The Gospel According to Marc(us)

The good news, according to Dr. Marcus Bachmann, is that Christ is the Almighty Counselor. Apparently Bachmann and Associates, Inc. is the conduit for the supernatural counseling services being provided at his clinic, i.e. the Bachmann “family business”.

The best news, at least for Michele and Marcus Bachmann, is that while Christ is counseling, while Marcus is pronouncing salvation through discipline for barbarians, and while the conjugal-bearer-of-fruit, that tea party darling, is attacking the size of federal government and entitlement programs, the clinic’s coffers are being fed by federally subsidized health dollars that have flowed to their Christian counseling center. This includes $137,000 that Bachmann and Associates, Inc. have received for treating patients in Medicaid-backed programs.

NBC’s Michael Isikoff reports:

The previously unreported payments are on top of the $24,000 in federal and state funds that Bachmann & Associates, the clinic founded by Marcus Bachmann . . . received in recent years under a state grant to train its employees, state records show. The figures were provided to NBC News in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Neither Michele nor Marcus Bachmann have publically addressed this. Why? Perhaps Jesus is too busy correcting the barbarians and hasn’t had the time to speak to the Bachmann’s directly.

There are two issues to consider here.

A public duty issue: As a current public servant, and as a potential candidate seeking the highest office in the land, Michele Bachmann should do no less than to defend the First Amendment upholding the “establishment clause”. Would Michele be so silent if the same funds flowed to an Islamic counseling center, or a Scientology counseling center, or a Buddhist counseling center?

A moral issue: As adherents to the Christian Bible, Michele and Marcus Bachmann should know well the words of Jesus in his many references to hypocrites and hypocrisy. Consider one:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matt 23:27-29

Gospel? Good News? It’s all in the eye of the beholder!