A commenter raised the issue of Christians reading and supporting Ann Coulter. He said we should have nothing to do with Coulter because of her sometimes strident remarks. I suppose he means that Christians shouldn’t think favorably of her work.
I was deleting spam and troll comments this morning, and I included the person’s post in the group. I regret it now because it is a good topic for discussion. To the commenter, if you’d like to address this issue again, please feel free. To all readers, I ask:
Should Christians Have Anything To Do With Ann Coulter?
If you choose to respond, please explain your answer fully.
Unrelated Update: How is illegal immigration affecting your state? Check it out. One alarming fact about my own area:
“An executive order prohibiting police from asking about immigration status has allowed many area gang members and other criminals to gain sanctuary from immigration laws.”
Also see this op-ed on the immorality of illegal immigration.
Update II: Mexico knows what to do with its illegal immigrants.
Another Update: Heads up.
{ 77 comments }
I checked the Ten Commandments, and “Thou Shalt Not Be Strident” didn’t turn up in any of the standard translations.
Coulter’s effectiveness, I believe, is sometimes impaired by her rhetoric, but I really don’t see how this makes her, as the Catholics say, an “occasion of sin.” Absent any indication that she’s on the payroll of the Prince of Darkness (no, that’s not Karl Rove), I see no reason she should be shunned by Christians.
I think Christians have a right to get angry, and Ann speaks to that part of us. I don’t buy the notion from liberals that Christians should never let their anger show because, quite frankly, if we don’t get angry from time to time, they will run us over and they know it. We have to defend ourselves. Sorry I don’t have any Biblical references. That is just my gut feeling.
Well, Ann gets off the leash occasionally, but is almost always right. If we should avoid Ann, then we need to avoid Maureen Down as well, who is every bit as cynical and is almost always wrong.
I seem to remember that Jesus got ticked off a few times. And in esp in the OT, God was known to be angry. Christian’s aren’t Jedi or something
Even some of the most respected Christian thinkers have been known to be testy, strident or a host of other adjectives
.
La Shawn, I personally do not read Ann Coulter because I believe her tone and content are not edifying to me as a Christian. Her work is devoid of serious policy analysis and relies on clownish displays of stupid and juvenile humor. I prefer to read serious material by serious conservatives, and clearly Coulter is not a serious person.
Absolutely. Ann is terrific and I believed justified in having righteous anger. Heck, she may be an angel sent by God to expose leftist hypocrisy.
Should Christians have anything to do with Ann Coulter?
One could extend the question should Christians have anything to do with someone they may disagree with or simply do not like – George W. Bush, John Kerry, Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, the Dixie Chicks, or for that matter the late Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, etc.
Martin Luther once said, “Of Discord,” When two goats meet upon a narrow bridge over deep water, how do they behave? Neither of them can turn back again, neither can pass the other, because the bridge is too narrow; if they should thrust one another, they might both fall into the water and be drowned; nature, then, has taught them, that if the one lays down and permits the other to go over him, both remain without hurt. Even so people should rather endure to be trod upon, than to fall into debate and discord with another.
Oh, how I wish it could be so in our present day and time.
Dear LaShawn,
I haven’t read much of AC, so I don’t know how good she is. But I can say at least this: anger and sarcasm don’t automatically make someone “unChristian.”
True, a Christian (generally) shouldn’t try to be obnoxious. But that some find you obnoxious doesn’t automatically mean that you’re not a Christian.
To put it another way, being “nice” is NOT a Christian virtue. Being joyful, yes. But not being “nice.”
I think that the confusion of love with niceness, tolerance, and compassion is one of the great “informal” heresies running rampant throughout American Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox).
Cordially (but not nicely),
Adrian
LaShawn,
There is daily a never-ending list of who or what Christians should “have anything to do with.” I rely, through daily prayer, completely on the Holy Spirit for that guidance.
All the adjectives I see attached to Ann Coulter should include “boldness.” Proverbs 28:1 says in part, “but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Daniel was thrown in a furnace for his. I don’t know if Ann is a Christian or not but I believe “passive” Christians have the potential to become “sitting ducks.” I don’t intend to be one.
What makes her juvenileness and lack of substantiation even worse is that she was editor of her law review at Michigan. So she knows exactly what she’s doing.
I appreciate your participation! I have a feeling the question is poorly worded, but I was trying to echo the sentiments of the commenter.
Instead of having thoughtful and intelligent discourse with people who disagree with you, you delete their “offensive” comments.
Oh, well. Why should you be any different than the other deluded members of the “moral majority?”
———————————————————————————————————
No doubt you’ve wandered in here from one of those hideous discussion boards. If you take the time to read comments on this blog and posts in the archives, you’ll quickly discover there are plenty who disagree with me. What I don’t put up with are personal attacks and inane, sarcastic and empty comments like yours. If you have “thoughtful and intelligent discourse” to share with us, by all means do so. But watch the ad hominem, substantiate your assertions, and you will be allowed to participate on this blog.
At the same time, this is my blog, and only my free speech is protected, not yours. By the way, “moral majority” is really played, as well as inaccurate. If you’re trying to be clever, try harder. – Admin
Should Christians Have Anything To Do With Ann Coulter?
She was doing a nice job of carving up liberals and democrats for their racial hypocrisy in regard to black conservatives (and they deserved it) but sadly she lost the moral high ground with her last two sentences. She should have known better and if she portrayed herself as a Christian conservative I might write her and tell her so but that is not the case. She gets on talk shows and writes as a counterpoint to liberals who are usually more strident and offensive in their remarks than she is because that’s what the media wants. It’s entertainment. I admit to a little guilty pleasure in seeing them get a little of their own but I sure wish she would have done a good job and dropped the last two sentances.
Oh, and actus, please find me something substantive in the comments she attacked. They were just the writers opinion.
Christians in the United States have lost just about all sense of discernment there ever was, so does it truly matter?
Sadly, perhaps the answer to that question is “No.”
Ahhhhh to someday be perfect………..but that wont come until we reach our home with Jesus! So in the meantime, we strive for living the way we should, to seek out the truth, to live it.
It doesnt matter who the ‘truth detector’ is…everyone has their own personal personality. We have a choice as to who we would rather agree with. If we put their comments in proper context, on what the truth is, then it will turn out fine.
What I find, is that when the radical left, feminists, and the like object to someone who is speaking about something that goes against their thinking, that there response usually means that they are getting really close to the truth. And they dont want to be exposed.
For some reason, many of Ann’s old links have disappeared. I have managed to find a few on an obscure site. Click on my name for a link to a column of hers from 2002 regarding Norman Mineta.
We NEED people who stir things up, ruffle our preened and silky feathers, challenge the status quo (even our own carely maintained ones), and have the guts to raise the flag on the front lines where all the flak is flying while the majority of us are waiting for someone ELSE to do just that. Control freaks despise the Ann Coulters of the world – the things they say, the way they say them, the way they go against the carefully maintained grain.
Some people only hear Ann’s mode of delivery and get all huffy. I’ve read her books and I love seeing her get liberals all flustered because conservatives just aren’t SUPPOSED to act thus and so and be so original and so bold and so gutsy!
SO many people who want everyone and everything to fit in nice little labeled boxes, and just flip out over people Like Ann Coulter. Maybe I myself am a little like Ann, if I was ever accused of being such, I’d take it as a compliment.
As far as whether or not she’s a politically correct Christian – bah humbug. Prophets (and I’m only using this analogy in the sense of a gutsy soul out there telling hard truths) were NEVER politically correct. They never fit the proper mold, they were never popular among the “in-crowds” in the religious circles of their day, in fact, they usually had them all offended and stirred up and questioning whether or not they could possibly be ’saved’ or the equivilent thereof – in THEIR eyes. But scripture shows God often using the most unlikely in the most unusual ways to the consternation of everyone who thought they knew what everything was all about.
To Ann I say: “You GO girl.” She ROCKS.
La Shawn,
There have been a few times when I’ve clucked my tongue (as my grandmother used to say) at some of the things that Ann has said, but that hasn’t kept me from buying her books and reading every column. There is nothing in the injunction to “love thy neighbor” that precludes us from telling it like it is. Christ was especially critical of hypocrites, and so is Ann. That puts her on the right side of the argument in my book.
It is amazing to me how we ‘Christians’ refuse to allow anyone to hold an opinion that we don’t like. We only want to hear those that make us feel good, not those that make us think. After all, God did give us brains for that purpose, so why do we feel so ‘attacked’ when we have to use those brains! And I don’t see Him (at this time) forcing anyone to think, say or do only what He has determined is correct.
Ann Coulter has an absolute right to speak her mind based on her personal beliefs. If someone disagrees, so be it – but don’t castigate her. Instead, be generous enough to give her the same right we claim for ourselves.
And – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ La Shawn! I refuse to say happy holidays to anyone – that is my right! (:-P
Let’s see… there’s no reason not to, maybe?
The only bone I have to pick with her is that she is selective as to what people to free from tyranny. She derides the Balkans operations as folly, saying in effect that Milosovich was bad, but we shouldn’t have bombed him, then that Saddam was bad, so we should have bombed him.
While I don’t think that Clinton was hawkish enough in fighting the Balkan war (or Bush in Iraq, for that matter), I, neocon that I am, at least supported the intent behind it and the actions taken in that they were better than sitting on our duffs while tyranny grew more powerful.
But almost everything else, especially foreign and domestic policy when it came to the commies, she is right on about.
LB, you provide a good topic for thought.
How about expanding it to something along the following lines?
The Washington Times is a conservative newspaper, run and financed by Rev. Moon and his organization. By supporting The Washington Times, you are supporting Rev. Moon’s organization, a religion, that is not Christian.
So, should Christians support The Washington Times?
I have no problem with the Washington Times provided the material I am reading is edifying to me as a Christian. It is a personal choice.
Christ held strong views and was willing to use force to back them up. Think of the money changers on Palm Sunday. He was not a pacifist nor a milk toast.
Rod Stanton
Cerritos
Although the newspaper is somewhat tainted by the fact that Moon owns it, as long as it’s not espousing his bizarre and cultist views, I can live with it. God uses even our own sin to his glory, believe it or not. When writing about my faith in particular, I usually have to soft-pedal it to gain publication in mainstream newspapers. With the Times, the chance of unedited publication is so much greater. With millions of readers, it provides a powerful platform for my conservative and Christian views.
Your analogy could apply to any and everything imaginable. For instance, I live in a godless country that kills babies on a daily basis. I live in a decaying culture where perversion is being normalized. Do I support these things? Obviously not. Will I leave this country? Not a chance.
I think Ann should be required reading, especially for the radical fringe leftist Christians (and yes, I know a few who fit that description).
Not knowing her theology, I am not willing to say if she should be shunned by Christians for faith based reasons. Ann seems to speak mostly about political topics, and she speaks to those with a great wit and wisdom, and are good to read. I don’t think we are to shun anything that is good.
Is Ann a sinner? Yes, as are we all. And we are given a great example by Him to not shun sinners.
So I am not sure why we should deny ourselves from anything to do with Ann Coulter on Christian grounds. If someone can think up some, please share them.
Regards,
Ann Coulter is funny. Sometimes I cringe at some of her remarks, and perhaps the pleasure I get from reading her columns is slightly wicked.
The thing to remember is that there is a lot of truth packed in with the “strident” comments. And we should all be trying to discover truth.
By the way, somebody already said it, if we can’t have anything to do with people who make strident remarks, we can’t have anything to do with Jesus. Anyone remember “brood of vipers” and “whitewashed sepulchres”?
I love Ann Coulter’s humor — like most of my favorite women, she’s a sarcastic _itch (hold your fire! I’ve had a framed, stained glass sign of that word over my workspace for more than twenty-five years, including when my “workspace” was my kitchen).
Even the comment that got her column dropped wasn’t over the top as far as I’m concerned (about ‘coverting Muslims to Christianity and killing the rest’). My only “tsk, tsk” at that incident was directed at the periodical that killed the column. The comment, however, I would have found extremely inappropriate and offensive if a policy-maker or political leader had said it.
But Coulter is a pundit and columnist, and a very entertaining and readable one. She uses humor and wit to make some important points, and I think her style is more effective than a presentation of the same basic facts or viewpoints (would be) in a dry, unimaginative article (or book). I’ve read only three of her books – Slander, Treason, and High Crimes and Misdemeanors, but found each of those well worth the hard-cover price.
As to whether, as a Christian, I should or shouldn’t fraternize with Coulter (or anyone else, for that matter) … Aw, come on! The best people to associate with or tune in to are those who help generate laughter and high spirits, and for me, Ann Coulter is one of those people.
If, on the other hand, her brand of humor and punditry raised my hackles instead of my mirth, I would probably avoid her writing and public appearances (James Carville says some outrageous and offensive things, but I often enjoy him; Susan Estrich’s first word activates the “off” button on my remote). But that would be because of my own weakness of Christianity — that is, my anger, ire or whatever negative reaction I experienced when some other person had merely expressed him or herself.
A Christmas note: Since my teen years (back in the dark ages), I have habitually used “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” as a seasonal greeting, for obvious reasons (among the more memorable Christmas-party wisecracks about my name was, “Hey! Yeah! Let’s all get drunk and make Merry!”). But by way of my own personal backlash against the new wave of chest-thumping Christianphobes, I herewith adopt the old tradition: Merry Christmas, all.
If you’re not getting flak, you’re not over the target. Ann waits for flak to know where to drop her bombs.
Yes, some are the dumb kind and create unintentional collateral damage. But most are the smart kind. That’s just the way it is in war, political and the other kind.
Love her or loathe her as you wish. She’s too busy to notice.
She’s too busy to notice.
That’s what I’m aiming for. I want to be too busy writing books and going on speaking tours to notice the insipid criticism.
If we are to omit unpleasant, strident people from our company, we would have to omit many people who accomplished a lot historically: Jesus, Luther, Calvin, John Knox, the Puritans, etc. The Luther quote above is interesting since the old Catholic Encyclopedias used to delight in using his vitriolic quotes to prove that he was not a good man. This without telling that the general level of discourse back then was pretty crass. The process of modern socialization, if successful, teaches us to be nice and polite. Sometimes Christians raise “being nice” to the most important virtue in Christianity. A friend was confronting a mother-in-law about the “n” word and said, “You are never to use that word in front of my children.” Isolation from grandchildren was the most effective threat she could think of. I know my friend and being “nice” was the last thing on her mind. Ann Coulter doesn’t use foul language or lies. She does use hyperbole and is over the top sometimes but that gets her point across. No MSM interviewer is going to ask, “Senator Kennedy, if it was you mother with you and you were on your way to church that evening you drove off the bridge, do you think it would have taken you ten hours to report that she was still underwater in the car?” We need Ann to come up with, “Senator Kennedy crawled out of Boston Bay with a bottle of cognac in one pocket and a pair of pantyhose in the other to become the spiritual leader of the Democratic Party.” Not the exact truth but very close.
After this past election, my boss and I talked about the consistent condescending tone of voice Liberals use when speaking to us Conservatives. They truly believe we are sexist, racist, ignorant homophobes. Ann pops this balloon of condescension right in Liberals faces. That’s fine with me.
Your analogy could apply to any and everything imaginable.
It could. So, in effect, you have answered the question about Coulter.
Unless you think she writes things that lead you from your faith.
That was clever, DarkStar. Based on some of our previous disagreements, I approached your question in an adversarial manner. I didn’t realize I was actually answering my own quesiton. It that was your intent, your approach was very subtle.
I see no reason to avoid Ann Coulter because she is strident!
Strident – I had to go to the dictionary and be sure I knew what that meant. Strident: loud, harsh, discordant.
Was not the Apostle Paul being discordant when he expressed to the Corinthians to avoid those that are masquerading as angels of light yet were actually emissaries for Satan (2 Cor 11).
I believe Christian are told to Avoid those IN THE CHURCH that were covetous, idolaters, revilers, drunkards, sexually immoral, extortioners, etc. etc. (1 Cor 5). If Ann is a Christian, I see nowhere why I should avoid her because she is “strident.”
We Christians would do well if we took heed to 2 Cor 11 and AVOIDED those professed “revereds/ministers” who are preaching another Christ (’er, Jackson, Sharpton, Fred Price, T.D. Jakes, Billy Graham, Rick Warren)as well as, are not being held to the standard (1 & 2 Tim and Titus).
Ann Coulter is a political commentator that for the most part has the same “political opinion” as I. At this point, I see no reason to avoid her as a Christian – certainly not because she is strident. If we are to look at Influential people that we should avoid, I would say Christians should avoid Oprah Winfrey (certainly before they avoid Ms. Coulter. When was the last time you actually saw a “Christian” extoll Christian values on an O episode. But what you do see on Oprah is New Age gurus and New Age entertainers for your “edification.” The last so-called professing christian I knew that was appearing on Oprah was hmmm, the author J.L. King. What a disgrace!!
So what, Ann is a little hyperbolic and goes over the top sometimes. She is more than bright enough to know exactly what she is doing, and writes this way to get the effect she obviously has. She could easily write in turgid prose, covering up her point of view in politically correct gibberish, hiding her real opinions so that the chattering classes and the MSM accept her. She’d kind of be a female Robert Novak, or Larry Kudlow type, conservative, but not with the guts and humour to get her point across. And, boy, she does it well!!
And yes, Christian, Jews, and anybody else should have no problem associated with Ann Coulter.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself”. Pretty straight forward, really. Shun no one. Care for all, even your enemies. Merry Christmas to all.
Three cheers for Ann. Has anyone listened to the far left comments even since the election? She has her position and is not shy about stating it. I enjoy her comments and see no reason to try to muzzle her.
Very interesting. Near unanimous agreement that Ann Coulter’s a-okay for Christians. I guess I’m the only Christian conservative who does not find her brand of sarcasm to be particularly edifying. I learn something every day, and sometimes it is very disappointing.
Ann Coulter claims to be an evangelical Christian. Christians are supposed to speak the truth in love. While you may not like what she says it’s truthful…and loving would definitely be subjective. IMHO…if you speak with such subtley that the recipient cannot accurately interpret what you are saying, that is not loving. Much of Ann’s intended audience have some difficulty accepting truth they disagree with unless hit over the head with it.
PurpleMD…
lone Christian conservative Black female physician in the San Francisco Bay Area
Hi LaShawn:
Of course we should have something to do with her. Jesus instructs us as Christians to take the Gospel to all, Ann included. Perhaps the better question should be, ought we to encourage her in her writings? Let’s consider some of the Lord’s words:
Matthew 5:43, 44 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 7:12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (the Golden Rule)
Matthew 12:36 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”
Do Ann’s writings correspond to the teachings of Jesus? Do her writings demonstrate a love for those with whom she disagrees? Does she treat others the way she would be treated? Does she say things that a Christian ought not to say? Does she write things that we as Christians should be reading?
Paul, in Philippians 4:8 wrote:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.”
As Christians we must be careful what we put into our minds. Through the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul, the Lord said that this is very important.
All the very best!
John
Look, Ann Coulter—whose work, I repeat, I don’t know so well—has a “shtick,” which is to skewer liberals in an outrageous, sarcastic way.
Personally, I can’t take a steady diet of stuff like that, because it’s not intellectually nourishing enough, even though it can be wickedly funny.
What really makes me mad, though, is that people get offended at Ann Coulter because she’s not . . . nice! First of all, the outrage is usually pretty selective. I mean Michael Moore and Al Franken aren’t nice, either. Second, and more importantly, the equation of Christian love with being nice, with tolerance, and with compassion is, well, a HERESY.
Yes, we are to be kind, and being kind means not TRYING to be obnoxious. But being kind doesn’t mean never being firm or tough. I’m almost ashamed of saying something so obvious that it’s become a cliche: there’s such a thing as “tough love.”
Durn it, we contemporary American Christians have got to realize that God’s love for us, and ours for one another, has/should have nothing to do with sentimental good feelings.
Is Ann Coulter a model for “tough love” in the Christian sense? I doubt it, but I’m also not gonna condemn her because she isn’t nice. To h— with niceness.
Adrian
That was clever, DarkStar.
Thank you.
Based on some of our previous disagreements, I approached your question in an adversarial manner.
I’d label the disagreements as challenging.
It that was your intent, your approach was very subtle.
I read the on-line edition of the Times but I won’t buy it.
Short version: In my late teenage years, I had a run in with Moonies. I was on the prowl and they used a foine young lady as bait to try to indoctrinate me.
Hmmm…
She’s not condoning and trying to persuade me to: hate other humans for any reason (this is DIFFERENT from hating their actions), adultery, murder (born or unborn humans), sexual perversion, denying God, fornication, gluttony, relativism or any other act that is against Christian teaching…
so why shouldn’t I read her?
Right on Adrian. I’m sure my Mother felt that to be “nice” was synonymous with being a good Christian. Yet as she told me stories of happenings years ago, I recognized incidents of obvious incest and wife murder that my Mother was too “nice” to recognize for what they were. If someone is to participate in the political/public arena, being “nice” may be the opposite of being holy.
Ann Coulter is smart; she often has insightful things to say; sometimes she is downright spot-on, but I am not a fan. Coulter wastes her insights, and gives away their power and influence, by coming on like an over-the-top harridan who cannot be trusted around sharp objects.
Does she edify the right, or the Christians therein? I hate to say it, but not really – she simply comes off like the conservative equivalent of James Carville. Consider how much our side respects him or listens to anything he has to say, and realize that the left sees her in precisely the same way, and so this bright, articulate woman is simply the “conservative clown” who makes all those conservative Christians look like rabid whack jobs. Does she entice the left to think seriously about her points? Again, not really – they’re too busy jeering at her.
Barbara Olsen would make the same points Coulter tries to make, but she would do it with a smile and a soft voice, and she was respected by most folks on the left, even if they didn’t agree with her. Coulter hasn’t that deft touch, or that finesse. But then again, neither had St. Peter. He was an aggressive bumbler with a hot head.
Should Conservatives “have anything to do” with Ann Coulter? What are we talking about here, shunning her? It sounds a little over-scrupulous to me. Would Christ have “nothing to do” with her? I think he would, as he did with St. Peter, help her learn to rein in her more aggressive impulses and channel them into right action.
Near as I can tell, the woman is not an occasion of sin – she’s simply less than edifying. Christians might want to try to pursuade her to lower her decibal level and try not to growl so much. To do more (as in dropping her) would be too much, and uncharitable. To do less (and not correcting her) would also be wrong.
I can think of only two biblically-justified reasons for Christians to avoid associating with someone: a believer should not marry an unbeliever and a believer should not associated with someone who claims to be a believer but persists in sin (this is off the top of my head, so I may be missing something).
Neither issue seems to apply to Ann Coulter. I’m not going to marry her (not into blondes), and she doesn’t try to be viewed as a Christian writer. Regardless of her behavior, I can think of no biblical reason to shun her.
As an interesting aside, when a pro-abortion politician starts visiting churches and quoting scripture, I believe Christians do have an obligation to distance themselves.
The idea of a Christian avoiding someone because they are occasionally “strident” shows a complete ignorance of scripture. It also shows a complete ignorance of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Many years ago I became aware of how often the book of John contains a variation on the phrase that the people were “divided because of Jesus”. The idea that if something is divisive proves that it is negative is obviously false and some of God’s favorite people — especially His forerunner — were exceptionally strident. Jesus, Himself, was not above the well-sharpened barb …..”Scribes, Pharisee’s, You hypocrite”, “white-washed tombs”, “Nest of serpents”, “Blind guides”….he could be describing Democrats.
Occasionally, I feel that Ann Coulter’s sarcasm clouds rather than inhances her position but one thing you can count on is that she can and does fully document any position she takes. If the truth will set us free, then we need to embrace the truth in whatever vessel it is presented.
LB:”I want to be too busy writing books and going on speaking tours….”
Be sure to announce books and speaking engagements on your Blog for us La Shawn.
Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth Good Will To You.
I am not sure I understand this question. As a Christian, we are suppose to turn the other cheek, love they neighbor, etc. But with anything else there are limits to my patience.
Personnally I love Anne coulter, strident, so what, she has an attitude of ‘take no prisoners’ and in her business that is the way to approach it.,case in point Michelle Malkin went on Hardball with moron Matthews, and got her head handed to her because she dared to speak against the ‘pious’ one John Kerry and question his service. Which had already been documented as fact by the Swift-Vets for Truth. I would have loved to see Anne handle that ‘half-wit’.
Should we as Christians have anything to do with Anne, I think so.
Right Now as I type this, our rights AS Christians and Americans are under assault and if left unchecked will be taken away without us having any say in the matter.
She is called an attack dog by the leftists- commie-pinkos the same people who are suppose to care about everybody and have there/our best interest at heart, this is bunk.
The only way to keep our rights is to adopt Ann’s attitude of ‘take no prisoners’.
After this last election, I have learned there is no better way to defeat these people than with strength not with the attitude of trying to understand them, they will throw that back into your face and then stab you in the back.
No Sir, Anne Coulter is right on target.
Mark
Keep 5 yards.
For those who might not be familiar with Ann Coulter, I have a “Ann Coulter category on my blog where you can view video clips, listen to audio clips and read some of her work.
LaShawn,
I feel I must respond to your “Unrelated Update” on illegal immigration. I live in Tucson Arizona and as a result of illegal immigration we have had our Trauma Centers downgraded due to the funds needed to care for the illegal immigrants. We have had lawsuits by families of illegals who sue because they happen to die in the desert crossing over. We have had ranchers threatened while trying to protect thier property. We have had Vincente Fox in Arizona basically campaigning for votes. I won’t even go into the crime stats. The list goes on and on.
I have nothing against Legal immigration, I am all for it. I have worked with people from other countries who have came here and did things right and gotten ahead. I praise them for that. A few of our folks could learn a thing or two about drive and determination from them.
Thanks for hearing me out on this. I realize I may have taken the Ann Coulter subject off track, but I felt I had to say something.
I love Ann. That said, in light of 1 Cor 12, regardless of what one thinks of her, if Ann is a Christian, then she’s part of the body of the church. Verses 22 – 24 refer to the vitalness of unnecessary, uncomely & unsavory body parts.
While I might think of her as a sharp tongue, some might think of her as a digit, others yet may liken her to something totally gross — beauty or unsavory is in the eye of the beholder
Notwithstanding the Christianity issue, the conservatives need people who can go mano-mano with Mooreless, Ragin Cajun or Frankenstein.
Gee! Everyone is taking this question seriously. Are you certain it wasn’t asked, “tongue in cheek”? It is, after all, a ridiculous idea.
How is this for strident?
1) You are a brood of vipers.
You neglect justice and the love of God.
2) You are like whitewashed tombs.
3) You have turned a house of prayer into a den of thieves, come closer so I can strike you with my whip!
4) You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
5) You are not of God.
6) You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.
7) You a like unmarked graves – men walk over you without even realizing it.
9) You look good on the outside, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
10) You like to sit in important seats and go to important places so that you can be seen – it is all just a show.
You get the point. Sometimes it is ok to call a spade a spade, and a liar a liar. I’ve got no problem with Ann Coulter.
I think Christians should ignore Miss Coulter, however amusing she is, she is hardly Christian and a lax Catholic at that. She does not attend Church every Sunday and she hangs out with the most questionable characters, two of them being Matt Drudge and Bill Mahr. Mahr is a misguided secular and Matt Drudge is something I will not mention here. I will tell you this, what he is and the lifestyle he leads is not welcome in Christian circles.
I am sorry but I am not going to agree with all of you because Ann Coulter comes on like a “female wrestler” for the cause. With voices like that, the Conservative Christian cause is pointless in my opinion. It is as if she is guilty of leading the Christians to slaughter with her books, speaking egagements. We all just keep spending our hard earned money on her and it is wrong. And if she is such a fine example of a Conservative Christian woman where is her husband and her children?
I hope my comments make it and I am not thought of as a troll because of my strong difference of opinion. She is not for Christians in my humble opinion.
Michael – I said repeatedly that I don’t delete or ban people who disagree with me. It’s personal attacks that I won’t put up with.
By asking the question about Coulter, I expected people to answer it. And by the way, there is a such thing as a single conservative Christian woman who is a “fine example” for others. Your intention may not be to cast aspersions upon single Christian women (like myself) but that’s the way it sounds. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Michael Lambert asserts that Ann Coulter is not a Christian based on the following:
1. She does not “go to church every Sunday.
2. She is friends with “questionable characters.
3. She is not married and has no children.
Wow. Just what is your definition of a Christian Michael? Could it have anything to do with, maybe, believing in Jesus and trusting Him as your savior? Legalism does not save. (See Ephesians 2:8-9)
Jesus also hung out with questionable characters – some of them a lot worse than the ones you mentioned. Christians are called upon to be salt and light to a dying world – not separatists. It is the sick who need a physician – not those who are well. I know that Ann Coulter claims to be a Christian.
It is funny that no one seems to have brought up the oft-repeated prohibition against judging others – the sacred cow of liberal Christians and Leftist critics. Isn’t that part and parcel of what is going on here? Should I allow myself to be associated with Ann Coulter? This is supposed to say something about my Christian faith?
On another note, there are many Christians who are ashamed to be associated with Jerry Falwell – a similarly controversial figure whom the left loves to hate. I will go on record now as saying that I believe Falwell to be a great, principled man whom I would do well to emulate.
I will go on record now as saying that I believe Falwell to be a great, principled man whom I would do well to emulate.
Does this include calling into question people’s Christianity when they disagree with you?
Michael L,
I wonder, being a lax Catholic (or a Catholic at all) exclude me from being a Christian? Or of being hardly Christian?
As for Drudge, whether or not he is gay, what is your point? Or Bill Mahr?
If all Christians shun the Godless, then what are the chances that they will one day find God? How many people have converted to any religion without exposure?
I don’t remember Ann Coulter arguing for “abortion on demand” or for the rights of homosexuals to marry. Strikes me she is on the right side of most social issues. There are times when I feel the need to have someone come to the rescue of my beliefs and Ann Coulter does it quite pointedly. She does not use profanity. She is bright, intelligent and witty.
Hello, all:
I wish, oh, how I wish, that the one-upsmanship about “judging others” would stop. “How dare you judge others?” “How dare you judge me for judging others?” “How dare you judge me for judging you for judging others” . . . ad nauseam.
I mean, really, who cares? No, I don’t take God’s place in deciding about people’s eternal destiny. But I’m a d—-d fool if I don’t call a spade a spade. Jesus did, and are we gonna say he wasn’t Christian enough?
You know, Christianity isn’t an honorific title for nice people. Christianity is a historical reality with definite beliefs. Yes, there are differences, too, but, on fundamentals, there’s a basic convergence. I am a Roman Catholic, but I recognize as fellow believers all who profess Jesus Christ to be the only-begotten Son and Word of God who became incarnate for our salvation. People who don’t believe this may be nice people, even nicer than some Christians I know, but they’re not Christians.
So, yes, DarkStar, we can call people who disagree with us non-Christians. Nice Mormons aren’t Christians. Neither are nice Hindus and nice Muslims.
It’s not a question of being mean and exclusive, but of truth in labelling.
Being Christian, in other words, also means confessing a faith with a definite propositional content: “Jesus Christ is Lord”—and all that goes with that.
Cordially,
Adrian
Well here goes I got to say this to Michael, If outward appearances are the way you judge some one, then Hillary and Bill should take center stage, they were always photographed going to church and coming from and BJ clinton always had a Bible in his hand, and we all know the rest of that story.
To disagree with her is one thing but ad hominem attacks are uncalled for. If going to church every week is the mark of a good christian then there are more than one of us in trouble here.
Mark
keep 5 yards
I might add, just to be Coulterishly provocative, that liberal (NOT politically, but doctrinally) Christians are more properly called, not non-Christians, but . . . heretics. Once again, that term doesn’t imply any judgment about the heretic’s niceness, but merely describes where he stands with respect to historic Christian orthodoxy.
Yes, yes, I know that someone will say “but who says what’s Christian orthodoxy?” Well, the answer to that is pretty simple: the Bible as interpreted faithfully within the Church that Jesus left, and which Paul describes as the “pillar and foundation of the truth.”
Of course, one can deny this. I’m just describing how Christians have understood themselves since about 11:00 am on the Day of Pentecost in 33 a.d.
Cordially,
Adrian
Well said Adrian, Mark, SCSI et al. Somebody’s done poured gasoline into the den of vipers and looky how they come rushing out
LaShawn & All who have posted here,
I am not meaning to cast dispersions about “Christian women”, I just think people in glass houses (Miss Coulter) have no right throwing stones. And I guess the correct name for Ann’s type is a heretic, she is everything Adrian has mentioned.
She is always projecting a Conservative image and I feel she isn’t really a Conservative woman. I think she is no different than Maureen Dowd, who is a feminist.
As for the Clintons, I don’t want to get banned for saying what I think of them, believe me it isn’t positive. Ann Coulter is just not appropriate for Christians to emulate, follow, support or finance. She isn’t what she appears to be, sorry if people are unhappy with my humble and truthful opinion, but I am putting it out there. And Reverend Falwell and Dr. Dobson are not fond of her either.
And thanks Miss Barber for good questions and a good discussion, I found you through a friend’s recommendation.
So, yes, DarkStar, we can call people who disagree with us non-Christians.
When I questioned the Christianity of someone, the wrath of commenters here rained down on me.
Just trying to be consistent.
If anger, sarcasm and critical thinking makes one un-Christian I am in BIG trouble. I like Ann for the most part. I love her columns and books but sometimes have a hard time with her on TV.
I attribute that to my low tolerance for her “live” to the confrontational news shows on FOX that encourage bickering.
I don’t think “throwing stones” at one of our own is very helpful at all. There’s plenty of work to be done already without starting to nitpick each others weaknesses.
FYI…”Judge not lest ye be judged” responded to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees…not judging in general. The Bible is clear that Christians are to make right judgements.
John 7
21Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”
She can grate on ones nerves. She is smart and witty and at times she is honest and has things to say that get my attention. I do not see why a christian should not listen to her. I would rather hear her and make my judgements to what she says.
Thereore, I see no reason as a christian myself to close my ears and eyes to her. She can really make some remarks that get to me but I realize too, at times maybe I do too.
I would be more bothered by Ann Coulter if she really seemed angry. It seems to me that she thinks of debate as more of a game. I am sure that she is angry sometimes, but she does not project anger. She always says things with a smile, she does not get red-faced and clench her fists. When someone gets really angry with her – she laughs. I think this infuriates the left more than anything. She is calm and resolute.
In the posts critical of her, it is notable that no one that came up with any specifics. (Unless I missed it – this is a long thread.) What exactly has Ann said that is untrue or, more to the point, un-Christian? Surely someone can come up with some specific statements that damn her credibility.
Is it that “We should kill them and convert them all to Christianity” quote? Hmm. That one doesn’t do it for me. We are essentially doing that now and I am glad of it.
Too right Jeff,
I’ve heard angry, strident, fake hair and hangs out with reputed homosexuals. Not much in the way of substance.
The real issue here, then, is not whether or not Christians should shun Ann Coulter (silly idea), or whether or not Ann Coulter is unChristian because she skewers liberals in an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek style (that’s not enough to make one unChristian, surely). The real question is how we are to judge her from the point of view of orthodox (non-liberal) Christian doctrine. On the plus side, Ann Coulter is probably for and against a lot of the right things. Is that enough? I don’t know, because, as I’ve said, I don’t really know her stuff. All I know is that judging her in terms of orthodox doctrine is one thing, and judging her in terms of secular liberal piety about being non-judgmental is another. I’m willing to listen to serious arguments that come from the first, but am totally FED UP with “arguments” that come from the second.
Cordiall,
Adrian
Hangs out with homosexuals? How about is a practicing homosexual is more like it. I don’t care though, she can do as she pleases, I still like her. She gives the liberals a run for their money and is most entertaining in the process. Is isn’t my place or anyone’s to judge her, although many people I know have a problem with her.
Hi Lashawn, I’m a Christian and a liberal. But I always enjoy reading your blog. I think it is very well-done and balanced.
I find it hard to listen to Ann Coulter because I often can’t see the love in what she is saying. That to me is the hallmark of a Christian. Even when they are telling you the hard truth, you can feel the love that motivates their words.
Thanks for listening.
I get a bit scruffed by Ann’s tone now and then but I finally came to the conclusion that that tone is what makes her so effective. She has declared war on leftists. The best way to defeat leftists is to get in their face, keep them stirred up.
When leftists take the gloves off they just can’t hide their true agendas. When those agendas are exposed, conservatives win big time with the electorate on most of the issues.
Therefore I think Ann Coulter provides wit, truth(albeit exagerated now and again), but most important she gets inside her opponents heads. That’s good for conservative reform. When leftists get riled up, conservatives win.
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