He is also the host of David and Tim Barton’s radio show, Wallbuilders Live. Green believes he knows something about presidential character. […]

“Should the president now go scot-free, we will teach the next generation very different, more cynical rules”

John Fea   |  March 1, 2024

Here is David Gergen during the Bill Clinton impeachment investigation in 1998: …At the end of the day, we should recognize that the heart of this case is not about Clinton, nor is it about Starr. It is about us, […]

“Our founding fathers understood the absolute necessity for this nation to elect moral and upright statesmen to lead the people.”

John Fea   |  December 22, 2023

That was Jerry Falwell Sr. on January 8, 1999 in the midst of the Bill Clinton impeachment trial. Here is the quote in context: “Our founding fathers understood the absolute necessity for this nation to elect moral and upright statesmen […]

Conservative evangelicals boo Chris Christie after he delivers a speech on character that was rooted in biblical and Christian teaching

John Fea   |  June 24, 2023

Chris Christie came to the Road to Majority conference to discuss–surprise!– presidential character. Earlier in the day Ralph Reed, the conference host, rejected the idea that conservative evangelicals were part of a Trump “cult.” He said that Christians do not […]

This may have been John McCain’s finest moment

John Fea   |  December 3, 2022

I did some historical writing on this today. My analysis will appear in a future episode of the A History of Evangelicals and Politics podcast, available to patrons of Current with early episodes free at most podcatchers.

Tish Harrison Warren collected 10 New Year’s resolutions that are “good for the soul”

John Fea   |  January 4, 2022

Read them at Warren‘s New York Times column. Here are few: Jen Pollock Michel: “Take time to reflect” Paul Lim: “Plant seeds of humility” Andy Crouch: “Engage with the offscreen world first” Tim Keller: “Take stock of your life every […]