And while I’m directing traffic to Peter Chattaway‘s blog…

…let me hand the microphone to him again. Chattaway links to a story about why James Dobson won’t vote for John McCain. Why? Well, there are several reasons related to policy, but there’s also one that might surprise you. (Or it might not.) Apparently the ex-Navy man has been known to use a cuss word now and then.

Chattaway links to The Atlantic‘s Ross Douthat, who offers the obvious response to that point (although I’m glad Chattaway linked to his own previous post on “flowery language” as well).

P.S. To those posting comments…

Clarification: I am not saying this is the only reason Dobson objects to McCain. I never did.

Yes, yes, I know… it’s one of Dobson’s observations, not the whole statement. I have no interest in a discussion of McCain’s politics or policies here. Rather, I’m just amazed, once again, at how easily and violently offended Christians can be by someone who uses “salty language,” whether in the real world or in entertainment. It was that point that made me chuckle, so it’s the point I’m commenting on. And I’m not interested in allowing the comments-thread here to turn into a debate about McCain as a politician.

I’m always amazed at how many prominent Christian voices in the media insist on making such a big deal out of a little “salty language,” especially considering that there are times and places for “salty languge” (as the Apostle Paul knew). Occasions of blunt references to excrement in the New Testament have been “airbrushed” in our current translations… and that’s just for starters. Should we withdraw our support for the Apostle Paul?

And it doesn’t make sense to me that Dobson would object so strongly to this in McCain when the very Dubya/Cheney ticket Dobson has celebrated so publicly has become well-known for dropping F-bombs and even flipping middle-fingers to the camera.

And again — just as my previous post about Obama was not to be taken as a vote for Obama, so this post in defense of McCain’s apparent offenses should not be taken as a vote for McCain.

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