CATHOLICS ARE KILLING THEIR WOUNDED. President Bush’s chief Catholic advisor resigned in the face of publicity concerning 10 year old sexual misconduct charges. Deal Hudson publishes “Crisis”, a conservative, Catholic magazine. He is also an unpaid advisor to the President. His job was to court conservative Catholics for the President, whose views on abortion and homosexuality are much closer to their own that Senator Kerry’s. Deal quit as the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal Catholic newspaper published a report of sexual misconduct allegations that evidently drove Hudson to resign from a tenured professorship. The allegations involve sex with a female student. The allegations surfaced in 1994 and a settlement was reached.

The Catholics have been playing rough in politics lately. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights drove the Reverend Brenda Peterson from her job as the Democratic Party’s first ever director of religious outreach with press releases on her past stands. Peterson was not Catholic. She was a very liberal member of the Disciples of Christ. You have to wonder why she was picked, as she opposed the “under God” phrase in the pledge, which a large majority of Americans support. That was as unpopular than Dean opposing the Iraq war in the face of 70-80 percent support for it.

Mara Vanderslice is the religious outreach director for John Kerry, who is Catholic, but not a Catholic candidate. The Catholic League called her a radical leftist who associates with anti-Catholics.

Then there was Ono Ekeh, the moderator of the Catholics for Kerry web site. People said “Oh no, Ono” when they learned that he was also an employee of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Conference fired Ekeh for using his computer to post on the web site.

The person who “outed” Ekeh: Deal Hudson.

What comes around, goes around.

I appreciate the Catholics filling the embarrassment void so my beloved Southern Baptists are not making their quota. I do note, however, that Hudson used to be a Southern Baptist before docking with the mother ship. That’ll teach you to proselytize!

I do admire Hudson for how he reacted. Unlike other public figures, Hudson admitted that he sinned and hurt his family, said he had sought and obtained forgiveness, and moved on.

Several things are learned from this incident. First, sin has consequences. Even though you obtain forgiveness, the consequences can be brutal. I remember an evangelist telling a story about a mother that would drive a nail into the doorpost every time her son stayed out late partying. He later repented and she removed all the nails. He was upset, however, when he saw that the holes would always remain. It may be maudlin, but it illustrates the point.

Second, Christian men should avoid temptation. Here’s a tip: don’t get drunk and be alone with a younger, troubled woman. In fact, don’t be alone with a younger, troubled woman. In fact, well you get the picture. Remember that former President Clinton will always be remembered for young Monica Lewinsky.

Third, Catholics are high profile this year. The clash between conservatives and liberals is in the forefront. The clash between Rome and the fruited plains is public. The disparity between Catholic faith and practice, especially among politicians, is under the lens. I remember when Clinton and Gore ran, and were Southern Baptists who did not act or believe Southern Baptist. I must tell you: it’ll get worse before it gets better.

P.S. - if you want to convert more Southern Baptists, I have a list of suggested names.