Making Strides

This morning I watched CNN jump to cover the “Values Voters” confab, interviewing Tony Perkins and treating this like the biggest event since last weekend’s Tea Party (which, contrary to Fox News, was covered quite thoroughly by the networks. But more on that later.)

MSNBC and Fox also sent reporters to the event, apparently disrupting those in attendance.

In fact, do a Google news search for “Values Voters” and you get coverage by all of the mainstream media outlets. In short, there’s plenty of media attention on this event. And I’m not saying there shouldn’t be but...

I wonder how many news outlets will cover this?

Yet as the numbers show, the religious right is increasingly being matched by a nascent “religious left.” Some 24 percent of the adult population, about 45 million Americans, shares the “traditional” religious mindset of conservative religious activists, but 18 percent, about 38 million adults, shares the “modernist” mindset that is characteristic of progressive religious activists.

As for the survey, “I don’t think this project would have occurred to anyone 10 years ago because I don’t think people took the idea of progressive religious activism seriously 10 years ago,” said E.J. Dionne, a liberal-leaning Catholic and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who was on a panel presenting the new study of religious activists, conducted by Public Religion Research and the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. Michael Cromartie of the conservative-leaning Ethics and Public Policy Center was also at the release in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. He noted that the report puts to rest the question of whether there is a “God gap” between Republicans and Democrats: “Clearly, from this data, it’s not only closing. It’s closed.”

When it comes to theological and social issues, the survey does show that the divide between the two camps remains vast. Conservatives are focused on two main issues— abortion and same-sex marriage — while liberals spread their concerns more widely and focus on pocketbook issues like poverty and health care and jobs. Faith versus works, one might say.

I find this very encouraging. Because, although the media hasn’t seemed to notice, the progressive Christian message is being heard. It’s Biblical and it makes sense: you can’t follow Prosperity Jesus or Rifle Jesus and not have at least a few of your cherished views challenged by Scripture.

There have been dozens of liberal Christian conferences, marches, summits, you name it. I don’t recall seeing any media attention of the scale the Values Voters get. Back in 2005 over 100 religious activists were arrested for protesting President Bush’s budget. The event did not go completely unnoticed by the media but it didn’t generate the non-stop coverage that conservative Christian groups routinely receive.

I wonder why that is?

In covering the treatment MSNBC received at the Values Voter summit, Josh Marshall opined:

Later Update: Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, the sponsoring organization, just went on stage and apologized to MSNBC for the incident. It was an entertaining moment. But there's something the whole turn of events illustrates. And that is that the event planners from FRC and the cable net folks are basically the same people. Each part of the same business, the same game. They know each other, understand each others rules, etc. It's the incensed attendees who are the ones who are sort of out of the loop. I'm not sure who that puts in a better or worse light. But that's what I mean by at least one of the culture clashes.

I think there’s a lot of truth to that observation. Cable news and right wing groups like the Family Research Council are part of the same game, each with its prescribed role, each comfortably in tune with the other. And that’s why it’s so difficult for a group like progressive faith voices to get attention. We’re not in the Rolodex. We aren’t on their radar, but maybe we don’t need to be. Maybe we don't want to be part of that game. It's corrupting, after all. And the message is getting out, regardless.

God works in mysterious ways.

More Things God Hates

This post is in honor of the Values Voters folks meeting in Washington D.C. this weekend. In an effort to push the Republican Party over a cliff just because they can, James Dobson, Tony Perkins et. al. are gathering to discuss all the things they hate: gays, and abortion, and Rudy Giuliani and they really hate Hilary Clinton. But they love Jesus, and they love war, and they are sure Jesus hates all the same things they hate, so they're trying to find a presidential candidate who hates those things, too. (Pssst ... I hear Sam Brownback is available!)

But let's talk about the things God hates. Rev. Phelps likes to tell us how God hates figs fags, but I’d like to remind him and all the other gay-bashers meeting in Washington this weekend that God hates shrimp, too. Yes, the Almighty made his dislike of the crustacean pretty clear, and it’s really been worrying me that this nation’s descent into sin and corruption might have something to do with the Red Lobster Endless Shrimp combo. So it was with great relief that I learned this week that someone shares my concerns:

Shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, all these are an abomination before the Lord, just as gays are an abomination. Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites. We call upon all Christians to join the crusade against Long John Silver's and Red Lobster. Yea, even Popeye's shall be cleansed. The name of Bubba shall be anathema. We must stop the unbelievers from destroying the sanctity of our restaurants.

Come on, put another shrimp on the barbie--to rid this Christian nation of the infidel crustacean, that is! And by the way, the Biblical prohibition extends to “all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers,” so that includes lobster, crab, oysters and clams.

God also hates pork, so let’s add Swett’s, Bar-B-Cutie and Corky’s to the list too. Oh, and football, too -- because even touching the skin of a dead pig is toevah.

Come to think of it, God may hate figs, too. Jesus did curse the fig tree, which is more than he had to say about homosexuals.

“Values Voters” Get Testy

No wonder none of the top-tier GOP candidates showed up at the great Values Voter Debate Monday night. If I were Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney or the rest, I’d have stayed away, too.

For this crowd, “values" are defined as anti-gay and anti-abortion. Poverty, the war, environmental destruction (aka, “Creation Care”), the death penalty, corruption, or any number of other values are not on their radar. Surely the 25 million or so evangelical Christian voters care about other things besides gay marriage and abortion? But to the self-appointed leaders of the religious right, it's a two-issue movement. And they call us out of touch?

Anyway, War Room posted a few of the questions candidates were asked, whether they were in attendance or not:

Question for Giuliani, asked by a teenage girl with an apparent speech impediment:
"Eighteen years ago, an abortionist was hired to kill me, but he failed. Nuns came and rescued me and took me to the hospital, where I stayed for two months. My heroic parents then adopted me. Mayor Giuliani, your position on abortion would have left me dead. Now that you see me, Mayor Giuliani, do you honestly believe that an abortionist had a right to kill me?"

Yeah, I’m sure any candidate would have loved to take that question.

The other questions posted were just as bad. I think more than anything it’s a sign of the imploding religious right. With layoffs at Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition headed for insolvency, the religious right is headed toward irrelevancy, and the top GOP candidates know it. That explains why they stayed away from this ridiculous excuse for a debate; why subject yourself to a stupid “values” exercise where the only sure result will be an embarassing headline?

Much as I wish Mike Huckabee or Sam Brownback would win the GOP nomination, I just don’t see it happening. Guess Democrats will have to work just a little bit harder for their 2008 win.