Being saved had a lot of advantages. If someone made a major mistake, they could write it off: God had willed it. Or they could blame it on Satan, too. It depended on the circumstance, but there was always an excuse or reason. Former criminals or outright liars were often guests at the church, telling us lurid stories of their pasts in testimony. We always looked forward to that.
GWB took take his presidency as a sacred call to do the deity's will. Thus, he could do no wrong, and would not countenance the presence of any who expressed contrary opinions.
My Assembly of God was a church plagued by teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug abuse, promiscuity, strict social castes, and outright mental illness. It had every problem that existed in every other organization of people. It was full of sniping, backbiting, toadying, and gossip. Only the members refused to see the problems and speak about them or seek real remedies. They would just pray and hope or pretend a problem or abuse didn't exist. Besides, we were all headed to Heaven, so what did a few minor indiscretions here on earth matter, anyway? This was just the practice run. Those that had authority in the church generally weren't humble or meek. They were confident they'd been saved and God worked through them; they weren't much for saying they were sorry.
That confidence continues to fester amongst many of the corporate-political class crossovers. Here's a prime example that won't melt down any time soon.
