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As a pastor, all be it a new one, I would like to add the following comments. It is apparent that Rev. Rude was trying to share his private opinion. As such it was wrong for anyone to make it public in the first place. The tone of the letter is not Catholic bashing, its a political appeal to persuade two other gentlemen to support Rude’s preferred candidate. Rude wants one of his own “evangelical” in the “protestant/free church” tradition in the number one office in America. I don’t believe Rude said anything malicious or wrong, he states that Brownback is a good man yet believes his discernment is off because he choose to be a Catholic. Yes, this is a religiously motivated reason not to back Brownback but as Americans that is our right to hold private convictions that effect public policy.

Many Catholics should remember that their church teaches and recently affirmed their conviction that non-Catholics are not discerning when they do not join the Catholic church and join “erring brethren” and “schismatics”. Rude holds that the Catholic church and its followers are erring and he expressed this belief in that he wanted someone he considered more inline with what he believes is a man with good discernment. Let God be the judge and let us not judge this man’s actions. Perhaps we should worry about the logs in our eyes before bothering with the speck in our brothers. Yet as a fallible sinner perhaps I am missing something. Suppose Rude did indeed sin in some way offending Brownback. We who are professing Christians of any denomination/affiliation need to learn “to turn the other cheek” more often and to let “love cover a multitude of sins.” If Brownback was truly offended he should have done as our Lord taught us to go to the other person in private, then before the church, and if reconciliation is not possible then the wronged Christian should treat the person as one who needs to experience God’s grace anew to win the erring brother back. Instead of following Christ teaching too many believers are to quick to fill the blogsphere with another partisan attack that is splitting the body of Christ. How does this honor our Lord?