No pious baloney [Eric Metaxas' attack on 'phony religiosity' at the National Prayer Breakfast]

WORLD ^ | 2/2/12 | Emily Belz

[rhema]

Speakers at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in the nation’s capital usually keep their talks diplomatic. After all, the room is filled with ambassadors, lawmakers from both parties, Cabinet members, and people of various faiths from around the world.

But Eric Metaxas, the featured speaker Thursday morning and the author of biographies on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce, talked to an audience of 4,000 important people about false religion, human depravity, poverty, slavery, and abortion. But the New York author delivered his sharp commentary with his trademark wit, which kept the audience roaring with laughter.

The halls of the Washington Hilton, the hotel that hosts the breakfast, were buzzing afterward as people discussed the speech—Metaxas’ speech, not President Obama’s, which followed. Outside the hotel, a protestor asked, “Is it true what I’m hearing, that Eric Metaxas talked about Jesus?”

It was true. At one point, Metaxas led those in attendance in the singing of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” and the president joined in. The author attacked “phony religiosity,” which he struggled through as an agnostic studying at Yale before he became a Christian.

“Jesus was and is the enemy of dead religion,” Metaxas said. “He came to deliver us from that.” Prayer emanates from “real faith in God,” he said, adding that faith in Jesus leads to courageous acts like those of Bonhoeffer and Wilberforce.

At one point Metaxas handed his biographies on Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer to Obama, mentioning that President George W. Bush had read the Bonhoeffer book. “No pressure,” Metaxas added. Afterward Obama almost left the room without the books but came back and tucked them under his arm.

“This is a Bonhoeffer moment,” Metaxas told the audience.

[rhema]

Eric Metaxas in rare form at National Prayer Breakfast

[SoConPubbie]

Perfect description for the liar, Mitt Romney, “Phony Religiosity”.

[Bluebird Singing]

. . . as well as obama, who couldn’t deliver his heartfelt speech about ‘what would Jesus do’ without looking at his notes every 5 words. Setting up the teleprompter would have been so awkward.

[ConfidentConservative]

That was great!

He spoke of the TRUE, real, Jesus Christ and not a phoney Religion.

Grace, loving you enemy, or the other side of what you believe because they can not see.

Just very very right on.

Everyone should watch it.

[Linda Frances]

Bonhoeffer is a great book. He saw what Hitler was doing long before anyone else. He watched as most of the religious leaders bought into the charisma of Hitler. He kept alerting the leaders that Hitler was an evil person and using God only to get ahead and make the people think he was a Christan, when it was false religiously. I think many knew his faith was was not genuine, but they liked Him so much, and did not believe he would Do anything really bad. When they saw Bonhoeffer was right, Hitler was out of control and most were afraid to speak up.

The fact that Eric Metaxas gave this book to our “charismatic” and “religious” acting president, is not an accident. Don't we wish more people understood the gesture in giving Obama that book, especially Obama himself?

[Verginius Rufus]

Does Obama read books that aren’t about himself?

[tet68]

Does Obama read books that aren’t about himself?

No, and the only books about himself are written
by someone else.

[Linda Frances]

True, but sad.