Who Walks the Line?

Here is a beautiful and profound post on Slacktivist comparing the professions of faith by Johnny Cash and George W. Bush. Why do we believe that Cash had an honest and sincere devotion to the lord while for President Bush treats his faith like a hat, easy to put on for show and take off when inconvenient? An excerpt:

Yes, as Fields points out, Bush and Cash both speak out for “the words that Jesus said” — but those words seem to have very different implications for the two men.

If there’s one thing President Bush insists upon — one thing that he wants the world to know about him — it is that he has a “good heart.” (See here for more on Bush’s obsession with “good-heartedness.”)

Cash never made such a claim. “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,” he sang in “I Walk the Line.” He always viewed his own heart with a wary suspicion, serving more often than not as the anti-hero of his own songs. Like many a great bluesman, Cash sang of faithlessness — but that faithlessness was his own. He was never a victim crying for pity, but a sinner crying out for grace.

Good stuff. I found this via LaGringa.

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Dave Slusher is a blogger, podcaster, computer programmer, author, science fiction fan and father. Member of the Podcast Hall of Fame class of 2022.