What about the transformative, cleansing power of Jesus Christ - who Newt confesses as his Savior. Aren't old things passed away and all things become new in Him, aren't we ALL new creatures in Christ Jesus?
I wrote the following to explain how I see the claims, usually from Santorum supporters, that Newt is ineligible because of his past..
If that is the case, then not only is Newt still exactly who he was back then, then Callista is still an adultress, then Karen Santorum is still a whore fornicating outside the vows of marriage with a known abortionist... and Rick Santorum is still a compromised political hack, who endorsed Specter... That is the Santorum Standard, and apparently yours, but you can apply it selectively, though that seems to be what rick and his supporters do continually.
Somewhere Santorum and his supporters seemed to have decided because he wears his religion on his sleeve that gives them the right to decide who and what is evil or good in this world...
"On Santorum: No, I’ve never met him. I’ve read about him, some of the corruption he is associated with, I’ve watched him, I’ve listened when he was disrespectful to his mentor for political expediency’s sake. I study his voting record. I know a charity of his gathered millions of dollars, and only spent 32% of their funds on the poor, for whose benefit the charity was formed; and that the normative ethical ratio is for most charities to spend 82% of their funds on their targeted constituency - while most of Santorum’s donations went to give his political friends cushy “charity” jobs. Good Neighbor, I think it was called. I listened as this so-called “good” Christian man stood on a stage and said his character was the quality of character that Americans needed in the White House, unlike the character of others who had personal baggage in their past, without once mentioning the forgiving saving transforming power of Jesus Christ, who is the center of the faith Sanctimonium so piously professes to live by... and sets his principles upon...
If you are not a Christian, you can’t really appreciate what is so appalling and galling about the man, in light of true christians, who don’t abrogate the work of Christ with attempts at self righteousness attained by their outside of the cup persona and behaviors..
What you are doing, and why so many sincere Christians have great problems with Santorum, is he, as well as you, overlook how the transformative power an encounter with the True Christ impacts a man’s entire soul and being; he becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things pass away, all things are made new.
Newt has confessed his sins, said he did things he is ashamed of, has sought to make reconciliation with the members of his family, and others he has hurt. He has blamed no one else but himself. He has come to a new and apparently cleansing faith in Christ Jesus and, most importantly, there is no evidence of any of the same behavioral sins in his life since this long journey of his repentance, rebirth, and renewal began.
And, yet, people cannot let the man leave his past behind. After 20 years - think of it - 20 years - there are still a majority of people in the press, politics - Santorum, and a lot of his supporters - who consider Newt the same man he was 20 years ago, and dare he try to take one step away from his past, to step into the new, as his faith promises him he can, they are there loudly, hypocritically, self-righteously to pull him right back. They won’t let him step away from his sinful past, though no apparent evidence of that sinful past exists any longer, or any evidence that he is the same man he was 20 years ago. He is being judged as the man he was - while that man no longer exists. He is, I repeat, a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Finally, Christians, who truly fully embrace and receive the saving work of Christ, who are transformed deeply, understand that Newt could have done all those things back then, even worse, and still today be a new creature in Christ Jesus - but no one, not Santorum, nor his minions, will allow for that, or accept that might ever be true. So, the final finally: it says more about the people who can’t let Newt be this new creature many believing Christians trust he is, if only because they are likewise sinners, great sinners, saved and transformed by the same power that Newt claims has saved and transformed him. It is religious bigotry, hard hearts, and people like Santorum, who behaviorally have hit many of the right notes in their outward lives, though it is hard to believe that is extensively true - I am sure we will find out - whose self-righteousness - whose pride in their outward manifestations of sinlessness, and acceptable conduct, that causes believing Christians to distance themselves from him, to see him as a hypocrite, saved more by his self-perceived good works than the miraculous, healing work of a Perfect Savior, by his love and tender mercy, towards those who are fully unworthy.
Santorum is about none of that, he is about a gospel of works and self denial, of earned salvation. Newt is simply a sinner being saved by by the gift of grace, he could never earn or be worthy of... through no goodness of his own... the same as most of those Christians who can’t support Santorum’s apostasy."
“it says more about the people who can’t let Newt be this new creature many believing Christians trust he is, if only because they are likewise sinners, great sinners, saved and transformed by the same power that Newt claims has saved and transformed him.”
Great post, TBF.
NEWT GINGRICH IS STILL IN THIS RACE, and I will not count him out and neither should anyone else.
ALL THOSE THAT hate NEWT, are Romney supporters and have always been, otherwise their comments make no sense as the objection is anybody but Romney. Guess that is by the wayside now, and their true colors are showing, (purple).
They had to destroy NEWT first, as Santorum was an easy target, he wasn't going anywhere fast. Newt was and has always been the THREAT to Romney, still is.
GO NEWT, your post needs the applause sign.
I'd have liked more than anything to be a Newt supporter. But he's made too many excuses about having affairs, and his supporters make the same sorts of excuses and then dump all the blame on his ex-wives.
'There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate,' Gingrich told The Christian Broadcasting Network.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364857/Newt-Gingrich-Presidential-hopeful-claims-I-affair-I-love-America.html#ixzz1s99kPvDn
If everything is someone else's fault, and nothing is Newt's fault, then he's either too naive and malleable to be president, or some of the blame is his and he isn't accepting his portion. It matters. Character matters. The truth matters.
This isn't about divorce, or even adultery, and it isn't about forgiveness. It is about showing that you can take responsibility. God forgives, and only God knows our hearts. We humans have only history to help guide us. Newt has never shown that he has learned from his own history. People who have learned their lessons don't say what he says or allow others to make excuses on their behalf.
At some point, he needs to have told his supporters that they shouldn't blame or trash his ex wives, who aren't running for office. He shouldn't use his daughters to try to convince everyone that his exes were bad. At some point, mature people state that they were responsible for their own behavior from start to finish.
We don't need another president for whom the buck does not stop "here".
As I said the first time, he's very smart, and he'd be great in countless ways, but this inability to accept responsibility and to allow others to blame his exes has tragically & permanently sidetracked him for much of America. It shows in the polls and in the voting results.