News Intelligence Analysis
Republican Operative's Secret
Talk to Pastors
By George Beres
August 24, 2004
[Author's Note: My commentary, which follows, relates to the blatant actions of the Christian Right linked with the administration of George Bush. It describes a recent visit to my community, Eugene, Ore., by one of the prime apologists for this church-state conspiracy.]
Nothing stirs interest in a "public event' more than having
it not open to the public.
That's the way it was for the July 20 talk of David Barton, deputy
chairman of the Texas Republican Party, at Eugene's Willamette
Christian Center. Reporters for the Register-Guard and
the Eugene Weekly were not allowed in, and had to be content
to interview those who attended as they walked to the parking
lot after the noon luncheon talk. I also could not get in. but
gained insights from one of the church representatives who described
the occasion for me afterward.
Thanks to a published commentary (July 25) about the event by
one of the estimated 100 local pastors attending, Dan Bryant,
senior minister of the First Christian Church, the univited public
got some notion of what was said, and why. Bryant is the ideal
communicator. He can be counted on to give a fair and balanced
account of an event.
In this case, Bryant may have misled some readers, though unintentionally.
In an attempt at balance, he chose to compare the Barton presentation
with one he heard earlier in the month by Rev. James Forbes,
pastor of Riverside Church in New York City. He found merit in
what Forbes said about our need to address social concerns. In
the process, he diverted attention from Barton's revivalistic
approach through the unintended, but real, implication the men
were speaking from the same platform of partisanship.
By placing Forbes' views in the context of Barton's push for
Christian support of the Republican Party, many readers were
allowed to identify both as political ideologues with motives
of church activists. That would suggest the major parties are
equally into the strategy of winning Christian political converts.
Not so. The way sectarian views have been openly promoted by
the Bush administration makes it clear the religious tactic is
mainly-- and dangerously-- Republican.
Appearance of Forbes was sponsored by a number of faith-based
organizations. That of Barton by the Republican Party. That led
to easily recognized differences described by both Bryant and
my source, Beth Weldy of the Springfield Unitarian fellowship,
who also attended the luncheon:
* Instead of having representatives of both major parties at the speaker's table, the Barton talk had only Republicans.
* Rather than politically benign, Barton was openly partisan.
* While Forbes urged political debate on "poverty in our nation," Barton sought support to elect Republicans to fulfill agendas of Christian sects.
The contrast was clear. Barton stumped for Republican candidates.
Forbes addressed public issues. As most attending pastors rose
to give Barton a standing ovation after his talk, it was apparent
his partisan exhortations resonated with them. Some accepted
his skewed view that pastors had lost freedom of speech because
of a 1954 federal ruling that preaching politics
from the pulpit would jeopardize a church's tax-exempt status.
Weldy verified the "machine gun style of delivery"
by Barton, as described by another person in the audience. She
said he seemed to give "a 90-minute speech in 50 minutes,"
making it hard to take notes or ask questions.
"There was no way to question him," she said, "on
the mass of statistics he mentioned, such as 80% of the nation
supporting Christian prayer at football games, and 77% agreeing
the Ten Commandments should be on display at court houses and
in judges' chambers."
She said he justified the attack on Iraq on the basis of "what
we could find, if we'd just look," in the Bible; that God
is not against war because he has "helped in times of war."
Justification for military action, he said, comes from a biblical
verse of Luke: "Occupy until Jesus comes."
Enthusiastic response to Barton by his audience of pastors has
ominous implications in a society where the Republican administration
of George Bush has encouraged closing the gap that separates
church and state. In a religiously free society, Bush is entitled
to his personal views about Christianity. But he sends up warning
signals we should not ignore when, as head of state, he declares
his political oneness with a powerful minority, Christian fundamentalists,
and when one of his campaign flyers uses the religiously loaded
word, "Crusade," to describe his intent to oppose what
he
has described as Islamic terrorists.
That Barton shares Texas geographic roots with Bush may be but
a coincidence. His closing comment at the Eugene luncheon is
no coincidence. He urged Christians to "get out and vote."
What we can't afford to forget is that when he says, "vote,"
he makes it clear he means vote Republican.
It's important both Christians and non-religious citizens vote.
But those who do so along religiously partisan lines are-- like
a president who says his sectarian faith dictates his decision-making--
threats to democracy.
The writer is a baptized Greek Orthodox Christian and has been a member of Oregon's Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East. [email protected]
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