"Moderate" US Christians Face Conservative Goliath

From Reuters:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Rev. Timothy Ahrens had heard his share of fiery rhetoric from Ohio's religious right and seen conservative Christians turn out in droves to ban gay marriage and re-elect President Bush in 2004.

But when an evangelical pastor stood outside the Ohio statehouse last fall to declare he was "locking, loading and firing on Ohio" to campaign for more religion in public life, Ahrens decided it was time moderate Christians spoke up.

"People are fed up with having religion represented in such a skewed way," said Ahrens, senior minister at The First Congregational Church in downtown Columbus.

He called moderate church leaders together to counter the conservative presence in American politics -- and convince mainstream voters that Christians care about more than banning gay marriage and abortion and restoring school prayer.

"At our opening meeting, pastor after pastor said they have members ... who won't even tell people they are Christian any more, because Christian is such a dirty word," Ahrens said.

Out of the meeting was born 'We Believe Ohio,' a group of about 300 religious leaders who believe people of faith should focus on issues like poverty rather than sexual politics [ED.: Note that they include killing little babies within the gamut of "sexual politics"].

Ohio, a key swing state, narrowly decided Bush's victory in 2004. But this year Republicans are on the defensive with some of their key leaders embroiled in ethical scandals.

A March survey by the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics found 25 percent of Ohio voters are self-described evangelicals, 25 percent are Catholic, 25 percent are mainline or black Protestant and 15 percent are not affiliated with any religion -- in line with U.S. totals.

But the survey showed people who attend church at least once a week are more likely to vote Republican, while the less observant tended to be politically mixed. That could make it tough for moderates to make political inroads.

***
We Believe activist Tom Brownfield said ministers are sometimes reluctant to raise issues that could divide their mixed congregations.

"An awful lot of Christians on the progressive side, and progressive Jews, for that matter, are very uncomfortable with the role of religion in politics," Brownfield said.

Not coincidentally, many Democrats feel the same way.

The Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Rep. Ted Strickland, said he applauds We Believe Ohio's speaking up. But even Strickland, who was a Methodist minister before he was congressman, is careful about making a link.

[More]

My Comments:
LOL! The same media that calls itself "mainstream" and refers to Hillary! as a "moderate" decides to shift the ideological spectrum with respect to religious faith.

You see, all us conservative and traditional Christians who make up the largest and fastest-growing churches and denominations are compared to Goliath ... we're all boorish, intellectually uninterested Philistines.

On the other hand, the dying versions of Christianity - the so-called "mainline" Protestant denominations who are in a headlong rush to bless same-sex "marriage" and embrace the "choice" of abortion - aren't liberal in the eyes of the secular media. They're actually "moderates", just like Hillary!


UPDATE
Catholic Caveman links to a story about the President of the "moderate" National Council of Castro-Loving Churches, who says that “Jesus never said one word about homosexuality, never said one word about civil marriage or abortion,” and who has apologized for signing onto an ecumenical statement in defence of traditional marriage, which was co-signed by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
The Liberal Bible

Religion Taking A Left Turn?

Finding God on the US Campaign Trail

Religious Left Seeks to Silence Church's Voice

Religious Left Struggles to Find Unifying Message

Methodist Leader Calls For Impeachment

Lefty Loonies Try to Put Religious Spin on Abortion

Al Gore Uses Religion to Attract "Global Warming" Converts

Dean Statement on Marriage Sparks 'Gay' Backlash

Saint Hugo - the Religious Left Begins its Embrace of [Castro-Loving Commie Bastard] Hugo Chávez

Religious Conservatives Push for "Values Voters' Contract with Congress"

Has Tim Kaine Shown Democrats How To Reach The Promised Land?

For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap

Left-Leaning Preacher to Howard Dean: You Can't Fake It, So Shut Up About Religion

Wary Democrats Discover a Severe "Parents Gap"