He thinks; therefore, he's out

The Associated Press describes the Rev. Richard Cizik, above, as a Washington, D.C., fixture who "played a key role in bringing evangelical Christian concerns to the political table" over the past 30 years. But now, Cizik has been forced out of his post as vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. It seems that Cizik has been doing a little too much thinking and soul-searching to suit some of the folks in the NAE. Cizik drew some consternation for wanting to add concern for the environment to the NAE's two-pronged menu of hating abortion and gay people. The calls for his head increased when he suggested that he supported Barack Obama for president. But the straw that broke the camel's back was his statement on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" program that he was "shifting" on the gay marriage issue and "would willingly say I believe in civil unions." You can't blame the NAE for wanting a lobbyist/spokesman who actually represents the organization's views, but I have to commend the Rev. Cizik for being a thinking person who, rather than spend the rest of his life repeating the same narrow mantra, decided to reflect on his views and change things about himself and his beliefs where he felt it was right to do so. Another factor leading me to respect the Rev. Cizik is the fact that one of his fiercest detractors is James Dobson of Focus on the Family. That's the same James Dobson who recently spent upwards of $600,000 to block gay marriage in California, then almost immediately announced plans to lay off more than 200 of his employees because of financial reasons. Have a Merry Christmas, folks. But back to the Rev. Cizik. It was Socrates who said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." I think the Rev. Cizik realized that. Dobson never will.