GOP Strategy: Dump Old Uneducated Christian Voters

The fiscal conservative media have joined the liberal media in the drumbeat to convince Republican Party strategists to abandon “Evangelical whites, tea-party Republicans, older voters, and whites that do not have a college degree.”

So, the establishment GOP thinks it has had difficulty reigning in the Tea Party voters, "well, they ain't seen nothing yet!"  How many Republicans will be elected when the Christians support a new third party?

“I have any number of gay friends who are Republicans, but what makes me tick is that I have concerns that this is another issue that would limit the growth of the Republican party.”
-- Dr. Jan van Lohuizen, former George W. Bush pollster

For background, read GOP House Rebuffs Conservatives' Religious Liberty and also read More GOP Congressmen Proudly Fund Abortionists, Gay Agenda as well as GOP Rising Star Jindal Pushes Liberalized Contraceptives

As always, GOP leaders are lobbying church leaders to vote Republican, but the question for Christians to discern is, Are Republicans abandoning a God-fearing Party platform?

UPDATE 9/22/14: Republicans Going Gay, to be 'Moderate' & Likeable

UPDATE 6/24/14: Wisconsin GOP Sen. Johnson Says Abortion & "Gay Marriage" are Non-issues

UPDATE 4/14/14: GOP Platform OKs Abortion & 'Gay Marriage:' Nevada

UPDATE 3/4/14: GOP Coalition Favors 'Gay Marriage' in Appeals Court

UPDATE 3/19/14 - 'Gay Marriage' Divides GOP: Rand Paul vs. Ted Cruz

UPDATE 1/24/14: Biblical Beliefs Unacceptable to GOP Illinois Leaders

UPDATE 12/14/13: GOP Funds Pro-abortion Homosexual Candidates

UPDATE 4/7/13: Warning GOP Against Dumping Christians & Morals

-- From "Republicans for Gay Marriage?" by Daniel Foster, National Review Online 3/13/13

. . . “If you look at the crosstabs, the opposition [to gay marriage] is really concentrated in a few really small groups,” van Lohuizen says. “Evangelical whites, tea-party Republicans, older voters, and whites that do not have a college degree.”

. . . gay marriage enjoys majority support from all major religious confessions except white evangelical Protestantism — including mainline “non-evangelical” Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. And while a majority of whites without college degrees oppose gay marriage, majorities of whites with college degrees, and nonwhites of all education levels, support it.

Even among Republicans, opposition to same-sex marriage is increasingly tenuous, particularly along two axes. First, self-described tea-party Republicans oppose gay marriage 84/13, while Republicans who describe themselves as neutral toward or opposed to the Tea Party oppose gay marriage by smaller 62/34 and 52/47 splits, respectively. This is a more or less momentous split depending on how credible one finds evidence that tea-party membership is in sharp decline.

Second, and perhaps most critically, exit polling shows that 51 percent of Republicans under 30 support gay marriage in their state. If this datum alone holds, one might think, gay marriage is a fait accompli in the near to medium term. And indeed, the polls report just that feeling among the broader public: 83 percent of voters, supporters and opponents included, think that gay marriage will be legal nationally in the next five to ten years.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Rand Paul on Gay Marriage: If We 'Make the Tax Code Neutral,' We 'Don't Have to Redefine What Marriage Is'" by David Weigel, Slate Magazine 3/13/13

At yesterday's briefing for reporters at National Review's D.C. offices . . . I asked [Sen. Rand] Paul how Republicans would have to tweak their messages if they competed in California. What about immigration, what about gay marriage? I paraphrased a joke Paul had told last year in Iowa, after Barack Obama had flip-flopped -- sorry, EVOLVED -- on gay marriage, and Paul told social conservatives that Obama couldn't "get any gay-er."

"I've been told that joke wasn't very funny," deadpanned Paul. "I'm not going to change who I am or what I believe in. I am an old-fashioned traditionalist. I believe in the historical definition of marriage. That being said, I think contracts between adults -- I'm not for limiting contracts between adults. In fact, if there are ways to make the tax code more neutral where it doesn't mention the word marriage, then we don't have to redefine what marriage is. We just don't have marriage in the tax code. If health benefits are a problem, why don't we not define them by marriage? Why don't we say, you have another adult who lives in the house, and a kid who lives in the house can be part of family coverage? Then you don't have to redefine, and have people like myself, and people who live in the Southeastern part of the country, we don't have to change our definition of what we think marriage is, but we allow contracts to occur so there is more ability to [make] the law neutral."

. . . And Paul says this a month after Marco Rubio says marriage should be "left to the states."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Party of Liberty vs. the Party of Coercion" by Jeffrey H. Anderson, The Weekly Standard 3/13/13

In the aftermath of Mitt Romney’s defeat in last fall’s election, and the defeat of a myriad of Republican Senate candidates (establishment and Tea Party alike) in Romney’s wake, Republicans are getting no shortage of free advice.

. . . a fair amount has been written about the need to make the moral case for conservatism. But to be particularly effective, that case must transcend strictly material concerns. After all, the core of the case for what we now call “conservatism” is the revolutionary idea that every human being has a God-given right to be free. As Thomas Jefferson put it, “The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen, in his person and property, and in their management.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Christian Totalitarianism in America

As well, read GOP Moderation Lost the 2012 Presidential Election, Say Evangelicals

. . . and be reminded, it's been proved: The Tea Party Movement is Christian

Christians Flex Muscles/Wallets: Gov't Influence

The number of religion-related lobbying groups in Washington has grown five-fold in the past 40 years, with their spending reaching almost $400 million annually, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life latest study showed. It identified 212 groups, up from 158 a decade ago and 40 in 1970.

This certainly doesn't make the liberal media happy.

-- From "Religion-related lobby groups thrive in Washington, grew 5 times in 40 years" posted at Reuters 11/22/11

. . . in 2008, the Family Research Council spent $14 million and the American Jewish Committee $13 million.

In 2009, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spent $27 million, Concerned Women for America $13 million, Bread for the World $11 million, the National Right to Life Committee $11 million and the Home School Legal Defense Association $11 million.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Study: Religious lobbying soars in D.C." by MJ Lee, Politico 11/22/11

. . . the economic downturn seems to have taken a toll on the expenditure of many religion-related advocacy groups, the study shows. Of the 104 groups for which expenditure data were available for 2008 and 2009, 56 of them said their spending was lower in 2009 than in the previous year, with an average decline in spending of about $500,000. The 104 groups altogether saw a net drop in spending of about $14 million during the two-year period.

The study found 15 percent of the groups that answered a questionnaire on their activities said meeting with officials was their most frequently used method of advocacy. This came in second after the most popular strategy — educating constituents on issues — which 41 percent of the groups cited as their most-used method.

The study shows that a majority of the groups, 64 percent, work on both domestic and foreign issues, while 20 percent engage in domestic issues only. The domestic topic most commonly addressed by the groups include the relationship between church and state, civil rights and liberties for religious and other minorities, life issues (such as abortion and capital punishment) and family and marriage.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Religious lobbying groups multiply on Capitol Hill" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post 11/21/11

The biggest spenders, the survey says, include the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and established social conservative groups focusing on abortion, same-sex marriage and home-schooling.

Some longtime Hill advocates highlighted the report’s finding that the vast majority of religious advocates stick to softer education-type outreach and don’t get into explicit politics, such as donating money to candidates. Others said the report showed how tiny the field is, compared with the tens of thousands of mostly corporate lobbyists that have ballooned in number in Washington.

Compared with their numbers in the U.S. population, Muslims and Jews make up a bigger chunk of advocates. There are 17 Muslim advocacy groups and 25 Jewish advocacy groups, while the faith groups represent less than 1 percent and 1.7 percent of the American public, respectively, according to Pew.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Lobbying for the Faithful" posted at Pew Research Center Publications 11/21/11

Of the 212 groups studied, about half (51%) address domestic church-state issues, such as debates over public displays of religion, hate-crime laws and school vouchers. A similar portion (48%) works on civil rights and liberties, such as gay rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.

About four in-ten groups in the study (42%) work on bioethics and life issues, which include abortion, capital punishment, stem cell research and end-of-life issues. Roughly as many (39%) address family and marriage issues, including the definition of marriage, domestic violence and fatherhood initiatives. About one-in-six groups (17%) work on other domestic issues, a catch-all category that includes corporate accountability/responsibility, limited government/private enterprise, elections/campaign finance, capitalism, volunteerism and veterans’ issues.

To read the entire Pew study, CLICK HERE.

Fetuses in Dumpsters Closes Mich. Abortion Clinics

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette prevailed in court to permanently close the Health Care Clinic in Delta Township (suburban Lansing) and the Women’s Choice Clinic in Saginaw for operating without valid licenses and numerous other violations of laws.

-- From "Abortion Clinics Will Close" by The Associated Press 11/21/11

[Schuette's] office says an investigation included evidence of improper medical records disposal at the two clinics. The investigation began in February, 2010, when Lansing anti-abortion activists searched the dumpster outside the Woman's Choice Clinic and found the remains of 17 fetuses tossed inside. Each fetus was wrapped in medical bag with the name of the mother wrinng on the side along with the date of the abortion.

Schuette says a consent order approved in court Monday provides for the clinics to close permanently. He says the clinics' operators also are barred from opening other abortion clinics.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "State attorney general shuts down Saginaw Township abortion clinic" by Justin L. Engel, The Saginaw News 11/21/11

“To ensure patient safety, state law restricts the organization of for-profit corporations that provide medical care services to licensed medical professionals only,” reads a media statement from Schuette’s office. “The clinics’ owner, Richard Remund, and his wife, Margaret Remund, are not licensed medical professionals.”

“Profit should never come before patient safety, and that’s why state law requires medical facilities to be run by licensed medical professionals,” Schuette said in a statement. “Facilities that fail to follow this important safeguard should not be in business.”

Abortion opponents held vigils near the clinic as part of the “40 Days for Life” campaign that ended earlier this year. Vigil participants included members of Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church in Standish.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Abortion Clinics Permanently Closed by Michigan Atty General" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/21/11

After receiving a complaint in April 2010 documenting the improper disposal of unborn babies with ordinary trash in dumpsters outside the Health Care Clinic in Delta Township, the Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation in coordination with the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department, Eaton County Prosecutor Jeff Sauter, and the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department. Results of the joint investigation included evidence the clinics were improperly incorporated and may have violated additional state regulations

Schuette noted evidence uncovered by investigators suggesting the improper disposal of medical records at the clinics has also been referred to the State Bureau of Health Professions for review. Disposing of medical records improperly may subject the associated licensed medical professionals, physicians contracted to provide abortions at the illegal clinic, to disciplinary measures.

“It’s widely known that employees at these facilities tossed unborn babies in the trash, so it is not surprising to find more evidence of callous disregard for state laws intended to protect patient safety,” said [State] Senator Rick Jones. “I applaud Attorney General Schuette for taking steps to hold these facilities accountable.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Registering Millions of Christians to Vote

Silicon Valley Christian venture capitalists have launched a non-partisan 21st-century Internet-based social networking model to identify five million unregistered Americans who will vote for religious liberty as well as the sanctity of life and marriage (one man, one woman).

"Our goal is to raise up a body of believers and that they elect a lot of godly leaders. We're about the agenda of the lamb, Jesus Christ."
-- Bill Dallas, chief executive of United in Purpose

-- From "Silicon Valley gives conservative Christians a boost" by Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger, Washington Bureau of the Los Angeles Times 9/15/11

The nonprofit organization United in Purpose is using sophisticated data-mining techniques to compile a database of every unregistered born-again and evangelical Christian and conservative Catholic in the country.

Through partnerships with Christian organizers and antiabortion groups, United in Purpose hopes to recruit 100,000 "champions" to identify unregistered Christians and get them to the polls as part of its Champion the Vote project. Profiles drawn from its database, which numbers more than 120 million people, will enable organizers to target potential voters with emails and Web videos tailored to their interests.

Most of its financial supporters remain anonymous, but one of its main backers is technology entrepreneur Ken Eldred, a generous Republican donor. Its board includes Reid Rutherford, a Silicon Valley solar-energy plant developer.

"I have the audacity to believe that we can be an influence on both parties," Eldred said. "I personally believe that someday we're going to stand before God, and he's going to pull out a ballot and say, 'How did you vote in this election?' And there are going to be people who say, 'Why do you care about that, God?' And he's going to say, 'Because I created that country and I put you in charge.'"

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "5M New Christian Voters Can Decide 2012 Election, Group Says" by Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor 9/17/11

Of the estimated 60 million Christians in the United States, only 30 million vote in any given election. The rest do not realize the power they hold in one single vote, says United in Purpose, a group backed by a few Silicon Valley venture capitalists that is running a project called “Champion the Vote.”

The group found that the voting margin between candidates was far lower than the number of registered Christian voters. For example, the two main candidates in Missouri in 2008 had a margin of a mere 3,903 votes while the number of unregistered Christian voters was 102,522. Similarly, North Carolina’s voting margin was only 14,177 votes with 281,212 unregistered voters.

Over the next 10 years, the United in Purpose group aims to mobilize 40 million evangelicals in the United States to vote. American Christians have the responsibility to honor both the Cross and the flag, says the project’s website.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Wide-ranging Christian Leaders Sign Manifesto Opposing Obama Agenda

FL Citizens Defy ACLU by Praying at School

Parents, students and others in Marianna, Florida plan to pray in unison at the high school football game because the school administration decided to stop allowing student-led prayer over the loud speaker, fearing a future ACLU lawsuit.

“They can’t tell me I can’t pray.”
-- 15-year-old Brooke Bruner

-- From "Parents and students to pray at football game" by Lauren Delgado, Media General News Service, Dothan Eagle 9/1/11

Word quickly got around to parents and other students [about the change ending prayer]. Two parents, Sarah Wade and Michelle Parris Bruner, created a Facebook event page titled, “Keep prayer at our school events!!!!” On this page, the mothers call on the community to attend this Friday’s game and say the Lord’s Prayer out loud after the Pledge of Allegiance.

At this time, the Jackson County School Board has no official position on the events at Marianna High.

“There’s a fine line I think from the federal government,” said Larry Moore, the district’s deputy superintendent.

Jimmy Parris, the sales manager at Rahal Miller Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac and grandfather of Brooke Bruner, teamed up with some other local businesspeople to take out an ad in Friday’s Jackson County Floridan advertising the prayer event. Parris was disturbed at how a minority can trump a majority.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Fighting for Jesus: Prayer at Football in Miss.

The recent atheists' legal threat demanding an end to prayer at sporting events in DeSoto County, Mississippi and the acquiescence of school administrators, has lit a firestorm of Christian activism at schools across the county. Parents and students alike organized a variety of public prayer events, including The Lord's Prayer recited in unison at the football game immediately following the National Anthem.

"All they've done is increased the awareness, as Christians, of what we need to do to step it up and bring revival to DeSoto County."

For background, read Atheists Increase Prayer Fervor at Schools

UPDATE 9/1/11: Atheists demand end to Gideon bible distribution in DeSoto County schools

-- From "Prayer supporters rally at DeSoto football games" by Yolanda Jones & Chris Van Tuyl, Memphis Commercial Appeal 8/27/11

"It is important to us to express our freedom of speech for our children, to let them know that it is more than all right to pray in their community," said Carmen Kyle, one of the organizers of the DeSoto County 4 Prayer Facebook page.

The group also spent 42 hours printing 250 T-shirts that people pre-ordered for $7. They have 200 more orders for next week's games.

The T-shirts have the group's logo, DeSoto County 4 Prayer, printed on the front and the Lord's Prayer on the back.

Meanwhile, Freedom From Religion Foundation officials faxed a letter Friday to DeSoto County Schools Supt. Milton Kuykendall, charging that comments he made about the group in some local media outlets were defamatory and untrue.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Christian Orgs. Deemed Hate Groups for Bible Honesty

The [government-funded] Southern Poverty Law Center has released a new list of "hate groups" that includes many highly regarded, mainstream Christian organizations because of their opposition to homosexuality.

Meanwhile, the FBI reports a 15% drop in "hate crimes;" in 2009 there were less than three so-called "sexual orientation hate crimes" per 1,000,000 American citizens

UPDATE 12/24/10: Conservative groups and lawmakers fire back at SPLC

UPDATE 12/20/10 FOX 32 TV Chicago "hit piece" on Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth:

-- From "'Hate' designation irks gay marriage opponents" by Krissah Thompson, Washington Post Staff Writer 11/25/10

The Southern Poverty Law Center this week labeled as "hate groups" several political and religious organizations that campaign against same-sex marriage and, the center says, engage in "repeated, groundless name-calling" against gays and lesbians.

Included on the list released by the civil rights organization is the Family Research Council, a prominent and politically influential group of social conservatives. The report by the law center, which has spent four decades tracking extremist groups and hate speech, accuses the council and a dozen other groups of putting out "demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities."

"The left's smear campaign of conservatives is . . . being driven by the clear evidence that the American public is losing patience with their radical policy agenda as seen in the recent election and in the fact that every state . . . that has had the opportunity to defend the natural definition of marriage has done so," [Family Research Council President Tony] Perkins said in a statement.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Family Research Council labeled a 'hate group'" by Sean Lengell, The Washington Times 11/24/10

Mr. Perkins added that the timing of the report was "curious" due to current debate in Congress on a proposal to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military, which he called the "crown jewel of the homosexual radical movement."

SPLC was founded in 1971 as a law firm to handle anti-discrimination cases and won notice for fighting against the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. But conservatives say the group has become nothing more than a liberal money-raising machine, and even some liberals have accused it of financial mismanagement and misleading fundraising practices.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Groups that helped oust Iowa judges earn ‘hate group’ designation" by Lynda Waddington, The Iowa Independent 11/23/10

Several of the out-of-state organizations that played a key role in advocating for the November ouster of three Iowa Supreme Court justices have been labeled as “hate groups” by a national civil rights watchdog.

The Family Research Council, based in Washington, D.C., and the Family Research Institute, based in Colorado, are also organizations that have sought to influence the views of Iowans, especially in the political realm. It was the Family Research Council, a national affiliate of the Iowa Family Policy Center, that sponsored an Iowa bus tour featuring national and state conservative leaders to urge residents to oust the three Iowa Supreme Court justices that appeared on the November ballot.

Also included on the [SPLC] 2011 “hate group” listing are Abiding Truth Ministries (Massachusetts), Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, American Vision, Chalcedon Foundation (California), Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (California), Dove World Outreach Center (Florida), Faithful Word Baptist Church (Arizona), Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment (Illinois), Illinois Family Institute (Illinois), MassResistance (Massachusetts), and Traditional Values Coalition (California).

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Southern Poverty Law Center Defames Mainstream Pro-Family Groups as 'Hate Groups'" by Gary Cass, posted at Christian Newswire 11/24/10

"The Southern Poverty Law Center has utterly discredited themselves by this provocative attack on organizations that promote traditional family values," said Rev. Gary L. Cass, of DefendChristians.Org, a ministry of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.

"Labeling mainstream conservative organizations as 'Hate groups' is defamatory and is simply an intimidation tactic. We call on Congress to cut off their funding."

"Defend Christians.Org will work to form a coalition of organizations to lobby Congress to withhold funds from SPLC. We will also demand Congress restrict Federal law enforcement from relying on the biased SPLC reports, like the discredited 'Report on Right-Wing Extremism' SPLC wrote for the Department of Homeland Security," said Cass.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "FBI: Hate crime incidents, victim numbers down" by The Associated Press 11/22/10

The number of hate crime incidents and victims declined in 2009 compared with the previous year, the FBI reported Monday.

Nearly half of the crime incidents in 2009 were motivated by racial bias, nearly 20 percent by religious bias and over 18 percent by sexual orientation bias.

There were 6,604 hate crime incidents reported last year, down from 7,783 in 2008. There were 8,336 reported victims, down from 9,691 in 2008. The victim totals include not only individuals but also businesses, religious buildings and other institutions.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Christians 'Hold Rudder' in Conservative Politics

As homosexualist GOProud presses the Republican establishment to steer clear of social conservatism, Christians step up to maintain course -- viability of GOProud in question.

UPDATE 2/17/11: 2012 CPAC to reach out to 'social conservatives'

UPDATE 1/27/11: New York Times discovers CPAC because of "GOProud division"

UPDATE 1/6/11: Heritage Foundation and others withdraw from CPAC while Focus on the Family is "on the fence."

UPDATE 12/27/10: FRC & CWA boycott CPAC over GOProud

UPDATE 11/25/10: More Conservatives Boycott CPAC

UPDATE 12/31/10 Video:


-- From "CPAC under fire over gay conservative group" by Ben Smith, Politico 11/16/10

A conservative group has backed out of the annual CPAC conservative political conference, citing the participation of a gay Republican group.

The American Principles Project president Frank Cannon wrote an open letter yesterday to CPAC chair David Keene, saying that his group could not participate in the conference because of GOProud's role in the event.

"Having now examined closely GOProud’s mission and its behavior since its inception, we can only conclude that the organization’s purposes are fundamentally incompatible with a movement that has long embraced the ideals of family and faith in a thriving civil society. They have further defined themselves with their attacks on Senator Jim DeMint, one of the key leaders of this year’s conservative victory," wrote Cannon.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Will the Right bring 'gay' agenda into the tent?" by Brian Fitzpatrick © 2010 WorldNetDaily 11/19/10

The Conservative Political Action Conference board of directors is voting whether to permit a homosexual activist group, GOProud, to participate in CPAC again this year.

CPAC's organizer, the American Conservative Union, is under pressure after the American Principles Project issued an open letter announcing its withdrawal from the conference over GOProud's participation.

With several more social conservative groups dropping out or threatening to do so behind the scenes, ACU chairman David Keene called on CPAC's board of directors to decide whether GOProud should be welcomed at the conference for a second straight year, according to a source on the board.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to boycott until they stop embracing homosexuality as a so-called conservative value," said Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. "The reality is that GOProud is a homosexual activist group that would expand government to accommodate homosexuality."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "GOProud 'never' a part of tea party" by Brian Fitzpatrick © 2010 WorldNetDaily 11/20/10

Tea Party Nation founder and CEO Judson Phillips plans to set the GOP congressional leadership straight about the tea party's legislative demands, after a handful of Tea Party Patriots and a homosexual activist group, GOProud, released an open letter last Monday urging Republicans to ignore social issues.

"There is a battle going on for the heart and soul of the tea-party movement," Phillips told WND. "GOProud has its own agenda. It wants to create credibility for itself by leveraging the tea-party movement, but GOProud has never been a part of the tea-party movement."

Phillips is also taking aim at abortion.

"The abortion industry is a multibillion dollar industry. Why are they getting funding from the government? Cut that off!" said Phililips.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

'Establishment Tea Party' Breaks from Rank & File

Despite overwhelming evidence from polls that conservative Americans who comprise the Tea Party movement are social conservatives (predominantly Christian), the "establishment Tea Party" is joining pro-homosexual GOProud in urging the GOP to ignore abortion and homosexuality issues.

UPDATE 11/20/10: Competing Tea Party petition denounces GOProud maneuver

UPDATE 11/17/10: Citizens Exit Tea Parties that Ignore Social Issues

UPDATE 11/16/10: Politico article here - - Read the letter & signatories

UPDATE 11/15/10: Pro-family/pro-life CWA strikes back at homosexualist/'Establishment Tea Party' coalition

UPDATE 11/15/10 Opinion: The Needless Division Between Social Cons and Fiscal Cons

-- From "GOP is urged to avoid social issues" By Ben Smith & Byron Tau, Politico 11/14/10

In a letter to be released Monday, the group GOProud and leaders from groups like the Tea Party Patriots and the New American Patriots, will urge Republicans in the House and Senate to keep their focus on shrinking the government.

"On behalf of limited-government conservatives everywhere, we write to urge you and your colleagues in Washington to put forward a legislative agenda in the next Congress that reflects the principles of the Tea Party movement," they write to presumptive House Speaker John Boehner and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell in an advance copy provided to POLITICO. "This election was not a mandate for the Republican Party, nor was it a mandate to act on any social issue."

The letter's signatories range from GOProud's co-founder and Chairman Christopher Barron — a member of a group encouraging Dick Cheney to run for president — to Tea Party leaders with no particular interest in the gay rights movement.

As of Sunday evening, the letter had 17 signatories. They include tea party organizers, conservative activists and media personalities from across the country, including radio host Tammy Bruce, bloggers Bruce Carroll, Dan Blatt and Doug Welch, and various local coordinators for the Tea Party Patriots and other tea party groups.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Tea party groups push GOP to quit culture wars, focus on deficit" by Patrik Jonsson, staff writer, Christian Science Monitor 11/15/10

The letter, signed by 16 tea party groups and a conservative gay organization, points to an emerging rift between the tea party movement and the GOP, which still counts social conservatives seeking "moral government" as a key constituency.

The signatories, ranging from conservative commentator Tammy Bruce to local tea party group leaders, say the key lesson the GOP should draw from the election is that Americans are concerned chiefly about taxes and the size of government, not their neighbors' lifestyle choices or personal decisions.

But the push to quit the culture wars is already meeting resistance from mainstream Republicans, who worry about a rebellion from social conservatives if the party refrains from taking stands on moral issues.

Yet social issues have cropped up among some tea party stalwarts. Sen. Jim DeMint, considered a tea party kingmaker for his support of candidates across the US, had before the election urged a ban on gay teachers. What stance to take on the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly in the military remains a source of conflict within the movement. And a tea party-inspired GOP platform in Texas urged stronger sentencing for those caught with small amounts of marijuana.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Tea Party = Religious Right, says Liberal Media

A new poll has provided more ammunition to the mainstream media in its attempted smear of the Tea Party movement. These liberal elites assume that this characterization will cause middle America to shun the movement.

-- From "Poll: Tea Partiers back 'Christian conservative agenda'" by Andy Sullivan, Reuters posted at MSNBC.com 10/5/10

Many supporters of the conservative Tea Party movement that has shaken up politics share the same views as the Christian right on social issues like abortion and the role of religion in public life, according to a poll released Tuesday. . . . as the Public Religion Research Institute found in its American Values Survey.

The survey found significant overlap between the Tea Party, made up mostly of Republicans, and the religious right, which has played a significant political role for decades.

Nearly half of those who identify with the Tea Party believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, and a similar proportion thinks that public officials do not pay enough attention to religion, the survey found. They are more likely than the population as a whole to view America as a Christian nation.

"The focus of the movement has changed to one that is much more in line with the full spectrum of conservative political issues," said [Michael] Lindsay, a political sociologist at Rice University in Houston.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Tea party, religious right often overlap, poll shows" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post Staff Writer 10/5/10

The new poll . . . showed large swaths of the tea party looking for a strong government role in hot-button social issues. Nearly two-thirds say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, and 45 percent said there should be no legal recognition for same-sex couples.

Mark Rozell, a public policy professor at George Mason University who has written extensively about the religious right, said . . . "Now the word 'conservative' is accepted to mean generally small government in the economic sphere but an activist government on social issues."

A Washington Post poll published Tuesday found more than half of all white evangelicals "support or lean toward supporting the tea party."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below for previous articles:

Tea Party Energy is Christian

Liberal Media Paint Tea Party as Christian

Tea Party Christians Await GOP 'Platform'

GOP Ignores Social Conservatives at Own Peril

Liberal Media Paint Tea Party as Christian

Having failed to diminish attraction to the Tea Party movement with racist slander, the mainstream media is now using pejorative Christian characteristics to paint it as 'fundamentalist' and aiming to 'legislate morality.'

-- From "Value Voters And The Tea Party" by Tiffany Stanley, reporter and researcher at The New Republic, posted at NRP.org 9/21/10

Tea Party kingmaker [Senator] Jim DeMint declared [Friday], “You cannot be a true fiscal conservative if you don’t have a culture based on values.”

Of course, the Tea Parties share a lot of common ground with the Christian Right, both politically and religiously. This summer, a Gallup poll found that 8 out of ten self-identified Tea Partiers were also Republican and that there was “significant overlap” between the two groups. Earlier this year, a New York Times/CBS poll found that only 16 percent of Tea Partiers thought gay couples should be allowed to marry, compared to 39 percent of overall respondents. More than half of Tea Partiers (53 percent) disapproved of Roe v. Wade, compared to 34 percent of all respondents. (For more on this, see our own Ed Kilgore on abortion and the Tea Party.) And, of course, the movement’s biggest figureheads — Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin — have a decidedly religious and Republican bent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Tea Party Values" by Sarah Posner, The Nation 9/21/10

At the annual Values Voter Summit last weekend, Billie Tucker, co-founder of the Jacksonville, Florida–based First Coast Tea Party . . . [said,] "I'm putting God back into the United States of America!"

Although many tea party groups focus on "fiscal" issues over "social" ones like abortion and LGBT rights, the Tea Party movement shares activists, organizers and ideology with the religious right. Many of the attendees at the Values Voter Summit, as well as at the conference of fallen GOP golden boy Ralph Reed's new Faith and Freedom Coalition the previous weekend, are involved in local tea parties.

But the issue isn't just whether or not tea party groups mobilize around particular religious-right issues like abortion or gay marriage. The intersection goes a lot deeper—to the very basis of the Tea Party's claim that government is trampling individual freedoms. Many tea partiers, like religious right activists, find the roots of their thinking on government in the Bible.

. . . the uprising energy of the Tea Party movement is beginning to coalesce with the organizing savvy of the religious right—and putting the force of religious zeal behind the Tea Party's anti-government fanaticism.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Abortion and the Tea Party" by Ed Kilgore, The New Republic 9/16/10

Ignoring abortion as an issue is an inveterate habit of the chattering classes, particularly on the progressive side of the aisle. Few people, other than celebrating right-to-lifers, have noted how much the already slim ranks of pro-choice Republicans were thinned this primary season.

This is a persistent blind spot in political commentary.

We have been told repeatedly that the Tea Party movement is all about economics and fiscal issues . . .

Perhaps because the national media tend to be secular, we are persistently underestimating the role that abortion plays in right-wing politics. Yet it is key to understanding some of the zealous opposition that caused GOP primary voters to overthrow [Delaware's] Mike Castle.

For all the endless and interminable talk about "constitutionalism" on the right, it's rarely acknowledged that lurking in the background is wrath about Roe v. Wade.

More generally, the anger associated with the entire Tea Party movement is, I suspect, traceable among many activists to endless frustration of its desire to end the "genocide" of legalized abortion, to which the GOP "establishment" has given little more than lip service.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From the Christian conservative point of view: "We are the Tea Party" by John Mark Reynolds, Professor of philosophy for Biola, posted at The Washington Post 9/21/10

The Tea Party crowd will be religious and have traditional values, because most Americans are religious and have traditional values. Small government and strong private morality have always gone together in America.

The Tea Partiers have taken a political Hippocratic Oath: asking government to do no harm to their private lives.

The stale category "religious right" must be retired. America is overwhelmingly religious and most of us don't fit neat ideological categories: especially ones designed for the last political generation.

Americans want to be good, but see an educational system that assaults their values, a graft ridden government, and a toxic popular culture. We know that we are responsible in great part for these problems. We have tolerated cads, crooks or weathercocks if they were cads, crooks or weathercocks in our party.

. . . Our best schools may produce brilliant workers who make nifty products, but they are failing to produce men and women of character.

The Tea Partiers should and will go on ignoring the advice of the nobility that has served us so badly.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Tea Party Energy is Christian

The informed liberals "get it," as demonstrated in the article below written and published by the political left (Huffington Post). Why does the Republican establishment pretend that the Tea Party movement is void of Christians who advocate social issues and pray to God to "heal our land?"

Background: GOP Ignores Social Conservatives at Own Peril

In contrast: Republican Congressman Mike Pence is telling his colleagues not to forget about the issues the religious right cares about.

-- From "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Christian Right in the Tea Party Movement" by Nancy L. Cohen, Historian and Author, Huffington Post 9/17/10

Why are we just getting the bulletin about "social conservatives" in the Tea Party movement?

. . . The successful Tea Party candidates reveal how vital social conservatism is to Tea Party voters. Would-be GOP Senators Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell are bona fide Christian zealots. . . . Colorado's Ken 'Vote-for-me-because-I-don't-wear-high-heels' Buck favors a state Personhood amendment, an anti-abortion measure which would effectively outlaw many common forms of birth control.

And then there are Sarah Palin's 'mama grizzlies' -- Carly Fiorina (CA), Nikki Haley (SC), Kelly Ayotte (NH), Christine O'Donnell (DE), and Angle (NV). What they have in common is not a ginned up conservative feminism, nor anti-government populism, but rather a common mission to legislate traditional Christian values. Each one plans to make abortion illegal and man the barricades against gay marriage. O'Donnell, Angle, and Palin have been vocal about how their conservative Christian faith shapes their political beliefs. Haley, faced with a difficult primary race, soft-pedaled her Sikh upbringing and testified to "living in Christ every day."

. . . A Quinnipiac poll suggests that the Christian rightwingers will prevail: Born-again evangelicals are the most dissatisfied group in the nation, and the group most likely to say they would vote for a Tea Party candidate. The GOP knows well that Christian conservatives are their most reliable constituency, and won't cross evangelicals simply to hold onto the handful of votes wielded by libertarians.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Mike Pence: Don't abandon social issues" by Jake Sherman, Politico 9/17/10

Pence [spoke] on one of the most vexing issues facing House Republicans: the inclusion of social issues in a governing agenda meant to propel the party into power. Some Republican leaders say their 2010 agenda should avoid culture war issues because they would distract from promoting job-creating measures. Pence fired back, saying Republicans can “can create jobs while protecting innocent human life.”

If Republicans hold the “banner” of God and freedom high, “I believe with all my heart the good and great people in this land will rally to our cause; we will win this Congress back in 2010; and we will win this country back in 2012,” Pence said.

“Those who would have us ignore the battle being fought over life, marriage and religious liberty have forgotten the lessons of history," Pence said. "As in the days of a house divided, America’s darkest moments have come when economic arguments trumped moral principles.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Congressman Pence's comments were made at the Values Voter Summit this week (videos available at C-Span.org).

GOP Ignores Social Conservatives at Own Peril

Christine O'Donnell's Republican primary win for the U.S. Senate in Delaware has, once again, demonstrated that such an outspoken pro-life, socially conservative, Christian candidate is a typical attraction for Tea Party supporters.

". . . it is a mistake for party leaders to run from cultural issues as well as ignore the large gap between the values of left-wing Obama elitists and conservative Middle America."

Commentary - No Mere Marriage of Convenience: Uniting Social and Economic Conservatives

UPDATE 9/16/10: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) fundraising for homosexualist Log Cabin Republicans

-- From "Social conservatives stay in fray" by Ralph Z. Hallow, Washington Times 9/14/10

Fairbanks [Alaska] lawyer Joe Miller received money and support from tea party activists and former Gov. Sarah Palin in his stunning upset of Sen. Lisa Murkowski in last month's GOP Senate primary in Alaska. But Mr. Miller also credited the fact that an abortion-related parental-consent measure was on the ballot, drawing social conservatives to the polls.

Recent court rulings calling into question the stem-cell policy and the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays serving in the military could make both sleeper issues in close races this fall.

"Yes, I believe there has been a disturbing silence by some leaders in the GOP concerning social issues," said Steve Scheffler, an RNC member from Iowa.

Social conservatives have shown the muscle to put the GOP over the top in past elections - or to sink the party's hopes by staying home. During the past 30 years, social conservatives have shown increasing political activism, largely siding with the one major party that unequivocally opposes abortion and same-sex marriage in its platform.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Also, click headlines below for related, previous articles:

Will GOP Call 'Truce' in Culture War?

GOP Avoids Same-sex 'Marriage' Issue

Same-sex 'Marriage' Favored by GOP Leaders

Abortion is Election Issue with Some Candidates

Unlike GOP, Palin Touts Pro-life

Liberals Fear Texas Social Studies Textbook

A solid conservative majority on the Texas Board of Education has the liberal establishment in a tizzy as a new American History textbook will include the actual Christian heritage of the country's founding.

-- From "How Christian Were the Founders?" by Russell Shorto, New York Times 2/14/10

. . . the members of what is the most influential state board of education in the country, and one of the most politically conservative, submitted their own proposed changes to the new social-studies curriculum guidelines, whose adoption was the subject of all the attention — guidelines that will affect students around the country, from kindergarten to 12th grade, for the next 10 years.

Public education has always been a battleground between cultural forces; one reason that Texas’ school-board members find themselves at the very center of the battlefield is, not surprisingly, money. The state’s $22 billion education fund is among the largest educational endowments in the country. Texas uses some of that money to buy or distribute a staggering 48 million textbooks annually — which rather strongly inclines educational publishers to tailor their products to fit the standards dictated by the Lone Star State. California is the largest textbook market, but besides being bankrupt, it tends to be so specific about what kinds of information its students should learn that few other states follow its lead.

The Christian “truth” about America’s founding has long been taught in Christian schools, but not beyond. Recently, however — perhaps out of ire at what they see as an aggressive, secular, liberal agenda in Washington and perhaps also because they sense an opening in the battle, a sudden weakness in the lines of the secularists — some activists decided that the time was right to try to reshape the history that children in public schools study. Succeeding at this would help them toward their ultimate goal of reshaping American society. As Cynthia Dunbar, another Christian activist on the Texas board, put it, “The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.”

[Gail Lowe, chairwoman of the board, said,] “Many of us recognize that Judeo-Christian principles were the basis of our country and that many of our founding documents had a basis in Scripture. As we try to promote a better understanding of the Constitution, federalism, the separation of the branches of government, the basic rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, I think it will become evident to students that the founders had a religious motivation.”

Some conservatives claim that earlier generations of textbooks were frank in promoting America as a Christian nation. It might be more accurate to say that textbooks of previous eras portrayed leaders as generally noble, with strong personal narratives, undergirded by faith and patriotism. As Frances FitzGerald showed in her groundbreaking 1979 book “America Revised,” if there is one thing to be said about American-history textbooks through the ages it is that the narrative of the past is consistently reshaped by present-day forces. Maybe the most striking thing about current history textbooks is that they have lost a controlling narrative. America is no longer portrayed as one thing, one people, but rather a hodgepodge of issues and minorities, forces and struggles. If it were possible to cast the concerns of the Christian conservatives into secular terms, it might be said that they find this lack of a through line and purpose to be disturbing and dangerous. Many others do as well, of course. But the Christians have an answer.

Their answer is rather specific. Merely weaving important religious trends and events into the narrative of American history is not what the Christian bloc on the Texas board has pushed for in revising its guidelines. Many of the points that have been incorporated into the guidelines or that have been advanced by board members and their expert advisers slant toward portraying America as having a divinely preordained mission.

One recurring theme during the process of revising the social-studies guidelines was the desire of the board to stress the concept of American exceptionalism, and the Christian bloc has repeatedly emphasized that Christianity should be portrayed as the driving force behind what makes America great.

To read this entire, very lengthy article, CLICK HERE.

Fed Judge: Student's T-shirt Slamming ObamaCare OK

Christian middle-school student who sued his school will be allowed to wear pro-life T-shirts

-- From "Middle-school student may wear pro-life t-shirt" by staff and wire reports, Lancaster Newspapers 10/21/09

A federal judge has ruled that a Lewisberry middle-schooler may wear a pro-life t-shirt carrying the message "Abortion is not Healthcare."

Randall Wenger, chief counsel of the Independence Law Center, which defended the student, announced the ruling today.

The West Shore School District had prohibited the student, identified in court records only as E.B., from wearing the t-shirt because administrators feared it might offend other students. They ordered him to wear the shirt inside out.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Court: Boy can wear 'insulting' pro-life shirt" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 10/21/09

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed the complaint in federal court against the West Shore School District in Lewisberry, Pa., Oct. 5 on behalf of E.B.

The boy's parents, identified as the Boyers, said they were concerned about the president's speech and the national health-care debate, including reported funding of abortion within proposed legislation.

"[T]he Boyers, like many others, felt that President Obama was bypassing them and speaking directly to their children without their permission," the complaint states. "… Like many others, the Boyers struggled with whether they should send their children to school on that day. E.B. attended school and decided to voice his religious viewpoint as it relates to the issue of abortion."

The boy wore the T-shirt to his classes at Crossroads Middle School and said he received no complaints until his fifth-period teacher ordered him to go to the principal's office to determine whether the shirt was "appropriate."

According to the lawsuit, the school's "draconian censorship of plaintiff's religious and political speech, and the policies on which that censorship was based, violate First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."

The complaint states that E.B. wishes to wear T-shirts expressing his Christian faith and political views because he "desires to reach out to his peers and to offer them advice, assistance, and education" and to "discuss relevant issues facing students at school, including faith and religion, personal responsibility, sexual abstinence, keeping children in the event of pregnancy, just to name a few."

The West Shore School District agreed to an Oct. 19 order prohibiting school officials from enforcing the controversial policies and temporarily allowing E.B. to wear his T-shirts.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Seattle Pastor Leads 495 Students to Boycott Day of Silence

Almost 100 people even joined Rev. Ken Hutcherson in prayer and song outside the school

From "Mount Si's gay-rights Day of Silence is far from quiet" by Lynn Thompson, posted 4/26/08 at The Seattle Times

A Day of Silence inside Mount Si High School meant to show support for gay and lesbian students erupted in noisy protests outside.

More than one-third of students didn't show up for classes Friday. Principal Randy Taylor said 495 out of 1,410 students weren't at school, including 85 athletes whose parents had asked that they be excused for their personal beliefs.

About 100 people joined the Rev. Ken Hutcherson, a prominent anti-gay-rights activist, in prayer and song that questioned the dedication of a school day to what they said was a controversial political cause.

It's amazing what a difference a strong, courageous pastor can make...

Hog Wild for Jesus

From "Hog Wild for Jesus" by Dr. Scott Lively, posted 2/5/08 at Defendthefamily.com

What would you do if somebody built a “gay” nudist colony in your neighborhood? When that happened in a little town called Ava, Missouri, some Christian men decided to fight fire with fire so-to-speak, and built a hog farm next door. They apparently reasoned that one public nuisance deserves another. However, the “gays” disliked their new neighbors so much they filed a lawsuit.

Almost as predictable as the lawsuit was the condemnation by many Christians (including some pastors) that the men’s actions were “not Christian.” But is that right? Is it truly “not Christ-like” to show open hostility to evil? Is real Christianity so docile and effeminate that its only answer to aggression is to hide in the church and pray? Or to show only sweet and tender love toward the offenders so we won’t hurt their feelings or scare them away from the church?

The Jesus I worship was a man, not a wimp. While He could be, and often was compassionate and nurturing, He was not afraid to show intolerance for sin, and even to take forceful action against it when necessary. In John 2:15, this same Jesus made a whip of cords with His own hands and used it to drive the money changers from the temple, after kicking over their tables. And He repeatedly and publicly rebuked certain pious religious leaders as “a brood of vipers” and “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones” Matthew 23:13-35.“ I wonder if this Jesus would even be accepted in membership in many of America’s churches, let alone be allowed to preach.

Now I’m decidedly NOT advocating or condoning violence against homosexuals. Nor am I necessarily endorsing this particular action taken by these men. As much I applaud their courage, I might personally have pursued a less lawsuit-inviting strategy. But as a spiritual matter, I ask you: what IS the appropriate response to the establishment of an open and notorious summer-camp for sodomy in a rural, conservative neighborhood in the “buckle of the Bible belt?”

Lets first not pretend that the builders of this “gay” sex camp are just innocent new neighbors looking for a quiet place to be left alone. The establishment of this base was a deliberate act of in-your-face, I-dare-you-to-hit-me provocation by political agitators, complete with drunken, naked men strolling down nearby roads in front of families...

Read the rest of this thought provoking editorial.

Coalition Calls for Exodus from CA Public Schools

From "Exodus Mandate, Phyllis Schlafly and a Coalition of Christian and Pro-family Organizations Endorse Call for 'Exodus' From California Schools" posted 2/7/08 at earnedmedia.org

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Feb. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- California Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation mandating that public school children be indoctrinated to accept as normal the homosexual lifestyle and other forms of sexual deviancy. In the wake of the failed effort to obtain a referendum to repeal this legislation, a broad coalition of Christian grassroots organizations have endorsed the Campaign for Children and Families' call for California families and churches to rescue their children from California's public schools.

The growing coalition includes Eagle Forum, the Campaign for Children and Families, Exodus Mandate, and ten more sponsors, five of which are based in California. These organizations will be providing information to California parents and pastors concerning the new school legislation, how it mainstream's sexual deviancy among children, and what alternatives to California's public schools are available.

According to Phyllis Schlafly, President of Eagle Forum, "Many of us have worked to reform public schools. Unfortunately, SB 777 and the related legislation represent a repudiation of 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the family. The result is that California's schools are now promoting behaviors and lifestyles that are physically and spiritually dangerous for children. Consequently, in California, parents must try to find alternatives to the public schools."

Read the rest of this press release.

Political Passivity - Vice or Christian Virtue?

Note to our readers: We have posted this previously but this excellent commentary is worth running again on the eve of an important primary election...

From "Political Passivity—Vice or Christian Virtue?" by Greg Koukl, posted 4/30/07 at Townhall.com

It’s not only the left that sounds the alarm when Christians “jeopardize the separation of church and state” by engaging in political action. Some Christians object, too. One evangelical leader offered this stern warning: “There should not be even a hint of anything political in our public discourse.”

This may sound spiritual in some circles, but it can be devastating to the public good. Without question the Gospel has supernatural power to change lives, and those changed lives can change the world. William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa come immediately to mind.

Some Christians wrongly conclude, however, that political involvement is therefore a waste of time. This is a mistake. The Gospel is never communicated in a political or cultural vacuum.

“The effective and mass communication of the gospel depends upon the freedom to proclaim it,” wrote Hugh Hewitt. The Apostle Paul told Christ’s followers to pray for those in authority so believers might lead a tranquil, quiet life in godliness and dignity. In a democratic society those prayers can and should be augmented by action.

The doctrine of political passivity is flawed in its understanding of the function of law, the changing definition of "politics," the role of the Christian citizen in the moral education of a nation, and the original intent of the First Amendment.

Read the rest of this commentary.

How Christians Ended Slavery

From "How Christians Ended Slavery" by Dinesh D'Souza, posted 1/14/07 at KRLA AM

Isn't it remarkable that atheists, who did virtually nothing to oppose slavery, condemn Christians, who are the ones who abolished it?

Consider atheist Sam Harris, who blames Christianity for supporting slavery. Harris is right that slavery existed among the Old Testament Jews, and Paul even instructs slaves to obey their masters. During the civil war both sides quoted the Bible. We know all this. (Yawn, yawn.)

But slavery pre-dated Christianity by centuries and even millennia. As we read from sociologist Orlando Patterson's work, all known cultures had slavery. For centuries, slavery needed no defenders because it had no critics. Atheists who champion ancient Greece and pre-Christian Rome somehow seem to forget that those empires were based on large-scale enslavement.

Atheist Michael Shermer says Christians are "late comers" to the movement against slavery. Shermer advanced this argument in our Cal Tech debate in December. That debate is now online, and you can watch it at michaelshermer.com.

But if what Shermer says is true, who were the early opponents of slavery who got there before the Christians did? Actually, there weren't any...

The truly ironic thing is that if black slavery were still present in the U.S. I suspect very few of today's Christians would raise a voice or lift a finger against it. To speak out for righteousness has fallen into tremendous disfavor. Having imbibed the spirit of the age, even the Church has decided that tolerance (of any and all but the most obviously hideous behavior) is considered loving, and a great virtue. Conversely, speaking out for righteousness is considered unloving and a great spiritual faux pas.

Strangely, many Christians now see the proclamation of God's Law as an 'obstacle to the Gospel' rather than God's instrument to teach men and women what righteousness really is -
thereby leading them to realize they are wretched sinners in need of a savior.

Booker T. Washington certainly saw standing up for righteousness differently than we see it today:

"If no other consideration had convinced me of the value of the Christian life, the Christlike work which the Church of all denominations in America has done during the last 35 years for the elevation of the black man would have made me a Christian."

-Booker T. Washington (Up From Slavery, 1907)

Read the rest of this helpful article and consider what the implications are for Christians to stand against the great evils present in our society today such as the promotion of sexual immorality (even to children), abortion, pornography, destruction of religious freedom etc...