Politicians have learned from Watergate that not only is confession good for the soul, it’s good for your career. Last week Barack Obama paid a reported 17 unpaid parking tickets from his days in the Ivy League. Now that this detail from his past is taken care of publicly, it’s no longer fair game during the campaign–at least that’s the hope.
Then Newt Gingrich confessed marital infidelity while he was in Congress, even when he was leading the charge against Bill (“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky”) Clinton. I guess this means Newt is seriously considering running for president, too.
Here’s a question, though: Wouldn’t you feel better about these confessions if they were not used as a political tactic, when there is nothing to be gained from them? I know I would.
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
