The Religious Right is losing control - Jim Wallis

Here we have an example of Christians following the teachings of the Bible rather than the narrow political goals of the Religious Right:

". . .The Religious Right has been able to win when they have been able to maintain and control a monologue on the relationship between faith and politics. But when a dialogue begins about the extent of moral values issues and what biblically-faithful Christians should care about, the Religious Right begins to lose. The best news of all for the American church and society is this: The monologue of the Religious Right is over, and a new dialogue has just begun."

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=sojomail.current_issue#4

The Religious Right is losing control
by Jim Wallis

<snip>
For more than a decade, a series of environmental initiatives have been coming from an unexpected source - a new generation of young evangelical activists. Mostly under the public radar screen, they were covered in places such as Sojourners and Prism, the magazine of Evangelicals for Social Action. There were new and creative projects such as the Evangelical Environmental Network and Creation Care magazine. In November, 2002, one of these initiatives got some national attention - a campaign called "What Would Jesus Drive?" complete with fact sheets, church resources, and bumper stickers. The campaign was launched with a Detroit press conference and meetings with automotive executives.

Recently, more establishment evangelical groups, especially the National Association of Evangelicals, also began to speak up on the issue of creation care. Leading the way was Rich Cizik, NAE Vice President for Governmental Affairs, who, on issues like environmental concern and global poverty reduction, began to sound like the biblical prophet Amos. Cizik and NAE President Ted Haggard, a megachurch pastor in Colorado Springs, were attending critical seminars on the environment and climate change in particular and describing their experiences of "epiphany" and "conversion" on the issue. Cizik was quoted by The New York Times as saying, "I don't think God is going to ask us how he created the earth, but he will ask us what we did with what he created." In 2004, the NAE adopted a new policy statement, "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility," which included a principle titled "We labor to protect God's creation."

When the same New York Times article, written in March 2005 by Laurie Goodstein, noted that "A core group of influential evangelical leaders has put its considerable political power behind a cause that has barely registered on the evangelical agenda, fighting global warming," the politics of global warming changed overnight in Washington, D.C. Previously, advocates around climate change and other environmental issues were simply not a part of George Bush's political base and their concerns were not on Washington's political agenda. But the NAE constituency is mostly part of the Republican base and the new environmental concern was not unnoticed by the White House - the very day the article came out the White House called the NAE to ask what policies they were most concerned about.

God, I hope it's true.

At least this part:

The monologue of the Religious Right is over, and a new dialogue has just begun."

falwell, dobson, robertson and lesser radical christian clerics hate Wallis' fucking guts and wish him a long and painful death.

The more people will be slipping thru their fingers. And if I may quote Al Sharpton, the Christian Right aren't the right Christians."
Good post my friend.

"Christian Right aren't the right Christians"

His focus seems to be that religious entanglement with politics isn't in itself a bad thing, it's just that the wrong religion is involved right now.

For me, it doesn't matter if it's a liberal or a conservative religious agenda - neither one belongs in government.

I'm sure that under a liberal Chrustian theocracy, everybody would be happy, all those mean old athiests would convert (because they will see the LIGHT) and everything will be hunky dory!!!

:sarcasm:

Geesh. :eyes:

:sarcasm:

:P :P

When religious rhetoric is used to garner electoral support we all lose.

The key to a functioning democratic republic is not a common righteousness. Rather, it's a harmonious diversity in which there is an appreciation for differing perspectives buttressed by an on-going tradition of keeping sacred the long-time legal reverence for individual rights and freedom.

It's THAT freedom the we have seen denigrated through political rhetoric that portrays America as a global victim somehow authorized to extract vengeance against imprecisely defined "others";

that insists we can justifiably redress perceived wrongs against us with belligerant and rash behavior contrary to what even our president has described as "core values."

It's THAT freedom that we have seen denigrated through religious social rhetoric that portrays American Christians as a social victims somehow authorized to assert themselves at the expense of the Bill of Rights - attempting to formalize social vengeance against imprecisely defined "others";

that insists they can justifiably redress perceived wrongs against "others" with belligerant and rash behavior contrary to what even our president has described as "core values."

Although it may not be necessary that those reading these lines immediately get out of their pajamas, turn off the computer and go picket the nearest Christian service, it is necessary that we pay attention to the voting patterns and habits of the last 15 years. In particular we ought to note the increased intensity of so-called "moral-values" voters who have been apparently stampeded into the only political action required of them by their own activist Christian politcal celebrities.

They must continue to vote every two years.

They must be stampeded into keeping our Christian-in-the-White-House IN the White House, accompanied by his re-elected loyal congressional Republican crusaders on their horses with flags flying, lances ready and swords drawn.