June 29, 2009

The admission by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford of an adulterous affair has brought ridicule from some of my liberal journalism colleagues. The indictment of him is less about the sex and more the hypocrisy. Fair enough, though you will remember what Jesus said about motes and beams in our eyes.

There is also hypocrisy on the secular left, which sees nothing wrong with parading all sorts of behavior in media and the rest of culture and then wags a finger at those who fall for the lie. You always get more of what you promote and less of what you oppose, but we have reversed that process.

Sanford surely knew better. He attended Bible studies and church. He had a wife and four boys who must be devastated. His sons, especially, need our prayers.

This – and previous affairs by politicians – should settle the issue of whether we can look to government for moral improvement. Politicians who can’t impose morality on themselves are unlikely to be able to impose it on the rest of us.

We should pray for the governor and his family. And we should be reminded again that Satan is like a lion, prowling about and seeking whom he may devour. It could happen to any of us so let’s not be smug about it. We have an adversary, but we also have an advocate. Listen to his voice and seek his help and strength.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.