Christian right's alliances bend political spectrum

[RedEarth]

Many evangelical Christians got involved in politics because of a single issue: abortion.

But in recent years, without much notice, conservative Christians also have helped force the State Department to place a higher priority on battling religious persecution, set the stage for a cease-fire in Sudan, enact legislation aimed at reducing prison rape in the USA and push for more funds to fight AIDS in Africa.


In the process, they have forged coalitions with - or sometimes simply pulled in the same direction as - activists who more often are their adversaries. The occasional allies include liberal Jews and Planned Parenthood, the Congressional Black Caucus and the ACLU, Gloria Steinem and the Dalai Lama.


"Evangelicals have broadened their perspective and widened their agenda," says John Green, a political scientist at the University of Akron and co-author of The Values Campaign: The Christian Right in American Politics. "It's not as if the social issues have vanished; they still care about them. But foreign policy issues, environmental issues, even social welfare issues have joined the agenda. That has led them to develop broader alliances in some really odd ways."


"Conservative Christians will continue to fight hard on the life issue and the definition of marriage," says Gary Bauer, head of an advocacy group called American Values and a GOP presidential contender in 2000. "But there is a willingness on another day to make common cause with liberals." (Related story: Christian right sets sights on '08)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050616/pl_usatoday/christianrightsalliancesbendpoliticalspectrum