Judging Fauci

Sunday, August 2, 2026

This week saw one of the most amazing displays of arrogance and contemptuousness ever witnessed in the United States Congress.  Anthony Fauci thumbed his nose at the Senate of the United States as if his power as a (former) bureaucrat equaled theirs.  The event has been discussed and analyzed endlessly – including in these spaces.  Fauci may in fact be guilty of contempt of Congress and subject to penalties appropriate thereto.  But way too many people have rushed to the condemnation of Anthony Fauci’s humanity.  A fact that is as troubling as Fauci’s performance.

As Fauci’s “testimony” unfolded Psalm 51 came to my mind.  Most specifically, “The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit – O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.”  I could not help but think that if Fauci speaks to God the way he spoke to those Senators, then his eternity may be a little too interesting.

But then I thought about something Jesus said:

 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

And so it occurred to me that Anthony Fauci’s eternal fate is between himself and his Lord, or more probably lack thereof – it was none of my business.  I tried desperately this week to point out that Fauci’s issues were the result of a governmental system operating out of check – that his arrogance was reflective of a broken culture – and that the effects of his arrogance were so pronounce because we acted like sheep and made him shepherd.  We have a lot of planks in our collective eyes.

Creatures like Anthony Fauci have existed throughout history and they will continue to exist.  Focusing on their condemnation only darkens our souls.  We can prevent that darkening.  Their problems need not become ours.  We should rather focus on how to guard ourselves from them and let God deal with them.  We can start by being light – by praying for their soul even as we guard ourselves from theirs.  Our light will outshine their darkness every time if we but cultivate that light.

Cultivating that light is what church is all about.  Good thing it’s Sunday morning.