A Fifth Column Of Insanity

"We have a village idiot in this country—it's called fundamentalist Christianity—and...until the Republican leadership has the guts to stand up and say it would be better not to have a Republican Party than have a party that caters to the village idiot, there's going to be no end in sight." – Frank Schaeffer

Months ago, I wrote a piece on Frank Schaeffer’s book, “Crazy for God.” Mr. Schaeffer, a former fundamentalist and evangelical writer and speaker, and son of the famous evangelicals Francis and Edith Schaeffer, subsequently sent me an email thanking me for the effort.

Last night, he appeared on Rachel Maddow’s show, and what he said was fascinating, something everyone should hear and consider. The context of the discussion involved the recent and to some (but not me) startling poll in which it was found that among conservatives in New Jersey more than 1/3 of them believe that Barack Obama is or might be the anti-Christ.

Mr. Schaeffer discussed the fact that the mainstream culture does not sufficiently understand the reality that there is a subculture of Christians who represent what he calls a “fifth column of insanity.” The rapturous theology of this group of Christians, he says,

…is the source of all these insanities that we see leveled at the president. One way or another they go back to this little evangelical subculture. It’s a disaster.

The segment is 6½ minutes long, but it is important to understand what role the disproportionately powerful Religious Right is playing in the “We Hate Obama Movement.” Please watch: