Neuhaus on Bush

Richard John Neuhaus wants to defend the theological prowess of our current President, defending his statement that “Muslims worship the same Almighty” as Christians. Neuhaus has some jolly fun at the expense of “official of the Southern Baptist Convention” and the NAE, reducing the arguments to: “we got a competition between gods going here, with our God (upper case) being much nicer than their god, as revealed, so to speak, in the superior niceness of those of us who serve him.” This is, as Neuhaus claims, “theological nonsense.” Neuhaus cites Paul’s words about the “unknown God” in Acts 17 to support his conclusion that “Jews worship the one God whom Jesus called Father” and that “Muslims worth the same God.” This is perfectly good post-Vatican II Roman Catholic theology, and there are doubtless subtle questions at work. But it is odd that Neuhaus deals with this issue without raising the reality of idolatry; he argues as if the claim that ANYONE worships a differnt God is an attack on monotheism. Surely, that there is only one God does not mean everyone who claims to worship him in fact does. Does Neuhaus’s logic work if I happen to call my God “Mammon” instead of “Allah”?