Pennsylvania, Maryland, and others are placing economic concerns, foreign policy, and climate change far above any theological interests. The mood of the nation is changing.”
“Do you think that Texas, Alabama, and Ohio will do the same?” Patterson challenged.
“No,” the senator responded. “And I don’t give a damn if they do or not, because the conservative vote remains in the minority. The point, Pastor, is that I’m in a dominant position in the primary campaign with or without your support.”
Patterson lost the ability to maintain the grin slapped across his face.
“Do you really think that you can afford to lose the voting block that I control? Can you afford to spout your arrogance when I could block your campaign in a half-dozen swing states? This is the voice of God that you’re turning your back on.”
“It’s the people of America who are turning their backs, Pastor,” Black responded. “On you.”
Patterson struggled to prevent himself from clenching his fists.
“Go down to the Reflecting Pool, stand before the granite wall there, and see the images of our soldiers—Americans who fought for the ideals we preserve, who fought for God and for country and for us to be here in this land fighting for what we know to be true. Read the words imprinted there.”
“‘Freedom is not free,’” Black recited the inscription.
Patterson spoke softly, trying to let the weight of his words carry their importance.
“‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.’ John, fifteen seven.”
Senator Black smiled without passion.
“‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’ Revelation twenty-two seventeen.”
The ripple of despair stirred painfully now within Patterson’s belly. The senator before him may be poised upon the brink of a victory that could see him in just a few short months become the most powerful man on the Earth, an ally that Patterson could not afford to lose. Unfortunately, the senator was clearly aware of that.
“Do not quote so carelessly the words of the Good Book,” Patterson said, “if you are not prepared to follow them.”
“It’s not my choice.” Senator Black smiled with supreme confidence. “My purpose is to serve the people of this country, and if they are supporting policies that you disagree with, then it is up to you to change, not the people you claim to represent.”
So, it was naked power play. Patterson found himself pinned between third and fourth base with a ball in the air, nowhere to run, and not really sure how it had happened.
“A man of true principle stands rigidly by his beliefs,” he muttered.
“As have I,” Senator Black replied evenly, before sighing and offering his trademark ultraviolet smile. “Kelvin, we’re not moving forward here. You need me now, not the other way around. You might be able to swing voters down in places like Oklahoma and Arkansas, but not enough to influence the whole country. And what would you gain if you did? A presidency even more opposed to your moral convictions. Compromise is what you need.”
“Conviction is what we all need,” Patterson said through gritted teeth, his eyes bulging as he strained against his disbelief at the senator’s ignorance. “How can I stand against my own congregation?”
“You’d be standing with them, Kelvin,” Black soothed. “They’re the ones doing the voting, remember? They’re the ones who are setting the polls. Like it or not, they’re speaking for their nation, and if you believe that they’re wrong, then perhaps it is you who knows nothing of God.” Black smiled again. “You’ve said it yourself, many times, that what happens here on Earth is God’s will. Maybe He’s trying to tell you something.”
Patterson squirmed beneath the senator’s patrony. How such a man could dare to speak with any authority on the Almighty was beyond him. How could any mortal man know the mind of God when …
Patterson’s vision blurred. The impact of his thoughts slammed through the field of his awareness like a scimitar through crystal. Suddenly, he sat in a sphere of perfect loneliness as he considered what his mind’s eye had seen. Everything seemed clearer than it ever had. Ignorance. It is I who knows nothing.
I know nothing of God. No man knows anything of God. Blind faith is empty.
“Pastor?”
Patterson blinked at the sound of Black’s voice, looking up and remembering that the senator was still there, watching him now with a concerned gaze. “Are you all right, Pastor?”