Monday, August 27, 2007

False Advertising    [Stephen Spruiell]

Lawyers for Congressman Bobby Jindal, the Republican candidate for Governor of Louisiana, have sent a letter to several Louisiana TV stations demanding that they stop running a Democratic Party ad that accuses Jindal of disrespecting and insulting Protestants. In their letter, Jindal's lawyers argue that the ad is defamatory and provide a point-by-point refutation of the ad's claims.

The ad — which begins, "Most Americans believe we should respect one another’s religion. But not Bobby Jindal." — is purportedly based on an article Jindal wrote for the New Oxford Review in 1996 (sub. req.). Here are the closing paragraphs of that article:

[T]he Catholic Church must live up to her name by incorporating the many Spirit-led movements found outside her walls. For example, the energy and fervor that animate the Baptist and Pentecostal denominations, the stirring biblical preaching of the Lutherans and Calvinists, and the liturgical solemnity of the Anglicans must find expression within Catholicism.

I am thrilled by the recent ecumenical discussions that have resulted in Catholics and Evangelicals discovering what they have in common, in terms of both theology and morality, and as exemplified by joining to oppose abortion and other fruits of an increasingly secular society, but I do not want our Evangelical friends to overlook those beliefs that make Catholicism unique. The challenge is for all Christians to follow Jesus wherever He leads; one significant part of that challenge is to consider seriously the claims of the Catholic Church.

08/27 02:51 PMShare