Spoken like a Godless liberal --- Ed Leafe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Written by an evangelical who is angry about the decidedly un- > Christlike actions of those who are currently in power in their > community: > > <http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i42/42b00601.htm> > > ( -or- http://tinyurl.com/sx6p6 ) > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > One of the benefits of being reared within evangelicalism, I suppose, > is that you understand the workings of the evangelical subculture. I > know, for example, that when my new book on evangelicals appears, the > minions of the religious right will seek to discredit me rather than > engage the substance of my arguments. The initial wave of criticism, > as an old friend who has endured similar attacks reminded me, will be > to deny that I am, in fact, really an evangelical Christian. When > that fails and I'll put up my credentials as an evangelical against > anyone's! the next approach will be some gratuitous personal > attack: that I am a member of the academic elite, spokesman for the > Northeastern establishment, misguided liberal, prodigal son, traitor > to the faith, or some such. Another evangelical friend with political > convictions similar to mine actually endured a heresy trial. > > The evangelical subculture, which prizes conformity above all else, > doesn't suffer rebels gladly, and it is especially intolerant of > anyone with the temerity to challenge the shibboleths of the > religious right. I understand that. Despite their putative claims to > the faith, the leaders of the religious right are vicious toward > anyone who refuses to kowtow to their version of orthodoxy, and their > machinery of vilification strikes with ruthless, dispassionate > efficiency. Longtime friends (and not a few family members) will > shuffle uneasily around me and studiously avoid any sort of > substantive conversation about the issues I raise and then quietly > strike my name from their Christmas-card lists. Circle the wagons. > Brook no dissent. > > > > [snip] > > > > And what about abortion, the issue that the religious right decided > in the early 1980s was its signature concern? Since January 2003, the > Republican and religious-right coalition has controlled the > presidency and both houses of Congress yet, curiously, it has not > tried to outlaw abortion. Why? Could it be that its members are less > interested in actually reducing the incidence of abortion itself (in > which case they should seek to alter public opinion on the matter) > than in continuing to use abortion as a potent political weapon? > > > > [snip] > > > > Equally striking is the rhetoric that leaders of the religious right > use to motivate their followers. In the course of traveling around > the country, I have been impressed anew by the pervasiveness of the > language of militarism among leaders of the religious right. Patrick > Henry College, according to its founding president, Michael Farris, > "is training an army of young people who will lead the nation and > shape the culture with biblical values." Rod Parsley, pastor of World > Harvest Church, in Ohio, issues swords to those who join his > organization, the Center for Moral Clarity, and calls on his > followers to "lock and load" for a "Holy Ghost invasion." The > Traditional Values Coalition advertises its "Battle Plan" to take > over the federal judiciary. "I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla > warfare," Ralph Reed, former director of the Christian Coalition, > famously declared about his political tactics in 1997. I wonder how > that sounds in the ears of the Prince of Peace. > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > -- Ed Leafe > -- http://leafe.com > -- http://dabodev.com > > > > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
