Evangelical professor tackles 'religious right'

[kurth]

August 22, 2006
Evangelical professor tackles 'religious right'
By Yonat Shimron
Raleigh News & Observer

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Randall Balmer, an evangelical Christian and a professor of American religion at Barnard College and Yale Divinity School, is best known for writing two largely sympathetic PBS documentaries: "Crusade: The Life of Billy Graham" and "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America." But in his latest book, "Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America," Balmer goes on the attack. Calling himself a "passionate evangelical," Balmer denounces the "religious right" for hijacking the religion of Jesus. Here are excerpts from a recent interview:

Question: Some people say Christians shouldn't be involved in politics, period. You're not advocating that, are you?
Answer: Not at all. I happen to think the arena of public discourse would be impoverished without the voices of people of faith.
What I am pointing to is the peril of aligning the faith too closely with any one political party or ideology or a specific administration. Then the faith loses its prophetic power.

Q: Give an example.
A: I contacted eight "religious right" organizations and asked them to send me a copy of their position paper on (President) Bush's use of torture against enemy combatants. I received a reply from two -- the Family Research Council and the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Both defended the Bush administration's position on torture. First of all, that's morally bankrupt. It's also aligning the faith too closely with a particular ideology.

Q: What prompted you to write the book?
A: The 2004 presidential election. I woke up the next morning with a hangover, and I hadn't been drinking. I wasn't so much distressed by the outcome of the election, as that anyone who called himself an evangelical Christian had to vote for the Republican candidate.
It's clear to me that evangelicals were very active in the 19th century. But that activism was always directed toward those on the margins of society: the abolitionist movement, the movement for comprehensive (public) education, the temperance movement, the movement to give women the right to vote. Those were all evangelical causes. At the turn of the 21st century, I don't find that same concern for people who are marginalized by society. That's what led me to write the book...

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/LIVING/608220321&SearchID=73254565032284

[I Have A Dream]

1. This is very interesting. Thanks for posting it. n/t

[hyphenate]

2. Very interesting

I'm glad to see some evangelicals fighting the whackos on the radical right.

[WiseButAngrySara]

3. K&R. ....n/t

[bryant69]

4. Nice to see

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[RedEarth]

5. Thanks for posting

[KittyWampus]

6. Yes, those of us inspired by faith don't follow anyone or anything blindly

It's good to hear people of faith standing up to decry the heresy done in the name of Religion.

[erik-the-red]

7. Shocking

I contacted eight "religious right" organizations and asked them to send me a copy of their position paper on (President) Bush's use of torture against enemy combatants. I received a reply from two -- the Family Research Council and the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Both defended the Bush administration's position on torture. First of all, that's morally bankrupt. It's also aligning the faith too closely with a particular ideology.

It's shocking to me that they defend the use of torture.

[Aristus]

9. Hello, erik-the-red! Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Can I infer by your avatar that you are Muslim? If you are, you can only imagine how shocked and dismayed I am by such an admission on the part of those who claim to be 'Christian'. I'm a Christian myself, and deplore anybody who can defend torture and claim to worship Jesus Christ at the same time. I'm a devout Christian and a passionate liberal, and will always be both. No question about it. As I see it, Christians and Muslims and Jews are all brothers, and we need to do everything we can for each other.

I hope you will remain a part of the DU family, erik. :hi:

[erik-the-red]

12. Thank you!

I am presently almost finished with Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of The Qur'an (I have the short surahs left). I became interested in Islam from an observer's point of view; that's why I picked the crescent and star. I have not said the Şehadet, so I am not Muslim.

To me, I like how you view the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the context of their Abrahamic roots. Of course they're different religions, but they are based on common traditions.

Thanks again for welcoming me!

[ChickMagic]

14. Hi eric-the-red!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

I'm always befuddled that there is such antagonism between Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. They have common roots. The story goes that
Isaac (if I remember correctly) led to Hebrews and Ishmael gave rise
to Arabs. People focus on the conflict between the two rising out
of jealousy but fail to notice the end of the story. They came together
to bury their father. Common cause based on love. I think that was
the lesson to be learned, rather than the conflict.

Just my puny 2 cents.

[Wheezy]

8. What people need to understand

is that this religious sect of far-rightedness is not what the Christians here are all about. It's a group of extremists who make the news.

When people say 'why don't other REAL Christians speak up on this?' It drives me a little crazy because they ARE. Sojourners, and the Interfaith Alliance are two huge religious groups that stand for the things we all want at DU. Help for Dafur. Freedom of the Internet. Separation of church and state.


They are large, vocal, but they don't get the press time that extremists get because of the nature of today's MSM.

Thanks for the great post, kurth.

[Kolesar]

10. Sojourners and the Interfaith Alliance seem small or obscure ...

...compared to the well known churches that should be heard from. The edifices that I recall from my home town were the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches. I don't hear them trying very hard on issues like the climate change.

[Fridays Child]

11. Balmer's voice is one we need to support.

The fundie right wing has to be stopped, if this country is going to survive.

[lonestarnot]

15. At first glance it appears to be so, but I am very cautious these days.

[paparush]

13. Mathew Fox is calling for Mainstream/Moderate Christians

to divorce from the extreme, hate/fear based Radical Christian right.

Fox rocks!