The resilient Religious Right
By Henry G. Brinton
USA Today
Despite the rumors, conservative Christianity is alive and well in the
USA, still flexing its moral muscle. And that¹s a good thing. For those
who might cheer its demise fail to see that religious vitality is
actually strengthened by the creative tension between the left and the
right.
With the deaths of prominent evangelical pastors Jerry Falwell and D.
James Kennedy last year, funeral bells began tolling for the Religious
Right. Political columnist E.J. Dionne wrote Souled Out: Reclaiming
Faith and Politics after the Religious Right, and theologian Jim Wallis
offered The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a
Post-Religious Right America. Even religious and civil liberties
attorney John Whitehead, who assisted Paula Jones in her ***ual
harassment suit against President Clinton, joined the chorus with an
article titled, "The Passing of the Christian Right."
These re****ts are at the very least premature, and in all likelihood
dead wrong. High-profile leaders will come and go, but the strength and
commitment of conservative Christians on the front lines of parish life
are as strong as ever.
Roman Catholic priests still preach that pari****oners must sup****t
pro-life candidates to be good Catholics, and Pope Benedict XVI, who
visited the USA last month, has stressed that Catholic politicians who
vote for legal abortion are subject to excommunication. Across the
street from my church in Fairfax, Va., members of the Episcopal Truro
Church are locked in a fierce legal battle with the Episcopal Church
USA. The church is leaving the denomination over issues of scriptural
authority and the ordination of gays and lesbians ‹ particularly Gene
Robinson, the gay bishop of New Hamp****re. And my own denomination, the
Presbyterian Church (USA), is losing congregations every year to more
conservative Presbyterian groups.
In the case of Dionne's epitaph for the Religious Right, I think he is
too quick to conclude that evangelical Christianity has become
disentangled from politicians who trumpet opposition to gay marriage and
abortion. For instance, John McCain has moved from not sup****ting a
repeal of Roe v. Wade in 1999 to saying today it should be overturned.
Why the ****ft? A clear desire to secure the Republicanbase's pro-life
vote. Wallis writes that "the monologue of the Religious Right is indeed
over." Perhaps it's no longer a monologue ‹ especially with the
emergence of the Religious Left ‹ but it's still a powerful voting bloc
directed more by its moral compass than any political one.
Despite the emerging narrative, I see no convincing evidence that we are
entering a "post-Religious Right America," even though Iraq,
immigration and health care are the talk of this election cycle ‹ rather
than abortion and gay marriage. And that's OK. In fact, I consider it
good news for all believers: conservative, liberal or moderate.
For the rest, go to:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/05/the-resilient-r.html
--
Charles Hohenstein (to reply, remove Gene Robinson)
"The sad huddle of affluent bedwetters, thumbsuckers,
treehuggers, social climbers, homophiles, quavery ladies,
and chronic petition signers that makes up the current
Episcopal Church . . ." -‹Thomas Lipscomb
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