Senator Inhofe and John Erling and Church and State

John Erling of KRMG radio in Tulsa is in a spat with US Senator Jim Inhofe. In a recorded interview with Erling the Senator blasted Erling for criticizing him for his trips to Africa, for not calling in on time for scheduled interviews, etc. The Senator informed Erling he was canceling his periodic on-air discussions and taking his interviews to Erling's more conservative KRMG radio host, Wes Minter. It was an interesting exchange but Inhofe came off as a vindictive brat.

Several months ago I was in an audience when Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty of Tulsa told the audience that Senator Inhofe sets up meetings with African heads of state on the pretense of official discussions and then uses the meetings to proselytize his Christian beliefs and to "bring the Africans to Christ". Whether one believes in Christianity or not, it is certainly not ethical for our elected officials to arrange meetings on the pretense of official discussions and then to promote a certain religious viewpoint. That is a misuse of official standing and position. That is a role for missionaries, not elected officials. This kind of behavior is an illustration of the need for separation of church and state.