Hermenuetics

Comments

Quite a contrast indeed from Mrs. Edwards response, hardly daring to call the adultress "pretty." As a Christian, I find that part of Mrs. Sanford's reaction a bit unsettling and over the top. Plus, I consider adultery a serious sin, and while I'm not to judge the state of anyone's soul I could not lightly address it or say anything less than a brimstone and fire spew on the act of deceiving one's God deemed spouse.

Other than that, I find the comment “You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” odd or hoping it's hyperbole. Again, as a Christian it naturally happens most of my very close friends are likewise affiliated. Religion is something that comes us rather normally and mundanely. If a close friend and I didn't have a conversation in a few months which in some way touched on faith and religion then I haven't represented myself and my God well or authentically.

Posted By: SC Integrity | August 17, 2009 6:34 PM

“You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” says her friend Marjory Wentworth, poet laureate of South Carolina and a self-described liberal who once worked for The Nation.

I find this statement made by Majory Wentworth distrubing. I am a Christian "quote born again believer in Christ" and if a friend of mine said this about me I would be doing some soul searching to see if I am letting others see Jesus in me and telling them about Him.

Religious stuff! Anyone can be religious but it's faith in Christ that saves your soul. Obviously Ms. Wentworth has never found the peace that comes from believing in our Lord.

I read the article about Mrs. Sanford that is now in the latest issue of Vogue Magazine. Well written, but by someone who has never known the saving grace of our Lord as there are small comments here and there that put down faith.

The statement "Her one-page statement saying as much was written without the help of spin doctors or media consultants. It came from her heart and her head. It mentioned God without making you squirm." this statement is one of them.

The good news will make you squirm when you realize you are a lost soul without Christ and eternally lost. I am glad it made me squirm in my heart when I was younger and understood that Jesus died for me.

Perhaps Mrs. Sanford's faith is truly in Christ not just the knowledge of Him. As far as Governor Sanford goes he did commit sin before God and I do hope he has asked forgiveness and will truly repent.

As far as Vogue magazine and their writers goes. Very educated writers who know how to make words come alive, but dead on the inside with a one-sided view of what being a Christian really is.

Posted By: MayMae | August 18, 2009 7:17 AM

Another thought... why would Mrs. Sanford give this interview of Vogue? I haven't looked at it lately but well imagine it hardly promotes Christian values. Of all the mags who could benefit from her promo.... VOGUE? This tells us something else about Mrs. Sanford and her method of disguising her religion or at best favoring pop culture when opportunities exist.

Posted By: SC Integrity | August 18, 2009 8:45 AM

She's right that choosing not to forgive can eat you alive. But forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean full restoration/reconciliation. There are still consequences for sin. I can envision myself "forgiving" my spouse for adultery whilst still divorcing, depending on the circumstances, particularly if he was unrepentant. I think Ms. Sanford seems to have a good understanding of that. I admire her for her honesty and vulnerablity in the interview.

Posted By: Robyn | August 18, 2009 11:05 AM

Sounds like Jenny is numb at this point. She is right that such affairs are addictions and aren't real. Her husband has some serious problems but she seems ready to rush into what is known as cheap forgiveness. No, she shouldn't be hiring a hitman to take care of the other woman (although in time, she may feel like it) but it's absurd for her to "feel sorry" for the other woman and consider that she is probably a "fine person." Jenny, wake up: the other woman went after another woman's husband, deliberately played with him knowing that he would lose his family, and she did not care. Yes, it was his decision to become involved, but she could have stopped it at any time. She gambled with a man's fortune (a man who was stupid to turn over his treasures to her) and HE lost. I would say that this does not make her a "fine person." She is a liar, a cheat, a fornicator, a home wrecker, a sneak, a manipulator, a predator, a narcissist and possibly a sociapathic personality who uses people for her own gain. The last definition is clear by her reaction to the affair being exposed: she was angry at the person who leaked the emails and whined about HER life being hurt, and said that "God will judge" the person who exposed them. Typical reaction of a sociopathic personality (and they are not just serial killers) and a narcissist. They take no responsibility for their actions and have no consideration for how they hurt others. Did the other woman care about Sanford's sons? Jenny does no favor to women in her kindness towards the woman who hurt her and her sons so badly. It sends out a terrible message that there is some sort of compassionate sisterhood among women who steal each other's husbands. Jenny's so-called kindness cheapens the pain of every woman who has ever faced infidelity, and gives a free pass to women who break up marriages. It's like the pornography issue: men wouldn't be looking at it if women weren't posing for it, and married men wouldn't be sleeping with other women if those women weren't available. It's women who are betraying each other, and Jenny is condoning it by being so compassionate. Wake up!

Posted By: Maryann | August 18, 2009 2:51 PM

The statement, "“You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” says her friend Marjory Wentworth"

Wow!!! If you love somebody, your husband, your children,
your Lord Jesus, you talk about them in a loving way. I
don't believe this woman knows Jesus Christ at all. Her
spriituality, "christianity?" is very superficial and
really does not seem to be a significant part of her life.
I feel sorry for her -- not only "in this world but of this
world."

Posted By: Hank Hudson | August 18, 2009 2:53 PM

The statement, "“You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” says her friend Marjory Wentworth"

Wow!!! If you love somebody, your husband, your children,
your Lord Jesus, you talk about them in a loving way. I
don't believe this woman knows Jesus Christ at all. Her
spriituality, "christianity?" is very superficial and
really does not seem to be a significant part of her life.
I feel sorry for her -- not only "in this world but of this
world."

Posted By: hank hudson | August 18, 2009 2:57 PM

“If you don’t forgive,” she says, “you become angry and bitter. I don’t want to become that. I am not in charge of revenge. That’s not up to me. That’s for the Lord to decide, and it’s important for me to teach that to my boys. All I can do is forgive. Reconciliation is something else, and that is going to be a harder road. I have put my heart and soul into being a good mother and wife. Now I think it’s up to my husband to do the soul-searching to see if he wants to stay married. The ball is in his court.”

I thought that this was an excellent, real-life description of forgiveness. I didn't see it as denial of the pain or the consequences. It seems to me that Mrs. Sanford is choosing to forgive her husband because that is the best decision for herself and her sons. She isn't ignoring the damage done; she's being intentional about how she addresses the wounds she's suffered. I think that her behavior is laudable and impressive. I hope that she continues to get the support that she needs not to descend into bitterness when the healing isn't quick.

As for the comment from her friends about not hearing something religious in 20 years. I think that we might benefit from knowing what the speaker meant by "bring up religious stuff." Perhaps what she meant was that Mrs. Sanford doesn't judge or shame persons, using her faith as a weapon or a cattle prod. Perhaps the speaker is drawing a distinction between religion which makes people uncomfortable and divides people and faith which allows for the expression of love and mercy.

Posted By: LawGirl | August 18, 2009 3:41 PM

I think many of us could benefit from a thorough Bible study on divorce. Key word - thorough. Not holding on to one verse that we think legitimizes divorce because of infidelity.

Posted By: Thanks Jenny | August 18, 2009 4:03 PM

I understand where Mrs. Sanford is coming from. She forgives the sin, she still loves the sinner, but she isn't sure she'll remain unless the marriage can be put back on the moral basis that she contracted for. She's concerned about maintaining her own moral compass. She's waiting to see if she has a repentent, stupid, sex-crazed idiot for a husband or a "player that she'll spend her life doubting. Sounds fair enough to me. You can bet that she's ranting and railing to the wall when nobody's listening. Wouldn't the press love some quotable rants that they could attribute to a Christian!

Speaking of--The day a co-worker told me (in incredulous tones) that she had NO IDEA I was a Christian was the day I changed my act. Yikes! Earlier that month a friend had happened by the "Right to Life" booth at the fair where I was volunteering and said essentially the same thing. Heads Up, Christian Girl-- gotta walk the walk, gotta talk the talk. Gotta live the New Testament.

I was living my life on the fence between Eros and agape, straddling with my toes on either side, afraid to be the "church lady", but not wanting to be the "bad girl." It took those comments to make me see how I appeared to others. I predict that Mr. Sanford has been living in the same place. Unless he commits to change, he may come home with his tail wagging, but what about next time?

For those of us who married in our teens, or married our first boyfriend, sometimes the grass seems irresistibly green in the other pasture. Some of us find strength to remain committed, but sometimes it takes a collossal act of humiliation to bring home the lesson. I think this is what Mrs. Sanford is saying--Mr. S has been shown the lesson. Now to see if he heeds it.

Posted By: ordingal | August 18, 2009 7:32 PM

Robyn says of the "Argentinian":

"She is a liar, a cheat, a fornicator, a home wrecker, a sneak, a manipulator, a predator, a narcissist and possibly a sociapathic personality who uses people for her own gain".

Thanks Robyn! I was beginning to think that no one ever notice that behind every unfaithful husband, there is, usually, a female with some of the above characteristics."

Almost everyone noticed the statement attributed by Vogue to one of Ms Sandford's friends that “You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff". Were I Ms. Sanford, I would dis-associate
myself from that statement if it were not true. However if it were, then it would be time that she took the advice she gave to her husband, and "do (some real)soul-searching" to see if she wants to stay "married" to Christ. Seems like she may be involved in some spiritual philandering of her own. "The ball is in her court.”

I would also like to give some friendly advice to Ms. Sanford, as one believer to another. The next time you are going to give an interview, don't just choose a magazine that admires you for being a strong woman, but one that will, at least, concede that you are a follower of Christ.

Finally, with all due respect to Ms. Sanford, not to share one's faith with a friend of twenty years comes across as "wimpish" to me.

Posted By: Anonymous | August 18, 2009 10:18 PM

Wow, 20 years of unChrist witnessing! The bible says that Christ is in our heart & Sunday school children are familiar with that. Could it be the consequences of unChrist witnessing to others or unChrist relationship with the infidel husband. It's not too late, Christ will comfort you. Godbless.

Posted By: andy padolina | August 18, 2009 11:04 PM

"Robyn says of the "Argentinian":

"She is a liar, a cheat, a fornicator, a home wrecker, a sneak, a manipulator, a predator, a narcissist and possibly a sociapathic personality who uses people for her own gain"."

So, in order to forgive her husband, she has to lay all the blame on her husband. He is just as much to blame as this woman is, and to say these things about her while not saying similar things about her husband is appalling. If she can forgive him, she should forgive the other woman as well.

Posted By: Anonymous | August 19, 2009 9:00 AM

It was me (Maryann) not Robyn who said those things about the Argentinian (liar, cheat, etc.) Please note that the writer's name is under, not over, the comment.
In response to Anonymous, yes, Jenny does have to lay that same blame on her husband as well, but I said those things about Maria (please, let's give her a name...to not say her name is to give her power) as a contradiction to Jenny saying that the is probably "a fine person." NOT! The same description applies to Mark. Oh, and as far as Maria (there, I said her name and it's not that scary) being "pretty." Obviously this was said before the recent pictures were released of her walking with bags of groceries. She is hardly pretty at all, and in fact, is rather unattractive. Hardly the sexy, hot, voluptuous, exotic beautiful woman that everyone expected, and that the steamy, tacky emails alluded to. Note the emaciated body, gaunt face, dull sunken eyes and bad teeth that are visible in the one straight-on photo where she stares at the camera. Does the word "crack" cross anybody's mind? (Written by Maryann)

Posted By: Maryann | August 19, 2009 1:11 PM

Maryann, you seem to be bitter. First off, do we know Marie knew that Sanford was married? Second, there is no reason to insult her looks. Clearly, that is not why he was with her, so it shouldn't matter.

I hate it that when women dislike other women, often the first thing we do is insult her looks. Please. Say what you will about her character, but there is no point to giving a shallow critique of how she looks. Pretty people are not more likely to have affairs than "unattractive" people.

Posted By: Anonymous | August 19, 2009 1:57 PM

Anonymous, since Maria was emailing Sanford for EIGHT YEARS, she obviously had a computer so you can't possibly believe that she never, not once Googled "Gov. Mark Sanford." His marital status was no secret and there have been many photos of him with his family. If they were such "dear dear friends" for EIGHT YEARS she surely followed his election and would have seen coverage of him with his family. And didn't he mention his family in his published emails to her? Why are you so quick to defend her knowledge about his marriage? After they were busted, she still welcomed him to Argentina. Did she think that the scandal broke because his MOTHER didn't allow him to date her? What do you think she was thinking?
I'm not insulting her looks just to insult her, and yes, it is clear that that wasn't why he was with her. If you carefully read my comment about the erroneous presumption that she was gorgeous, you would understand why I was eager to point out the reality, that she is not. It goes like this (I'll try typing slowly): People were assuming that she was gorgeous, a real "hotty," voluptuous beauty, etc., and if you were following this in the secular Internet, you would have read countless, ugly comments from people who said in various ways that "Jenny is (fill in unflattering unkind comment) so it is NO WONDER that Gov was attracted to his Argentine hotty." My comment about her looks is not to be catty, but to counter all those horrible remarks that the mistress is gorgeous and the wife is not, so therefore, nudge nudge, ya can't blame the Gov for straying. (Either way, he is wrong.)
It was not a shallow critique. It was in defense of Jenny who has been brutalized and called so many unkind things, and criticized for HER looks, and accused of behaviors, quirks, attitude, etc. that "drove" her husband into the arms of another woman, and therefore, the writers suggest, Jenny deserved what she got. You would see those vicious, caustic comments against Jenny if you read secular blogs. And you are right. Pretty people are not more likely to have affairs than "unattractive" people. In fact, according to research statistics, the majority of men who cheat admit that their wives are prettier, smarter, classier, etc., than their lovers. And marriage counselors would tell you that a good deal of the time, when the wife finds out details about the other woman, her flabbergasted reaction is, "You ruined our lives for HER?"
A final comment on why so many mistresses are not "fine" women: if they are all that wonderful in the many ways that count, wouldn't they be able to get a nice guy of their own, and not go after a pathetic cheater?
By the way, according to reports coming out of some of the major news (not gossip) sources, the Gov is Maria's #3 married lover whose family was blown apart. Live and not learn, huh?
Pretty is as pretty does, my grandmother always said. Written by Maryann, who is flippantly sarcastic, not bitter.

Posted By: Maryann | August 19, 2009 8:08 PM

I find it ironic that castigating Jenny Sanford over what may or may not be the meaning of a single sentence from a friend (the "20 years" comment) has been the primary response to an aside in an article about the mystery of forgiveness, reconciliation, and grace. Also ironic to me is the horror and damnation heaped upon Mrs. Sanford for her ultimate consideration her husband's mistress - that she's a "fine woman" who's made mistakes. This doesn't tell me that she's a naive, starry-eyed, push-over fool; it tells me that she is a rare, mature woman who has actually managed to solve the mystery of compassion and grace by putting herself (a sinner) and her husband's mistress (also a sinner) on the same plane of the human condition, regarding her as an equal under the same sun. Would that we all understand Christ so well. I know I don't.

Posted By: elly | August 20, 2009 12:32 PM

I just read this article and finished reading through the comments...I find it disturbing that MOST (but not all) of these comments are filled with what seems to be harsh and judgemental attitudes. Where does that rigidity come from? This COULD happen to you. YOU could be the one to cheat or the one to be cheated on. To say otherwise is prideful...to say otherwise is putting yourself above anyone else. We're all capable of doing pretty much anything and through God's grace and strength, we often do not, but sometimes do. We're not perfect...no one is. You might be thinking, "Yeah! But the "Argentinian isn't even sorry!"...however, the Lords prayer calls us to "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." It doesn't say, "as we forgive those who trespass against us after they are sorry/ask for our forgiveness".

We can return to the familiar "WWJD?" question....what would Jesus do? We KNOW what Jesus would say and do...he said it in John 8: 1-11. Look it up. Our purpose here on earth is to live as Jesus did...to do our best at that. It's unforunate that even our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ will viciously condemn others...why? Does it make you feel better about your life?

Posted By: Lauren | August 22, 2009 9:11 AM

It is harsh to judge her on a friend's comment. Her friend might mean many things by "religious stuff." It's probably an exaggeration anyway. Obviously her friend knew they were Christian, which tells me that it actually came up at some time in her life even if not part of some evangelism.

Thanks Jenny: I absolutely agree with you on that. Let's also not forget that Jesus even said that divorce was allowed because of our hardened hearts. If God allows something, that doesn't necessarily mean it's what He desires for us.

Posted By: Merciel | August 22, 2009 12:43 PM

Merciel, I disagree with your interpretation on what Jesus said on divorce. Jesus said that what Moses said about divorce was allowed because of people's hardened hearts. He then goes on to say that divorce was allowed in the case of infidelity. I take that to mean that in the case of infidelity, while divorce isn't always the answer, it isn't a wrong choice to make.

Posted By: Anonymous | August 22, 2009 4:43 PM

In keeping with the Evangelical/Protestant penchant for selective Bible reading, what you guys tend to forget is that Jesus forbade divorce/remarriage- period, full stop. But because divorce seems to be a favorite evangelical pastime, no preacher dares speak against it. Jenny Sanford is more of a Christian than any of the kooky pastors you guys hold up as role models. But because she doesn't belong to a denomination that rolls around on the floor babbling in tongues or because she doesn't make a superficial show of her faith, a la Ms. California, you people don't respect her. Typical evangelical: spiritual arrogance coupled with spiritual shallowness.

Posted By: Peter | August 24, 2009 9:55 AM

God doesn't forgive the unrepentant. He sends them to hell.

Posted By: Robyn | August 24, 2009 2:00 PM

I'm appalled at the tone of many of these posts. Where is the love? No wonder non-believers think that it is a compliment to say that a Christian doesn't talk about religion. Look what we sound like when talking about a fellow believer, who is a wronged wife preaching forgiveness. No wonder no one wants to hear what we say.

I'm not saying that we should ignore sin, but that's not what most of what this is about.

Posted By: Ann | August 24, 2009 2:59 PM

"All I can do is pray for her because she made some poor choices." That's Marilyn's comment about the Argentine woman. But one might observe that, on the subject of poor choices, it wasn't the Argentinian who chose to marry a man of low character who is a habitual adulterer and liar. That remarkably poor choice was Jenny Sanford's.

Posted By: Kathleen in SF | August 28, 2009 10:34 PM

Peter: Addressing other posters as "you people" is condescending and does not lend to discussion. Insulting entire denominations that you don't agree creates a straw man to tear down that no one asked for. I hope you will be more considerate with your additional comments.

It's unfair to judge Jenny Sanford on a comment someone else made about her (the “You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” part). This doesn't mean Jenny never spoke about her faith, it only means that the other person was not haggled about converting her faith.

Posted By: SJ | September 3, 2009 2:33 PM

Everyone is upset over the, "The statement, "“You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” says her friend Marjory Wentworth"" statement. Perhaps Jenny Sanford expresses her love for Jesus and her Christianity through her kindness and acts of service rather than her mouth. And perhaps that is why she has managed to maintain a friendship with someone fairly liberal instead of building a fence between them by constantly trying to convert them.

Posted By: Sara | September 3, 2009 11:56 PM

I do not believe that the statement “You could be friends with her for 20 years, and she would never bring up the religious stuff,” says her friend ... is as trivial as some are trying to make it appear.

With all due respect to those who see it differently, I believe that sharing one's faith in Christ is an indispensable, non-negotiable aspect of being a believer in and a follower of Christ. I do not intend to "preach", but I must say that the same Jesus whom Ms. Sanford believes in and follows, makes it very clear that "no one can come to the Father except through me".

Of course, there is a time and a place for everything, and there also is a right and a wrong way to do something. However, taking for granted that the "christian stuff" under consideration is the stuff regarding "righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come", twenty years seems an extraordinarily long time not to share the "good news" with a "friend". And what's the use of calling someone your "friend" if you cannot share the most important aspect of your life with them without their taking offence?

In this regard, and meaning no offence to Ms. Sanford, I must honestly say that I feel as sorry for her as a christian being unable to share about the most important person in her life with a friend of twenty years, as I feel sadness over her marital situation. It hurts when someone you love and trusted has been unfaithful to you.

I want to end by saying to all the believers in Christ who have contributed to this discussion, that sharing our faith in Jesus Christ is not optional nor open to debate. The word witness comes from a word which means to give one's life for the faith (martyr). I am not to deliberately chase my friends away with the gospel, but I must find a way to share my christian faith with my friends even if it means risking driving them away. I have a responsibility to Christ, and to my friends to share the gospel with them.

I have often found that after the trepidation and fear associated with whether or not to share Christ with a friend, I am usually amazed at how positively they respond. In fact, one or two of my friends have asked what took me so long!

Posted By: Steve Skeete | September 4, 2009 10:19 AM

Jenny Sanford is handling her husband's unfaithfulness with an incredible amount of grace, and we should be slow to criticize. In her public comments so far, she has refused to cast judgment in any way on her husband or even on the woman he had an affair with, leaving the right to judge in the hands of God - the only One to whom that right truly belongs. This kind of restraint is something Scripture commands Christ's followers to do! Yet how many of us can honestly say that we would be able to do the same if we were in her position?

In "This Momentary Marriage," John Piper writes: "The meaning of marriage is the display of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people." Through this covenant-keeping love, Christ has stayed with a people who have often been unfaithful ... and we ourselves are those people.

According to Scripture, God does allow divorce when one's spouse is unfaithful - and if Jenny Sanford chooses to go this route, I doubt anyone would blame her. But what great testimony is it to a divorce-ridden, skeptical, nonbelieving world when a Christian publicly offers forgiveness to an adulterous spouse and refuses to condemn him?

After reading her public response to the affair, I have a great deal of admiration for Jenny Sanford.

Posted By: Ashley | September 17, 2009 11:15 AM

Jenny Sanford is handling her husband's unfaithfulness with an incredible amount of grace, and we should be slow to criticize. In her public comments so far, she has refused to cast judgment in any way on her husband or even on the woman he had an affair with, leaving the right to judge in the hands of God - the only One to whom that right truly belongs. This kind of restraint is something Scripture commands Christ's followers to do! Yet how many of us can honestly say that we would be able to do the same if we were in her position?

In "This Momentary Marriage," John Piper writes: "The meaning of marriage is the display of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people." Through this covenant-keeping love, Christ has stayed with a people who have often been unfaithful ... and we ourselves are those people.

According to Scripture, God does allow divorce when one's spouse is unfaithful - and if Jenny Sanford chooses to go this route, I doubt anyone would blame her. But what great testimony is it to a divorce-ridden, skeptical, nonbelieving world when a Christian publicly offers forgiveness to an adulterous spouse and refuses to condemn him?

After reading her public response to the affair, I have a great deal of admiration for Jenny Sanford.

Posted By: Ashley | September 17, 2009 12:03 PM

I recently found out my husband had an affair, due to getting a pap smear and coming down with a std. The woman Estella Garza, new my husband was married, and though him and I had only been apart 3 weeks, moved him in and had sex with him. I have been trying very hard to forgive and move on but I am finding it extremely hard. Although I am currently living with my husband, I think deep down there is no changing him. I have to make a decision by 10/1, on wether I try to save my marriage or let him go. I harbor a large amount of animosity toward Estella as well, this situation consumes me night and day. The reason this situation is so hard for me is because, Im on my fourth set of antibiotics- to rid me of the std i cought from sleeping with my husband on reconciliation. I feel as if him and his mistress have gotten off scott free. please pray for my mind to find peace, and realize i am a child of god and deserve so much better. please give me strenght to go through my divorce, or realize if my marriage is worth saving. Please pray that Estella garza in new braunfels tx will stop destroying peoples lives and marriages. and last but not least if my husband is not sincere pray that my transition out of this marriage wont be the worst thing in the world.

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Posted By: links of london Necklace | October 29, 2009 7:22 PM

I am late coming into this discussion very late, however, it is Christmas and I was trying to see what the Sanford family would be doing. I've read most of the commentary from women and I have to say, save for the comments from the Christians on the board regarding Mrs. Sanfords not bringign up God in her day to day conversations with close friends, I found views interesting save for MaryAnn's. Mary Ann sounds like a loony tune. Ms. Chapur does not shoulder the total blame nor does Governor SAnford, however, Mr. Sanford feel short of his marriage vows and made a decision. There is blame to be had by Mrs. Sanford as well. You women just aren't clued in to it. Whatever Ms. Chapur did or did not do, I do think she is exordinarily beautiful in a very natural way. It is racism that persist here with women of color. AS this is S.C. the same exotic descriptions or expectations of how Ms. Chapur would look, hot, blah, blah, blah, are all couched in racist ways. Women of color are not all hot sirens waiting to snage innocent husbands out of their lairs. We women of color are intelligent, strong, intellectually gifted, as you white women and yes, we attract men of opposite races all the time. So I found MaryAnn's comments to be particularly distasteful towards Ms. Chapur, and yes MaryAnn you do sound extremely bitter. I don't know what the future holds for botht he Governor and Ms. Chapur, but I think taht Ms. Chapur has shown the most dignity, whilest the First Lady, and I completely understand her pain, has shown the "least." She has paraded in front of the cameras since the story broke, when all along she knew about the affair. For political expediency and to further her political ambitions and that of her husbands, she was willing to work with him on exocising this woman from her husbands loins and brain in order to keep the status quo. To me that does not make her any less pitiful or pathetic than the other political wives that she has been compared to and come out the victor. She is just as controlling as any of them were, the least to me was Ms. Spitzer, I do like her. When the Governor disobeyed her command, that's when she went ballistic and orghestrated his downfall. The press conference we became aware of was in June, ok. For something this tramatic to hit a marriage, I would think you would need more than six months to work towards reconcilaition through forgiveness as the Mrs. has sprouted. I would think it would take at least a year. Separate, go to counseling work with your children so on. It seems all Mrs. Sanford has done is trademark her name, write her memorirs give interview after interview to countless upscale magazines and news broadcast outlets and now six months later she is filing for divorce, Wow! Even I can't catch my breath! When has she had any time to really work toward reconciliation as she has stated and given it time to actually work?...Or I forgot, she used to be a corporate raider, pretty much like the ones, who are were orghestrating the downfall of the American economy and they were like little worker bees weren't they? So all Jenny Sanford as really done, is written him off, which is her perogative to do and work like a little worker bee towards her own agenda while she sweetly in the most southernest of ways...destroys her husband. What say you MaryAnn?

Posted By: Iconic58 | December 24, 2009 5:21 PM

She is a Gorgeous, Gorgeous Lady !!
She is blessed in so many ways.
She is a refreshingly articulate and intelligent.
We pray to our Lord that her good friends will support her to find happiness. She has a beautiful smile. She needs to be happy again. We pray Lord, to stand with her and her young boys.

Beautiful lady, pray she finds her lovely smile once more.

Posted By: Jim | February 13, 2010 12:12 AM

I feel sad that so many people are critical of Jenny's comments (and her friend's comments) in this article. Surely you must realize that things that appear in print are often taken out of context. Also, I think it's great that she has chosen to let her life be a testimony that woos others (instead of pushing her faith on others by being verbose --- what a turn off that is, and not at all what God intended). As our pastor shared last year, we earn the right to share Christ with someone by letting the Holy Spirit woo them through us. And the Holy Spirit can only do that if we are willing to be in relationship with others who so desperately need to accept Him. How silly, then, that it was noted that she has a liberal friend, as if that was questionable! We should all have friends whose beliefs differ from ours. If we all stay in our comfortable little Christian box, God will have little chance to reach the lost! Jenny Sanford has shown tremendous grace and courage in the midst of a horrific situation, and the fact that she is able to share her story through non-Christian media outlets is a wonderful opportunity to reach women who so desperately need Jesus at this time. I will be praying for her and wish her well!

Posted By: Elizabeth222 | May 12, 2010 9:51 PM

I am a 19 year old art student who was born Catholic and is currently a practicing Christian. I, like (it seems), Mrs. Sanford, tend to practice my faith independently. When I was going through a time in my life where I was borderline atheist, I know that anyone who brought up Christianity or attempted to get me to "see the light of Christ" would make me even more repulsed by the notion. I now know that is important to remain firm in your beliefs and yet accept others for who what they believe, allowing them to find their own way and offering help if they ask for it. Mrs. Sanford sounds like a fabulous wife/mother/friend/person in general. She is truly a great example for us all. Inner strength & forgiveness in the face of such a devastating heart break are hard things to muster up... there is no doubt in my mind that her strength comes from a good relationship with God.

Posted By: Emily | September 29, 2010 1:44 PM