In the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, verse 18, Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus, "Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Former presidential candidate and junior senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders doesn't share Jesus's point of view and is peeved because Russell T. Vought, Donald Trump's nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), does.

In a 2016 article entitled "Wheaton College and the Preservation of Theological Clarity," Vought expressed the opinion that the Christian college was justified in firing their first female African-American tenured professor, Larycia Hawkins, for sympathizing with Islam and for posing on Facebook dressed in a hijab.

In defense of Wheaton's decision, Vought wrote that "Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned."

At Vought's Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing, during introductory remarks, a visibly annoyed Sanders directed his comments toward the nominee while pontificating about "[t]his country, since its inception, [having] struggled, sometimes with great pain, to overcome discrimination of all forms."  Sanders stressed, "We must not go backward."

Sorry, but Bernie the Socialist is the last person who should be sermonizing about the inception of a nation whose foundational philosophies are diametrically opposed to everything he espouses.  

Moreover, rather than refer to Article VI, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution as his guide, which says that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States," Bernie chose instead to "overcome... all forms of discrimination" by verbally scourging a Christian.

For denying that God is government and that salvation comes from the state, Vought probably comes off to intolerant Sanders as a political heretic.  Meanwhile, despite the Quran (3:56) saying, "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter," Bernie continues to support Minnesota Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison to head the DNC.

Sounding like Pontius Pilate interrogating Jesus, the liberal senator applied a religious litmus test to the president's nominee by challenging Vought's belief in basic Christian theology, asking:

I don't know how many Muslims there are in America, I really don't know, probably a couple million. Are you suggesting that all of those people stand condemned? What about Jews? Do they stand condemned too?

Sanders continued probing: "Do you believe that statement is Islamophobic?"  Vought replied, "Absolutely not, Senator.  I'm a Christian, and I believe in a Christian set of principles based on my faith."

Bernie is a millionaire socialist who publicly embraces sharing the wealth while privately practicing the religion of Marxism by vacationing in a $600,000 summer home.  That's why Vought's unwavering adherence to a "set of principles" is hard for Bernie to grasp.

In an attempt to defend his position, Vought said, "As a Christian, I believe that all individuals are made in the image of God and are worthy of dignity and respect, regardless of their religious beliefs."

The irony here is that Vought was explaining his belief to a pro-abortion advocate who demands a standard from Vought on behalf of Muslims that the religion of liberalism denies the unborn.

However, based on Bernie's boorishness, apparently, liberals are certified to be disrespectful toward anyone who disagrees with progressivism.  That authorization may be why Sanders felt comfortable interrupting Vought to say, "And do you think your statement that you put in that publication… do you think that's respectful of other religions?"

Vought answered that he wrote the post as an alumnus of Wheaton College, which "has a statement of faith that speaks clearly with regard to the centrality of Jesus Christ in salvation." 

In response, Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) chimed in and laid bare the left's hypocrisy concerning truth being relative when he admonished Bernie by saying: "I hope that we are not questioning the faith of others, and how they interpret their faith to themselves."  

Then, by chastising Vought for being a biblical purist, versus a vacillator like himself, Democrat senator from Maryland Chris Van Hollen exposed the schizophrenic left's truth-being-relative hypocrisy even more.  The Maryland senator attested that "I'm a Christian, but part of being a Christian, in my view, is recognizing that there are lots of ways that people can pursue their God."  

If what Chris "in my view" Van Hollen says is true, then Vought's interpretation of the Bible, regardless of how repugnant it is to Mr. Sanders, shouldn't be a problem – should it?

On behalf of the senator, following the contentious hearing, a spokesperson delivered the following statement:

In a democratic society, founded on the principle of religious freedom, we can all disagree over issues, but racism and bigotry – condemning an entire group of people because of their faith – cannot be part of any public policy.

The nomination of a candidate like Vought, "who has expressed such strong Islamaphobic language," the statement said, "is simply unacceptable."

Suffice it to say that our nation's founding principle of religious freedom did not equate tolerance with acceptance of things like atheism, Native American shamanism, paganism, or "Mahometanism."  In fact, in 1779, George Washington delivered a speech that expressed to Delaware Indian chiefs his theological convictions:

You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.

Therefore, if George Washington were running for deputy director of the OMB, Bernie Sanders would accuse him of being a phobic-racist-bigot and then say, "I would simply say, Mr. Chairman, that this nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about.  I will vote no."

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com.