Merry Christmas!

I am off later this morning to see some old friends get married in North Carolina...and felt that I would be remiss if I did not stop long enough to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those who stop by the Refugee Baptist. I wish you one and all a joyous and blessed holiday season...now, go. Hug somebody!

What kind of Baptist is Mike Huckabee?

I have my own opinion of Huckabee, the political candidate, as a Christian and a separate opinion of what kind of president he might make. I cannot help but flashback to the author of "Why Not the Best" and similar feelings for another southern governor's campaign in 1976. My thoughts today are a more denominationally focused. Mike Huckabee's response to the GOP candidates' debate question , Do you believe every word of the Bible?:

"Sure. I believe the Bible is exactly what it is. It's the word of revelation to us from God himself. (Applause) And the fact is that when people ask do we believe all of it, you either believe it or you don't believe it. But in the greater sense, I think what the question tried to make us feel like was that, well, if you believe the part that says "Go and pluck out your eye," well, none of us believe that we ought to go pluck out our eye. That obviously is allegorical.

But the Bible has some messages that nobody really can confuse and really not left up to interpretation. "Love your neighbor as yourself."

And as much as you've done it to the least of these brethren, you've done it unto me. Until we get those simple, real easy things right, I'm not sure we ought to spend a whole lot of time fighting over the other parts that are a little bit complicated.

And as the only person here on the stage with a theology degree, there are parts of it I don't fully comprehend and understand, because the Bible is a revelation of an infinite god, and no finite person is ever going to fully understand it. If they do, their god is too small."

I did not see the words infallible or inerrant anywhere in Huckabee's answer. So, in Baptist political terms, does his answer qualify him as a fundamentalist, refugee, moderate, or liberal? I would suggest that if he ever gave this response as his answer if/while running for president of the Southern Baptist Convention, that he would find himself taking a lot of heat.

So. What kind of Baptist is Mike Huckabee?