TEXARKANA, Texas — Huckabee accused the Rev. John Hagee of playing politics over principle by endorsing McCain, and criticized the Republican front-runner for not accepting a debate.

Speaking after a rally in Texarkana, Huckabee said he was surprised by Hagee’s endorsement because of McCain’s lack of fervor on abortion — despite his 100% anti-abortion rights voting record. (McCain has, however, voted for stem-cell research.) Huckabee also said Hagee told him he endorsed because he assumed McCain would win the nomination.

“He just thought that the political rationale was he wanted to get on Sen. McCain’s team, and he thought he was gonna win the nomination,” Huckabee said. “I don’t think that’s a foregone conclusion, and even if I did, I would stand on principle more than I would politics.”

Huckabee said he spoke with Hagee, expressed his “disappointment and surprise” and asked him to hold off on publicly backing McCain.

“I felt that it was totally out of character for what I knew he believed,” Huckabee said, “or at least I thought he did.”

Huckabee also criticized McCain for not accepting a debate among the remaining Republican presidential candidates, after suggesting his interest earlier in the week.

“I would debate anywhere, anytime, there’s no issue that I would be afraid to sit down in front of Sen. McCain and discuss, none,” Huckabee said. “And if you’re going to be president, you ought to be willing to sit down in front of any group.”

I agree with Huckabee that Hagee should not have endorsed McCain and is most likely playing politics. Guys like John Hagee and Rod Parsley are just as interested in, if not more so, in politics and power as they are operating on principals. Huckabee, even with his problems, is clearly the more conservative Republican candidate. It’s beyond my understanding how ‘christian leaders’ like Hagee and Parsley can, in good conscience, endore a liberal candidate like McCain.

To make things even more complicated; even though I agree with Huckabee on the issue at hand, I don’t think he is running his own campaign with principals alone. They call it politics for a reason. Huckabee wants votes and he is willing to compromise what should be his own biblical principals by legitimizing the Catholic Church. More on that in a future post.

Following this interview with Mike Huckabee there was an intimation of anti-Catholicism by several pundits and commentators.

Here are some details from a second interview with Mike Huckabee addressing some concerns of Catholic Online readers.

However, shortly after its publication, you spoke at a Church in Texas, on a Sunday morning. Of course, there is nothing unusual about that.

What caught the attention of many of our readers and viewers was a concern that the Pastor of the Church has written some material that insults the Catholic Church and has been labeled by some as anti-Catholic.

Our readers understand that you, like all of the candidates, are running for the Presidency. In other words, we know that you seek to govern the whole Nation and, of course, you must reach out to all Americans.

However, there has, unfortunately, been a history of anti-Catholicism in this Nation that we all love.

Your campaign quickly noted the presence of Catholics in many of the top positions of your campaign staff. However, the issue and the concern raised by your visit, has not gone away.

Would you comment upon your visit and on your views concerning Catholics in America?

GOVERNOR HUCKABEE: “I am invited to speak at thousands of diverse venues each year. My willingness to address a group says nothing about whether or not I agree with every tenet, policy or belief espoused by a group.

To be honest, I have never thought about having “a view” about Catholics in America.

Rather, I have enjoyed strong, personal relationships with many Catholics over the years and I would hate to think about my life without those relationships having been there.

For more than a decade, I marched side-by-side with Catholic Bishops in Arkansas’ annual March for Life.

Throughout my years as Lieutenant Governor and Governor, I enjoyed a very close relationship with leaders and members of the Catholic Church in Arkansas.

My pro-life record is largely the result of this close working relationship.

My relationships with Catholics predated my entry into politics. When I was pastoring a Baptist church in Texarkana, I had the opportunity to work closely with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word at the St. Michael Hospital near my church. I was always welcomed warmly by the sisters when I visited the sick.

As a pastor, I held joint services with my neighboring Catholic congregation, was invited to speak in Catholic churches for special services, and had regular breakfast meetings with the Bishop of the Arkansas Diocese, Bishop Peter Sartain, now in Illinois.

Those early years of ministry showed me the value of working with caring people whether or not every one of our religious tenets line up exactly.

In short, if I held any animosity toward Catholics, I don’t think Justice Scalia would have ever taken me up on my invitations to go duck hunting.

As I mentioned before, many of my top-level staff and closest advisors are Catholic, including my national campaign manager, national campaign director, my policy advisor and my campaign’s chief operating officer

Having read this follow-on interview, as an evangelical Christian, I have some concerns regarding Mike Huckabee’s faithfullness to biblical Christianity.

1. Huckabee says he has never had a ‘view’ on Catholics in America. This is a shocking statement to me. As a former Baptist minister, Huckabee sure should have had a ‘view’ on Catholics in America and around the world. Did Huckabee some how forget about the Reformation and what it was all about. If the Reformers where correct in their views, and I think they where, the Catholic Church is nothing short of apostasy. This should be no small matter for a Baptist minister. I guess it was for Huckabee.
2. Huckabee held joint services with neighboring Catholic congregations and spoke at Catholic churches. Sounds very ecumenical to me. I don’t see a Baptist pastor, holding to a biblical standard, being yoked together with an apostate church.
3. Huckabee does say his willingness to address a group does not mean he agrees with everything the group believes. I am sure Huckabee does not agree with everything that a group may believe, however, it does seem he considers Catholicism as truly Christian.

This kind of talk from Huckabee makes me wonder what he is willing to do to become President. As true Christians, we should never compromise our stand on the Gospel. In my view, Huckabee may not see it, but I think he has compromised the Gospel.

To be sure, the President has to uphold freedom of religion. However, if he claims to be a Christian, he must not compromise the truth of the Gospel in upholding the freedom of others to practice their religion.

To conclude this post I would like to commend Huckabee for his position on ’social issues’ such as abortion, marriage, family, etc.

Posted on Nov 5, 2007 | by Michael Foust

PLANO, Texas (BP)–Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee told a large audience at Prestonwood Baptist Church Nov. 4 he wasn’t there to deliver a political speech, but the congregation nevertheless responded with a reception that would make any politician envious.

Receiving two standing ovations, Huckabee avoided political issues and instead spoke about the promises of God found in the famous verse, Jeremiah 29:11. The Plano, Texas, church has approximately 25,000 members.

“There’s no guarantee that following Jesus means that we’re going to be wealthy,” Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor, told the congregation. “Neither is it His goal to make us poor. His goal is to make us like Jesus, and that is prosperity — to put in us the character of Christ so that whatever happens in our lives, we’re able to reflect the personhood and the very life of the Savior who is in us.”

A graduate of nearby Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Huckabee added, to applause, “The only thing in this world that really makes sense is to follow Him. If you lose everything but you still have Jesus, you have what you need to finish at the finish line with success.”

In introducing Huckabee, Prestonwood pastor Jack Graham said the church doesn’t endorse candidates, although Graham made it clear he admires Huckabee’s beliefs.

“It’s very important that we vote our values, that we select folks and nominate folks who stand by principle and who live and proclaim and legislate according to the values we cherish,” he said to applause, according to The Dallas Morning-News.

Graham added, “Here’s a man who comes and says: ‘I’m not looking for your endorsement. I endorse what you believe. I endorse your values.’”

A former Arkansas governor, Huckabee drew a spiritual parallel to a time in the 1980s and 1990s, when his beloved Arkansas Razorbacks’ basketball team was a national powerhouse but wasn’t always televised live within the state. If he knew they had won, Huckabee would watch the replay of the game beginning at 10:30 that night. He said he never became nervous during the game, since he already knew the outcome.

“There are a lot of uncertainties in my life. There are a lot of uncertainties in your life…. But here’s one thing — if you’re in Jesus Christ, we know how it turns out at the final buzzer,” he said. “I’ve read the final chapter in the Book, and we do end up winning at the end…. [T]he game’s already been played at the cross. Jesus paid the price that has to be paid for us to have eternal life and for us to have victory.”

Read the complete story here.

Mike Huckabee on Charlie Rose Special Edition: The Candidates

Update: Tim Ellsworth interviews Huckabee.

Slate interviews Huckabee.

Podcast: “Fred Sanders and John Mark Reynolds think through why someone might or might not want to heart Huckabee.”

Joe Carter and Lucas Roebuck will be on the Paul Edwards radio show today (5pm ET; click “Listen live”) to discuss Fund’s column on Huckabee.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Rudy Giuliani remains precariously atop the pack with support from 20% of Likely Republican Primary Voters nationwide. Fred Thompson is close behind at 19% while John McCain enjoys a second straight day in third place with 14% of the vote. Huckabee continues to gain ground and is just two points behind McCain at 12%. This is the first time all year that Huckabee has surpassed Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts Governor slipped another point and he is now at just 11% nationally. No other Republican attracts more than 3% support while 18% are undecided. (see recent daily numbers).

Read the complete post here.

I am also very pleased that some other Christian brothers are doing the same.

We think Mike Huckabee is the right chose for President. Apparently there are others. Believe it or not, Romney has not fooled all the evangelical Christians out there.

Joe Carter, Justin Taylor, and Matthew Anderson have written an endorsement of Mike Huckabee as the right choice for conservatives.

Make the informed chose for 2008, vote Huckabee for President.

Here is a link to more on Huckabee.

Visit Westminster Books for great deals on Christian books.

The GOP is in a deep hole and keeps digging. Even after Mike Huckabee won big among attendees at last week’s “Values Voters Convention,” many evangelicals have been telling the former Arkansas governor—and onetime Baptist minister—that they like him but won’t back him because he can’t beat Hillary Clinton. They have it exactly backward. He may be the only Republican candidate with a decent chance to beat the Democrats next November.

Huckabee? Yes, Huckabee.

Read the complete article here.

I’m not sure how to explain this. Let’s start with this. Technically, Mitt Romney won the big Value Voters Straw poll but it’s not that simple. The vote was open to people online and in that sense, Romney won with 1595 votes compared to Mike Huckabee’s 1565 votes. It was just a 30 vote difference. But for the people that actually voted onsite, it was no contest. Huckabee won 488 votes to Romney’s second place 99. That’s called a thumpin’. Look at the results here.

Here’s what I make of all of this. Romney might be able to claim victory but the onsite voting is a better barometer. Still, the press release the Family Research Council sent out says it’s Romney and doesn’t even mention the onsite polling. Read it here. We should point out that there’s already stories about emails circulating to pump the online vote for Romney. Read more here. Clearly, the people that actually heard the speeches thought Huckabee was the best candidate there. It would be one thing if Huckabee and Romney were neck and neck for onsite voting but for Huckabee to be such an overwhelming onsite winner, that is saying something.

Here’s what it says. It says that you have social conservatives that are ready to embrace him and he’s ready to embrace them. That speech he made on Saturday was electric. I was there. I saw the crowd. They ate it up. See more on Huckabee’s speech here. But let’s call a spade a spade. You have Evangelical leaders that are reluctant to back him because he’s having a hard time raising money and putting what they see as a top notch organization in place. He needs their support. He’s going to have to earn it. If social conservatives really want Huckabee so bad, then they’ll need to put their money where their mouths are.

Having said all that, Huckabee is poised now to really take off. Why? Two words: Sam Brownback. With Brownback out of the race, many of the votes may go to Huckabee. That could translate into some marginally better poll numbers. Plus, Huckabee can claim victory here and go around the country saying that social conservatives have spoken and that he’s the guy. Romney will make that same claim but don’t tell me for a second that the onsite margin differential doesn’t have some in the campaign concerned. Maybe because Huckabee is financially challenged, they’re not too worried.

It’s going to be interesting to watch the spin coming out of both the Huckabee and Romney camps. Each will claim victory. Each campaign will be right. Read more here and here.

By the way, in terms of onsite polling, Fred Thompson finished with 77 votes after people heard him speak. Rudy Giuliani finished with 60 votes. I think the Giuliani team will take that number and as for the Thompson number, I’m sure they were hoping to do better than that.

The story today is Huckabee.

Read the column here.

Visit Westminster Books for great deals on Christian books.

I tell people that my faith is my life. It defines me. I see no separation between my faith from my personal and professional lives. Real faith should make us humble and mindful, not to the faults of others but of our own. It should not make us more judgmental, but rather less judgmental, as we see others living a life with the same frailty we acknowledge within ourselves.