Minister becomes force on 'religious left'

NEW YORK - The Rev. James A. Forbes Jr. stands rigidly above the heads of prophets carved into the pulpit of Riverside Church. He begins his sermon calmly, enunciating every syllable, urging listeners to give up blame as their Lenten sacrifice.

Lately, within his liberal Manhattan congregation, he has been hearing a lot of ire against Republicans and fundamentalists.

"In times of war and intense conflict, the natural impulse is to demonize the adversary," he says in a soft, resonant voice. "Sometimes, we say, when we see a political drift away from democracy, 'it's those right-wing fundamentalists, they are the devil of the season.'"

Stop blaming them, he says. Work for change.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/ap_on_re_us/minister_on_the_left

It's almost miraculous that the MSM is recognizing 'people of faith' other than Dobson, Falwell, Robertson (et all).