News Intelligence Analysis
The Religious Left Fights Back
By Van Jones, AlterNet
Posted on July 28, 2005, Printed on July 29, 2005
Rabbi Michael Lerner is stirring up trouble again -- thank God.
Earlier this week, Lerner was the main organizer of a national gathering in Berkeley, California, for the religious Left. His "Spiritual Activism" conference was intended to help launch a much-needed new initiative: the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP).
Lerner has been the spark-plug for many progressive, faith-based undertakings over the years, including Tikkun magazine. But this latest effort is an order of magnitude more challenging than anything he has attempted thus far. And given the stakes for our ailing would-be democracy, the birthing of NSP may prove to be his most important calling.
Lerner wants to help forge a new alliance of "religious, secular and spiritual, but not religious, progressives." This alliance will someday expose and challenge the cancer of American consumerism. And it will oppose the religious Right's abuse of scripture to promote war, intolerance and ugly corporate agendas.
By itself, those two goals would warrant full-throated support from all progressives. But don't be surprised if the good rabbi's efforts also draw some serious "boos" from many parts of the Left, as well. That's because Lerner's bravest and hardest work is aimed much closer to home.
He wants to do more than just minister to the mall-lobotomized masses or give the fundamentalists a well-deserved spanking. He also wants to challenge the Left's chronic and toxic bias against religious feeling, expression and people.
Lerner hopes to end "religio-phobia among progressives." And such efforts will not be welcome among a great many rabidly secular progressives.
As for me, I will be praying for the Rabbi's success. I am an African-American Christian who was raised in the American heartland. When I moved to the cosmopolitan coasts of Connecticut, and later California, I ran headlong into shocking levels of anti-religious bigotry among progressives.
I literally have had liberals laugh in my face when I told them I was a Christian. For awhile, I felt self-conscious about telling other activists that I preferred not to meet on Sunday mornings, because I wanted to go to church.
It is still commonplace to hear so-called radicals stereotyping all religious people as stupid dupes -- and spitting out the word "Christian" as if it were an insult or the name of a disease. I thought progressives were supposed to be the standard-bearers of tolerance and inclusion.
I certainly know the monstrous crimes that have been committed through the ages in the name of religion, or with the blessings of religious people. But I know a few other things about religion, too.
I grew up in the Black churches of the rural south, listening to the stories of my elders. As children, we heard about the good, brave people who had poured their blood out upon the ground so that we could be free. We learned how police officers had clubbed and jailed them. We learned how Klansmen had shot and lynched them. And how the G-men from Washington had just stood by and doodled in their notepads.
We learned of marches and mayhem, freedom songs and funerals. We saw images of billy-clubbed Black women on their hands and knees, searching for their teeth on Mississippi sidewalks -- crawling while still clutching their little American flags. We felt pity for the children who spent long nights in frigid jail cells, wearing clothing soaked by fire-hoses, while their bones -- broken and untended -- began to mend at odd angles.
We saw pictures of Black men, like our fathers, hanging by their necks -- their faces twisted, their bodies rigid, their clothes burned off -- along with their skin. And we saw photos of carefree killers, sauntering home out of Alabama courtrooms -- their faces white and sneering and proud.
We learned how the very best of humanity had faced off with the very worst of humanity -- each circling the other under the same summer sun. That epic struggle had elevated southern back roads and backwaters onto the Great World Stage. And the fate of a people -- along with the destiny of a nation -- hung in the balance, for all to see.
In the end, we children cheered, for the righteous did prevail. More than that, they performed one of the great miracles in human history: They transformed American apartheid into a fledgling democracy, tender and delicate and new.
All progressives today proudly celebrate that achievement -- and rightly so. But one key fact seems to escape the notice of today's activist crowd. The champions of the civil rights struggle didn't come marching out of shopping centers in South. Or libraries. Or high school gymnasiums.
To face the attack dogs, to face the fire-hoses, to face the billy-clubs, these heroes and she-roes came marching boldly out of church-houses. And they were singing church songs. They set an example of courage and sacrifice that will endure for the ages. And as they did it, they prayed on wooden pews in the name of a Nazarene carpenter named Jesus.
The implications are clear for those who seek today to rescue and redeem U.S. society. The facts are simple and profound: The last time U.S progressives captured the national debate and transformed politics, people of faith were at the center of the movement, not stuck in its closet.
As a descendent of enslaved Africans who were told that God (and not capitalist greed) required their degradation, I know the crimes of the Christian church as well as anyone. But as a child of the civil rights movement, I also know the power of Christian faith, the power of moral appeal and the power of spiritual strength -- to break asunder the bonds of servitude.
And in our do-or-die effort to set things right in America, it is time for U.S. progressives to return to the bottomless well of soul power that sustained the slaves and defeated Jim Crow.
That is why I applaud Rabbi Lerner's efforts. He is standing in a long tradition of faith-honoring Americans, who have helped lead the charge from barbarism toward democracy. In the 1800s, escaping Africans fled enslavement through the bedrooms and basements of Quakers, along the famous Underground Railroad. In the 1980s, religious congregations led the Sanctuary Movement. Their efforts opened up U.S. cities to Latinos who were fleeing U.S. President Ronald Reagan's violent and covert interventions in Latin America.
The Rabbi's new efforts also resonate today. Reeling from the steady string of recent defeats, even the most hard-core U.S. activists are seeking deeper meaning and spiritual sustenance in their lives. At the same time, previously apolitical "spiritual types" are getting involved as activists for the first time -- to defend the Earth and her people from the predations of the Bush agenda.
Rev. Jim Wallis' most recent book, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, struck a chord this year and became an instant bestseller. Rev. Frances Hall Kieschnick (spouse of Working Assets wunderkind Michael Kieschnick) is taking steps to start a Beatitudes Society, to give more voice to progressive people of faith. Similar efforts are springing up on smaller scales all across the country.
Somewhere, in all of these stirrings, I see the seeds of a wisdom-based, Earth-honoring, pro-democracy movement -- one that affirms and applauds religious and spiritual impulses, while opposing fundamentalism, chauvinism and theocracy. Over time, this kind of progressive movement has the potential to win -- and win big -- in the United States. To be honest: it is probably the only type of progressive movement that stands a chance in a country as religious as ours.
Such a movement is within reach. But progressives must abandon the old pattern of reducing the Great Faiths to their worst elements, constituents and crimes -- and then dismissing all other facts and features. It is not just stupid political strategy. At a moral level, it is a form of blindness and bigotry that is beneath all of us.
My prayer is that a critical mass of progressives can agree on two basic premises.
Number one: Any progressive approach to "faith in politics" that ignores the awful crimes of religiously-inspired people is dishonest, inauthentic and can never achieve emancipatory ends.
Number two: At the same time, any approach that fails to honor and embrace the positive contributions of religiously inspired people is also wrong-headed, and it foolishly and needlessly shuts progressives off from our own history, achievements and present sources of vital support.
I believe that Rabbi Lerner has come up with a thoughtful, sensitive and wise approach, worthy of broad-based affirmation. He aims to: "build an alliance between secular, religious and 'spiritual but not religious' progressives -- in part by challenging the anti-religious biases in parts of the liberal culture (while acknowledging the legitimacy of anger against those parts of the religious world that have embodied authoritarian, racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic practices and attitudes").
That is a formulation that the vast majority of progressives should be able to adopt, affirm and cheer about. And I proudly say to it, Amen, brother Lerner ... Amen!
© 2005 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/23725/
Attorney Van Jones is the national executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California.
agitator of church and state
Posted by: eileen_flmng on Jul 28, 2005 3:54 AM
I too attended TIKKUN's [Hebrew for mend, heal, and transform
the world] first annual gathering of Spiritual Progressive, along
with 1,300 other USA citizens from all faiths and those who are
spiritual but not religious.
Our diverse community all agree that the time has arrived to
be instruments of change and to base our society and institutions
on the higher ground of love, compassion, caring, cooperation,
non-violence, peace, ethical and ecological sensitivity for we
honor the sacredness of every person and Mother Earth.
As a committed Christian who abhors the rot and hypocrisy in the Church institution and is not represented by the likes of Falwell and Dobson, I was greatly encouraged to learn that during Pentecost week, 2005, Father Matthew Fox nailed a new 95 theses, A New Reformation, to the same church door Martin Luther had nailed his to 500 years before. As Father Fox says; "The church today needs not only a reformation but a transformation."
Robert Inchausti's wrote in his book; Orthodoxy, Outlaws,
Revolutionaries and Other Christians in Disguise;
"To change the world we must become receptacles of God's
love, understanding and goodwill. We must have faith, not merely
of the mind, but of the heart that surrenders the whole man to
the divine inflow...moral action links personal salvation directly
to social responsibility."
Over 1,300 American citizens have now returned to their communities,
churches, temples, mosques and ashrams and the revolution and
transformation has already begun. The times they have a changed,
the answers are blowing in the wind, may American's all wake
up and catch the breeze and be transformed.
-eileen fleming
www.olivetreesfoundation.org
food for thought
Posted by: paulb on Jul 28, 2005 4:06 AM
I too am a Christian who is a 45 year old white male who could not agree with this more.The bible teaches that we should believe with or hearts and minds.That is why I did not ever consider a vote for Bush.His actions are totally opposite of what he says his beliefs are. I live in Detroit and have marched in NAAPC marches as a rep. of labor unions for we all seek the same things, and the people I met from the local churches were great! It is time that we do pull people of left together that believe and counter the hate from the extreme right .I feel the lack of tolerance that is displayed does nothing but divide.As a American,a Christian and a Marine Corp vet this is totally unacceptable!
Editor, Tikkun
Posted by: Rabbi Lerner on Jul 28, 2005 4:49 AM
For those who wish to support the creation of a Network of Spiritual Progressives, please go to the website www.Tikkun.org and read the material. You can join on line or contact [email protected] for more information.
The next national conference will take place in Washington, D.C. Feb. 10-13, 2006. And our book outlining a Spiritual Covenant with America--a guideline to what progressive spiritual politics would look like in practice--will be published by HarperSanFrancisco in January, 2006: it is called The Left Hand of God.
The Spiritual Covenant could give the Democrats and the Greens a coherent and spiritually sensitive platform that could do for them what Republican Newt Gingrich's Contract with America did for Republicans in the 1994 election, giving them enough coherence to win control of Congress if they were to seriously adopt it. In fact, although the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP) is not an electoral effort, people who join it are forming caucuses of Spiritual Democrats and Spiritual Greens to try to get those parties to do what Van Jones is talking about--reconnecting with their deepest spiritual values.
And this is the real secret power of the NSP--it acknowledges that many people on the Left ALREADY have deep spiritual aspirations, and many have their own spiritual practices (both in traditional religious communities and in alternative forms including meditation, yoga, pagan and WICA, and in poetry, art, and music) but do not have in the Left a supportive environment to articulate that spirituality and to connect it to a progressive political agenda. That's why the NSP could become not only a force for transforming American politics but also a force for making liberal and progressive social change movements more sustainable--by helping people within them inte Spiritual but not religious" people welcome as well as religious people.
--Rabbi Michael Lerner
chair. The Tikkun Community (sponsor of the Network of Spiritual
Progressives)
P.S. our two national co-chairs: Cornel West author of Race Matters and Sister Joan Chittister, former chair of Religious Women United
RE: editor, Tikkun Posted by: Jerry
intolerance of the non-believer
Posted by: ann on Jul 28, 2005 4:58 AM
i myself am not a believer in any religion. however i believe deeply in the currents from which our religious beliefs spring. i do not go to services to worship, but i love the beauty that is the true heart of all worship. this said, i am in total agreement with the observation of lefty intolerance. it is a difficult quandary, set at the intersection of reason and emotion. it is as equally stupid for reason to snub emotion as it is for emotion to snub reason. and for those who denigrate the religious person for being somehow deficient of reason, they should be reminded that the great intellectual debates of philosophy and science have their roots in religions and in the efforts to find meaning.
Progressive People of Faith
Posted by: ekinney on Jul 28, 2005 5:45 AM
As a liberal who has come back to Christianity because I see no other way for me, I applaud your wonderful article and message. Your voice and that of colleagues like Rabbi Lerner need to be heard even louder. Thanks.
May a Moderate speak
Posted by: bookwoman on Jul 28, 2005 6:21 AM
There are many Christians who are not Liberals; we are, however, moderates, and we feel that we are also being dragged down by the tirades of the Christian Right. My denomination even has the distinction of being proclaimed "the spawn of the devil" by Pat Robertson.
From his narrative, I think that Mr. Jones and I are about the same age, give or take a few years. When secular liberals (we have many where I live) question my beliefs, I fight back with a distain and sacasm. I point out that I don't care that they aren't religious; why should they care that I am. Religion may be the opiate of the masses, but I ask what the nonbelievers are smoking. I wonder why Mr. Jones doesn't do that. If you believe in it, fight for it. I think one of the reasons the media thinks all spiritually based people are on the right is that we, in the middle and the left, don't thump our chests and holler about it. Our religion is precious to us and, like all precious things, we hold it to us. Perhaps its time we became more vocal. Rabbi Lerner is not the first moderate to liberal clergyman to speak out. I have heard a couple of evangelical preachers who were embarrassed by some of the dialogue from their churches. Reverend John Danforth, a man who knows the inside of a moderate church as well as the inside of Congress and the U.N., has spoken out. Perhaps Rabbi Lerner and Reverend Danforth and other moderate clergy people should begin a dialogue and lead the spiritual moderates to a place where we will stop hiding our light under a bushel.
great faiths? leaping lizards.
Posted by: parise on Jul 28, 2005 7:02 AM
the problem with incorporating spirituality into political thinking is that, whenever most people do, they are really talking about the god of the "great faiths" and what they really want is tolerance towards their religion to the point of that religions laws being everyone's laws.
unfortunately that god happens to be intolerant himself which could be part of the problem don't you think. thou shalt have none other gods before me and all that other stuff like dominion over the earth and serving your husband.
i don't understand how the one god religions can be tolerant with out being hypocritical and i don't understand how they can pick and chose through their holy book. on the other hand, as a pagan, it's hard to be tolerant of people who think your going to hell, although i do try.
it will be a great day when all people's spirituality is respected and no one religion tries to dominate all the rest.
RE: great faiths? leaping lizzards.
the problem with incorporating spirituality into political thinking is that, whenever most people do, they are really talking about the god of the "great faiths" and what they really want is tolerance towards their religion to the point of that religions laws being everyone's laws.
unfortunately that god happens to be intolerant himself which could be part of the problem don't you think. thou shalt have none other gods before me and all that other stuff like dominion over the earth and serving your husband.
i don't understand how the one god religions can be tolerant with out being hypocritical and i don't understand how they can pick and chose through their holy book. on the other hand, as a pagan, it's hard to be tolerant of people who think your going to hell, although i do try.
it will be a great day when all people's spirituality is respected and no one religion tries to dominate all the rest.
Posted by: Jamboree
Deeply Suspicious
Posted by: karyse on Jul 28, 2005 7:19 AM
I would love to see the religious, in particular the Christian religious, ignore the fact that their One Big Guy in the Sky cares only about their souls and nothing whatever about the material circumstance of their existence.
The voice of the Christian Left is out there.
Posted by: chipmunk220 on Jul 28, 2005 7:27 AM
I read the article and my heart sprang up with happiness because
what you write is what I've experienced in my own quest to write
a Christian blog from the Left. I, too was upset by those on
the hard left who scorn all who are religious as weak-minded.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in March of 2002.
When Jesus became the "love of my life" I took to heart
his words in Matthew 25:
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come,
you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked
after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did
we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something
to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever
you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did
for me.'
NIV
I attended a Move-on.org rally a few months ago, and there was
an open mike. When I got up and spoke about God, and how all
Christians were not like the hateful bigots that we see in Dobson
and Falwell and Robertson and Bennedict XVI, I was afraid of
the response I would get. But I got a kind response from the
crowd, and several kind comments afterwards. If we, as "Lefty
Christians" can make ourselves as known and as visible as
those on the hard right, then we can change the stereotype that
they have about Christians, and they will stop speaking the word
Christian with that hateful sneer that the author of the above
article spoke of. As a Christian, it is my heartfelt belief that
I owe it to Jesus Christ to make sure he is represented with
the face of the loving and forgiving and caring God of Love by
his followers. My blog if anyone is interested:
http://journals.aol.com/dmorey6160/TruthfromaLeftyChristian/
A little bit more encouragement
Posted by: EternalStudent on Jul 28, 2005 7:43 AM
As a graduate student it was difficult for me to "come-out" to my liberal-intellectual colleagues that I am considering going into seminary after I complete my current degree. They all clearly thought I was joining the ranks of James Dobson and his cohorts.
I know a lot of my professors and fellow students have seen religion and academia as something that cannot mix together. However, I feel as though a life in ministry is an excellent mix to satisfy my goals in life to be a teacher, social activist and a Minster.
I have also read Jim Wallis' God's Politics and found it very inspiring, in addition to the fact that it is a national bestseller. It is extremely empowering to see this budding movement of the "Religious Left" and I truly hope that we can all work together to prove to the world (the Right, Left and middle) that there are those of us with progressive views that are inspired by their faith!
Just Leave Me Out of It
Posted by: patvic1405 on Jul 28, 2005 8:16 AM
I don't care what others believe as long as they keep their bibles, Quran, torahs, whatever, out of my face. That seems to be the whole problem - your god gene gets inflamed by all the rhetoric so you think that you have all the answers (and everyone else who believes differently is wrong) and so you have to force it on all the heathens who otherwise will go to hell (why do you care? MYOB). This fervor often involves firearms and many people dying. Well, guess what, I'd prefer hell where I don't have to listen to a bunch of folks blatting about how religious they are. Practice it, don't preach it.
Awesome
Posted by: mviscid on Jul 28, 2005 8:40 AM
I'd just like to applaud the article and all like-minded progressives who sincerely desire change in our country.
I find the bitter comments to this article utterly unnecessary and totally revealing. If y'all can't be tolerant of people of faith who wish to do good, then YOU are also part of The Problem.
Personally, I'm not dogmatic, but still consider myself spiritual. I was raised Catholic but didn't feel it was right for me. I grew up in the "Bible Belt" and was told plenty of times I would burn in hell, etc. To me, people who write off all religious people are no better than those who wrote me off because I wasn't saved. People, use your head AND heart! "They" want us to fight among ourselves, "they" want us divided and weak. Hurray for keeping our minds open and avoiding knee-jerk reactionism!
Robertson hates me - I must be doing something right
Posted by: annadams95340 on Jul 28, 2005 8:45 AM
I just finished "The Sins of the Scripture" by Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong. Amazing. I have been saying for years to anyone who would listen that anyone with a preconceived belief can find at least one Bible verse to support it. I think the belief comes first, the Bible just reinforces. The Reverend Dr. Spong has written a great book saying the same thing.
President Bush and I belong to the same "mainstream" denomination (United Methodist). Maybe he just isn't listening. I live in a small, fairly conservative city and my church has just begun allowing a new PFLAG chapter to meet at the church. We feed the homeless. Our doors are open to all. Our co-pastors (husband and wife) speak and write about hate and bigotry constantly. We reach out to the community with no strings attached. I had all but abandoned the organized church until I discovered the Methodists. We're not perfect, but we sure are trying. Pat Robertson is sure we and the Presbyterians are doomed - I wonder what our Methodist President and Presbyterian Dr. Frist think about that.
There many Christian churches like mine; we just need to speak up a little more. And, the Rabbi is right; we should never forget the evil done in the name of Religion (not just Christianity) or the good done in the name of spirituality. Christianity at its best has much in common with other religions (Buddhism, Judaism, etc.) and, for that matter, no religion at all. We need to find our common ground and stop wasting time bashing each other. We have too many better things to do.
A Pagan Progressive
Posted by: Bekki on Jul 28, 2005 8:46 AM
Thanks for posting this article, and for the comments.
I grew up in a household where spiritual and religious values were integrally linked to politics and social action. My father and later my mother were Lutheran ministers who were fully participant in progressive politics, starting with the civil rights movement and continuing to the present. While I have great respect for the religions of the Book-- which at heart are firmly placed in a mystical and compassionate worldview-- I myself follow a different spiritual path, rooted in Mother Earth. As one who spends much time networking between these paths-- my parents and I have an active and open dialog about our spiritual similarities and differences, and I have many friends who follow a variety of faiths-- I think it is important to understand that progressives of all faiths stand on common ground: a belief in the essential dignity of all others we share the planet with, and each being's right to a life of happiness, peace and freedom. We are all aware that any person who so wishes can distort a belief system for his or her own agenda. This is not limited to religion, either-- scientists do it also. As my husband, an anthropologist whose parents were doctors, likes to say, "Science can also be a religion!" The greatest religious thinkers in human history were often rigorous in self-examination, and not purveyors of dogma. I think if we look deeply into our hearts and pull out the best that is within, we find ample guidance for right action, politically and otherwise. This means also not closing ourselves off to people of other faith traditions-- whether of the Book, or of Earth-centered traditions. As a Pagan, I hear regularly of the political and social actions being taken by other Pagans, by Native Americans, and by other religious minorities, who despite much prejudice are very vocally following their conscience in a spirit-led way. I would like to see much more dialog between all of these faiths, as well as those who consider themselves atheists or agnostics.
Remember too that many people who hate or fear religion have been very badly used and misused in the name of religion, and try to exercise compassion. Those of us who have been fortunate to know "God" in a positive way have much to be grateful for. What must it be like to never have had that gift?
People of Faith should have more tolerance
Posted by: texshelters on Jul 28, 2005 9:00 AM
Dear Left, Right, Center and non-aligned people of faith,
You all should get off your high horse about God and start being true Christians. I would not exclude Christians, Muslins, Jews, Atheist, Buddhists, Taoists or others from joining me in a just cause. Why do so many of you make it a litmus test either overt of covertly.
Love each other and help the planet.
Peace.
Conservative Christians represent the anti-Christ
Posted by: [email protected] on Jul 28, 2005 9:00 AM
Christ is a Liberal who said "render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods" (separation of Church and State). Jesus told us to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" and "what you do to the least of my brethren, therefore you do unto me". Cold hearted Christian Conservatives should read the Gospels of Christ and apply Christ's teachings to their life, instead of searching the Bible to spin off whatever works for them. The only part of the New Testament that is verifiable are the 4 Gospels.
It does not prove that Jesus was the Son of God, but it does prove His existence and whether He is God or not the teachings (Gospels) of Jesus Chirrs are what being a Christian is all about.
The acts of this Administration supporting the welfare of corporations and the rich while neglecting the poor, attacking the middle Class on Social Security, education, unions, wages and incarcerating everyone possible in an ongoing effort to degrade the middle class to the ranks of the poor are the works of the anti-Christ.
These phoney Christians are OK with War and feel that we are on a mission from God to bring on Armageddon. Of course this is probably not a universal thought running though the minds of all Christian Conservatives, but it is there. It would be a shame if World War III would be fought over our God vs their God and in reality there is no God. If there actually is a God, it is equally stupid to drive to war, because our God and theirs would be the same God with a different name.
When Militant Muslims advocate killing infidels they put an evil face on God. Why would anyone want to worship an evil God? It is the same with Christian Conservatives, why worship a God who advocates sticking it to the poor and making war?
Being a Christians means doing as Christ and that is to love one another and that means everyone. People who call themselves Christians need to rethink their Conservative agenda and remember that when you are being taught contrary to the 4 Gospels you are listening to the anti-Christ.
Bottom line is, the decent religious or non-religious citizens of this country should attack ongoingly these Conservative Christians every chance we get, until they loose their so called moral high ground and are seen as the phonies that they are.
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Evangelical Pastor Preaches
the Gospel of
Free Market Capitalism
and Bloody Preemptive
Strikes by Jeff Sharlet
[Yurica Report Editor's
Note: Read Jeffrey Sharlet's Soldiers
of Christ, Inside America's most powerful megachurch. Sharlet
writes: "In addition to New Life, Pastor Ted presides
over the
National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), whose 45,000
churches and 30 million believers make up the nation’s most
powerful religious lobbying group, and also over a smaller
network of his own creation, the Association of Life-Giving
Churches, 300 or so congregations modeled on New Life’s
“free market” approach to the divine...New Lifers,
Pastor
Ted writes with evident pride, 'like the benefits, risks, and
maybe above all, the excitement of a free-market society.'
It's now available on line at Harper's. Don't miss this
piece!
Click on this image to go there: 
]