Richard
Mourdock lost his senate bid, not because he’s a bad man, but because he’s a good man. Not
because he gave the wrong answer, but because he gave the right answer.
He illustrates the challenge
facing evangelical conviction politicians. To begin with, opposing the rape
exception is a hard sell. And, of course, it’s much harder in a debate when
you’re having to give snappy answers to complex questions. There’s no time to
lay a foundation for your answer. Indeed, the point of springing that question
on his during a debate was to put him in a tight spot. What do you say when the right answer is bound to be unpopular?
Of course, Richard Mourdock
suffers from another handicap. He’s not a bioethicist like Robert George,
Wesley Smith, Scott Klusendorf, or Francis Beckwith. That’s not his specialty.
He’s just a decent man. A pious layman.
For that matter, he lacks the
natural eloquence of Mike Huckabee.
That’s why it’s important to
support parachurch ministries like the Life Training Institute. They can do
presentations around the country. They can take the time to make a case. They
can defuse hostile questions:
Politics is a retail
business, not a wholesale business. Most politicians need to get their arguments
from people who devote full-time to issues like these.
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