What is it that makes politicians reach for the Tent Revival rhetoric to make a point? Everyone went nuts when they found out that Huckabee said in 1998 that he wanted to “take back America for Christ”, and now Michelle Obama is telling us that electing her husband to office will “fix our souls”.

Sooo … the GOP guy confused a stump speech with an altar call; the Democrat guy’s wife is confusing her husband with a messiah (or maybe hoping that we will). And, similar to the emotionalism that made the hearers of Jonathan Edwards fiery sermons pass out, people are literally swooning over Obama (HERE, HERE and HERE, for example).

Hasn’t this gotten just dumb?

I’m not saying things aren’t messed up. I’m not saying I wouldn’t like to hear spirited words about taking back the country or healing souls … in church. I want the Body of Christ to do what it was created to do — touch people, change lives, reveal the real truth of a living God, and yes, heal the nations, if possible.

And then I want the state to do what it was created to do. As Captain’s Quarters puts it:

Government doesn’t exist to save souls; it exists to ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense. If I feel my soul needs saving, the very last place I’d look (in the US) for a savior would be Washington DC or Capitol Hill. I’ll trust God and Jesus Christ with my soul, …

This, though, is the religion of statism distilled to its essence.

Amen, brother.