By Synthia Esther
Professing evangelical Christian, Rep. Mark Souder upheld conservative family values, and abstinence education. He stood behind a moralistic sound bite, with a squeaky clean image. Married for 36 years, to the same woman. He is the father of three adult children, and grandfather to two grandchildren.
His wife Diane, helped raise the family, worked to get her husband elected, and believed in the Christian value system she and her husband Mark confirmed. Only to be treated with little regard, as Mark, the good guy, was having a hot time affair with staffer aide, Tracy Meadows Jackson of Syracuse, Ind. Rumors included allegations of late-night trysts in area parks. Souder gave comment stating, "I am so ashamed to have hurt the ones I love. I am sorry to have let so many friends down, people who have worked so hard for me."
Actions do speak louder than words, and the shock and awe of an affair, must be difficult for many Mark Souder supporters to hear. Bob Schmuhl, a University of Notre Dame political analyst is reported by the Associated Press as stating, "We see it again and again. At a certain point we shouldn't be shocked, but we still are when something like this happens."
Souder preached a message of change in the "moral direction" of the Unitied States, often describing himself as an "ultraconservative." Ironically, he and Ms. Jackson made a public video extolling the virtues of abstinence.
I too am an evangelical Christian. I have prayed for Souder's wife, Diane, and their adult children. As betrayal bonds are often hard to forgive. May the peace of God surround them all. We all sin and come short of the glory of God. Forgiveness helps heal wounds. God's grace, mercy, and love, help us move forward in moral stance and character.