COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Although Focus on the Family’s Stuart Shepard claims to know his bible, he probably wasn’t referencing Psalms 72:6 when he encouraged fellow evangelicals to pray for “rain of biblical proportions” to fall in Denver, CO on August 28th, when Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is expected to formally accept the Democratic party’s nomination as presidential candidate. Instead, one of the organization’s chief mouthpieces for its moral agenda appears to be calling down the wrath of his god on Obama, the Democratic National Convention, the 75,000 supporters expected to attend, and perhaps the entire city of Denver.
Speaking at Denver’s Invesco Field, where Obama will appear on the 28th, the former minister and television weatherman was videotaped saying “I’m talking ‘umbrella-ain’t-going-to-help-you rain.”
In order to explain his request for extreme weather, Shepard offered “I’m still pro-life and I’m still in favor of marriage as being between one man and one woman – and I would like the next president who will select justices for the next Supreme Court to agree.”
Clearly, only murderous weather could promote such a just and moral agenda.
When confronted with his words, Shepard, who works as director of digital media at Focus on the Family’s political division insisted that it was just a “mildly humorous” comment not to be taken seriously.
Nonetheless, the clip didn’t last long on the Focus on the Family website, thanks to at least a dozen complaints from members of the organization itself.
“If people took it seriously,” organization spinster Tom Minnerty assured, “we regret it.”
Shepard went on KOAA television to explain his unique, presumably down home sense of fun by saying “Sure, it’s boyish humor, perhaps, to wish for something like that. But, at the same time, it’s something people feel very strongly about. They’re concerned about where he would take the nation.”
Republican candidate John McCain called evangelicals Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance” in 2000, which has resulted in a certain amount of reluctance on the part of the religious right to support his presidential campaign. Focus on the Family’s James Dobson had indicated that he will not vote for the Arizona senator but has since hinted that he might consider endorsing him against Obama.
In spite of this, a poll released by Christian research group Barna Group showed Obama with a nine point lead over McCain among Christians, including “born again” voters, although the elder politician had a slight edge with evangelicals.
For those not within easy reach of their Bibles, Psalms 72:6 reads: “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.”
