January 2009

Saddleback Says Domestic Violence Does Not Justify Divorce

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 6:47 pm

I don't know about you, but it sure seems to me that the Associated Baptist Press is trying to cause some trouble for Rick Warren by highlighting audio clips from the Saddleback Family website stating that those suffering from domestic violence are still not justified in seeking divorce - though they can seek separation - and that getting smacked around just once doesn't count as abuse:

Rick Warren, the Southern Baptist megachurch pastor chosen to offer the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration, says the Bible does not permit a woman to divorce a spouse who is abusing her.

In audio clips on his Saddleback Church website, the Purpose Driven Life author says the Bible condones divorce for only two reasons -- adultery and abandonment.

"I wish there were a third in Scripture, having been involved as a pastor with situations of abuse," Warren said. "There is something in me that wishes there were a Bible verse that says, 'If they abuse you in this-and-such kind of way, then you have a right to leave them.'"

Warren said his church's counseling ministry advises separation and counseling instead of divorce in abusive marriages, because it's the only path toward healing. "There's an abusive cycle that's been set up," he said. "Separation combined with counseling has been proven to provide healing in people's lives."

Warren said there's nothing in the Bible that says a spouse must tolerate abuse. "There's nowhere in the Bible that says it's an attitude of submission to let somebody abuse you," he said. "That is not submission. So we recommend very strongly separation."

He defined what he meant by physical abuse.

"When I say physical abuse, I mean literally somebody is beating you regularly," he said. "I don't mean they grab you once. I mean they've made a habit of beating you regularly. You need to separate in that situation, because that's the only thing that's going to solve that."

You can listen to the audio clips here (the divorce clips are #30-32) and I have to say that, having done so, I am not sure that it is actually Warren speaking.  The ABP article asserts that it is and it may very well be right - but having heard him speak on several occasions, I am not convinced that the person speaking in these audio clips is Warren himself.

Nonetheless, these answers are posted on Saddleback's website and, as such, presumably represent the official position of both Warren and his church.

UPDATE 1/9: ABP has now corrected its article to reflect that it was not, in fact, Warren speaking but rather associate pastor Tom Holladay.

Fairness Doctrine Causes Collective Insanity

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 5:47 pm

We already mentioned earlier today that several Republicans have introduced legislation designed to "bar Congress, President-elect Barack Obama and federal media regulators from bringing back the Fairness Doctrine" despite the fact that there are currently no plans or efforts underway to actually bring it back. 

But that didn't stop these Republican legislators from taking "preventive measures" just to be sure ... for which they are now being hailed by right-wing groups:

The Family Research Council

Trying to hedge off an inevitable attack on free speech, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act at a press conference today on Capitol Hill ... We applaud Pence, Walden, and DeMint for their work to protect the airwaves from government control and pledge to join them in this fight.

The American Center for Law and Justice

A return of the Fairness Doctrine would be devastating to Christian broadcasters by putting the federal government in charge of telling broadcasters what to air,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. Such a move would put the federal government in control of dictating the content of what’s aired effectively muzzling Christian broadcasters. That’s precisely why the Broadcaster Freedom Act is so important. We applaud the many House and Senate members who have introduced and co-sponsored the measure. We believe passage of this measure is paramount to protecting free speech.

The Christian Coalition

The President of the Christian Coalition of America, Roberta Combs said: "Congress should resist the urge to shut down radio talk show hosts around the country which is what the "Fairness Doctrine" would effectively do if brought back. Christian Coalition of America has begun an on-line campaign to ensure that the onerous "Fairness Doctrine" is not reinstituted by Congress or by the Obama Administration."

Christian Coalition of America commends the efforts by Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and others in Congress to stop the "Fairness Doctrine" legislation from passing.

Is this really going to become a crusade for the Right: to fight for passage of legislation designed to prevent the implementation of something that nobody is planning on trying to implement? 

And to think, pundits were worried that the conservative movement was out of touch and bereft of ideas on how to deal with the various crises this country is currently facing.

Draft Palin Movement Gets an Early Start

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 4:05 pm

President-Elect Obama hasn't even been sworn-in yet and, as we noted a few weeks back, Sarah Palin hasn't even agreed to attend this year's CPAC, but none of that is deterring the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee from promising a big showing for itself and its preferred candidate at the upcoming conservative conference:

While not confirmed, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is expected to be a key note speaker at 2009 CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Washington on Feb. 26-28, 2009.

This conference has featured the heavyweights of the Republican conservative movement.

The 2012 Draft Sarah Committee will have a booth at the Conference. We will distribute flyers, buttons, placards and bumper stickers. We intend to make sure that the GOP and the United States knows that Gov. Sarah Palin is an overwhelming favorite to be the Republican Candidate in 2012 for U.S. President. And that she will occupy the White House the next year.

Considering that a newly released poll out of Alaska shows that, were Palin to run for Senate in 2010, she'd lose badly to Lisa Murkowski,it might be a little premature to start proclaiming her to be the "overwhelming favorite to be the Republican Candidate in 2012." 

Speaking of Palin, she's back in the news, this time complaining to irate "filmmaker" Jason Ziegler about how poorly she was treated by the media during the campaign and a bunch of other stuff:

Dueling DOMA Petitions

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 3:41 pm

Yesterday, the Alliance for Marriage announced that it was launching its own "Protect DOMA" petition designed to counter our own "Dump DOMA" efforts:

The Alliance for Marriage Foundation today launched a national petition drive to Protect DOMA in response to the People for the American Way's (PFAW) efforts to encourage Congressional Leadership to "Dump DOMA."

In November, the Alliance for Marriage Foundation began to lay the foundation for our Protect DOMA campaign on Capitol Hill, with the public launch of www.ProtectDOMA.org. AFM's campaign is deliberately designed to build on AFM's diverse and centrist coalition and to reach both Democratic and Republican members of the Congress.

Since we now find ourselves in the middle of a signature-gathering arms race with AFM, perhaps it would be a good time for those who have not already done so to sign on to our efforts and help us spread the word.

TVC Plans to Court Conservative Democrats in Fighting Liberals

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 1:29 pm

With Democrats now in control of the House, Senate, and White House, the Traditional Values Coalition is warning that "liberals will attack on all fronts this year":

Far left liberals will soon control all branches of the federal government, including our Armed Forces, Department of Justice, Education Department, Homeland Security, Energy Department and other key branches of government.

This control, however, is not indefinite and those of us who value conservative political principles and religious liberty, must work far more aggressively than in the past to make certain the Obama Administration fails in its leftist efforts to remake our nation.

This means that our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill on behalf of churches and traditional values voters will be accelerated – and we’re going to need your help more than ever to hold back the onslaught of bad legislation and bad policy decisions that will flow out of the House, Senate, and Executive Branch.

Fortunately, TVC head Lou Sheldon knows how to stop it - by using his personal charm and charisma to woo conservative Democrats:

It is my personal goal in 2009 to reach out to conservative Democrats to encourage them to support traditional values in legislation and policy decisions. Conservatives in both parties have common foes: secular liberalism and the rise of Islam in America. We must work together to minimize the destruction that liberalism will bring to our nation during the next four years under the rule of a radical leftist who masqueraded as an agent of change for America.

I am hopeful that God will answer our prayers and honor our efforts to hold back the night during the next four years of liberalism run amuck. We will be faithful to the calling that God has given us – and we ask you to join us this year in being part of a traditional values army that will work with us to preserve justice, to defend life, and to continue fighting against the spread of Islam and the dangerous homosexual agenda in America.

Sheldon will have his work cut out for him, especially since Jack Abramoff is no longer around to bankroll his efforts.

How Large is Vision America?

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 12:54 pm

Last year we noted that Vision America claimed to have sent out ten million emails in one day in support of Mike Huckabee during the GOP primary, which seemed hard to believe considering that a powerhouse organization like MoveOn only claims 3.2 million members.

But they are sticking with their story - according to a recent "Rick Scarborough Report," the organization claims to have more than 1 million subscribers:

As the end of the year approaches, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who receives this Report and prays for our efforts. Because we now have over 1,000,000 subscribers, I am certain some will forward this email to friends who do not typically read our reports so let me rehearse who I am and what I do, and most importantly, why.

How could that possibly be true?  Even by fringe right-wing group standards, Vision America is among the smallest and fringiest.  I follow VA as closely as I follow influential groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council and yet if you were to ask me what they actually do, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you. They rarely issue press releases or hold events and almost never generate any press coverage, even by their own admission.

Could this tiny organization, which always seems to be in desperate need of money, really have more than a million subscribers?  That just seems beyond belief - I just can't imagine that there are a million people in this country who would sign up to receive Scarborough's rambling emails, which are full of hyperbole and nonsense: 

I believe that America is facing the gravest challenge since the Second World War, and one that will forever change the course of this great nation if Christians do not experience a renewed commitment to freedom and understanding of the role of God in government.

...

I am not hopeless, but I do believe that Christians and other god-fearing Americans must be willing to confront what Barrack Hussein Obama has made clear will be the most radical pro-abortion and pro-homosexual big government administration ever. We still have friends in Congress, but we must mobilize millions of Americans to stand with them and let them know we are here to pray and to act!

...

And now we are hearing of plans to take the financial crisis this country is facing and using it as the gateway to nationalizing enormous chunks of the American economy, moving us down the road to European style socialism. One of the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence was the inalienable right to pursue happiness. With nationalized healthcare, no health care professional will ever be included in that right again, and you will see an erosion of the greatest healthcare system the world has ever known.

Who knows?  Maybe there really are a million people out there just waiting for Vision America to mobilize them to action.  I doubt it, but if that is the case, one has to wonder just why the organization has seemingly been unable to accomplish anything at all. 

Fact: Porter Gets Fringier By the Day

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 12:22 pm

In her latest WorldNetDaily column, Janet Porter continues her crusade to expose what she says is Barack Obama's ineligibility to be president he is "an impostor from another country" and that the media has "blocked any news of his birthplace and citizenship" and even censored "paid advertising that tried to expose it."

Today WND reports that Porter was indeed shut down by various networks when she tried to buy advertising for a 60-second expose ahead of Congress's certification of the Electoral College results:  

WND columnist Janet Porter told WND she found that out when her organization, Faith2Action.org, tried to purchase airtime to publicize information about the eligibility concerns.

She told WND that national networks that refused to sell her time for a 60-second commercial included CNBC, MSNBC, Headline News, CNN and Fox. Washington, D.C., outlets for the same organizations did the same.

While we may not be able to see her commercial on television, we can at least see it via YouTube:

Apparently, the veracity and importance of this ad depends primarily on what you consider the meaning of the word "fact" to be.

Protecting Themselves From Nonexistent Threats

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 1/8/2009 11:17 am

It's been more than a month since Marin Cogan explained in The New Republic that fears over the re-introduction of the Fairness Doctrine were nothing more than "Republican paranoia" because Democrats had no intention of actually trying to implement it. 

Just yesterday, Rep. Steny Hoyer told CNS News much the same thing:

The House Democratic leadership, which controls the legislative schedule, currently has no plans to bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act – which would permanently ban the Fairness Doctrine – up for a vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com at the Capitol on Wednesday ... “That has not been discussed, and I do not contemplate it, but I have not discussed it with the committees,” Hoyer told CNSNews.com on Tuesday when asked if the Democratic leadership would schedule a vote on the ban this year. “There is a lot of discussion from the other side on the Fairness Doctrine but less discussion on our side. That has not been a major item.”

But, as the old saying goes, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean you shouldn't introduce pre-emptive legislation to block this non-existent threat - and that is exactly what several Republicans did yesterday:

Republicans introduced a bill Wednesday that would bar Congress, President-elect Barack Obama and federal media regulators from bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, which they said would all but eliminate the talk-radio industry.

...

"Freedom of speech is under attack in this country," said Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican and co-sponsor of the Broadcaster Freedom Act. "I am just committing today to use every rule, every tactic that we have at our disposal to keep the Fairness Doctrine from moving in Congress or to overrule it if it is implemented by the FCC."

...

"Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine today would amount to government control over political views expressed on the airwaves," said Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana Republican and a former broadcaster.

Joining Mr. Pence and Mr. DeMint were Sen. James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon.

The Washington Times reports that "the group did not cite any immediate effort to revive the doctrine, but argued for the legislation as a preventive measure." So at least they are protected against this non-existent threat should it ever be re-introduced ... which it won't, as a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid explained:

"We have enough real problems facing this country that we don't need to invent ones that don't exist," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. "This is not even close to being on our radar screen."

Right Wing Leftovers

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 1/7/2009 6:52 pm

I'm thinking of starting a new semi-regular feature consisting of some of the things I see during the day that don't necessarily warrant a post of their own but are still worth noting. 

For instance, here is Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin offering up his take on the best and worst things of 2008 - among his "worst" is something that'll get no argument from us:

In addition to the mainstream media, and worthless talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity, I must include the majority of so-called leaders within the Religious Right as making my "worst" list for 2008. I include James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Tony Perkins on this list.

For all intents and purposes, the Religious Right has become nothing more than a gaggle of glorified hacks for the Republican Party. They have sacrificed virtually every principle worth defending. For the sake of sitting at the king's table, or not losing financial support from brain-dead contributors, these men have sold the cause of freedom and constitutional government down the river. Their mindless support for John McCain was inexcusable and embarrassing! In so doing, they have lost all credibility.

Elsewhere, Phyllis Schlafly laments that America is losing its "common national identity" and has a rather odd solution to remedy it:

We should celebrate and honor our nation's heroes, starting with George Washington. Federal law clearly specifies that the name of the "legal public holiday" on the third Monday in February is "Washington's Birthday."

Americans should refuse to buy the calendars that wrongly label this February holiday as "Presidents Day." This calendar mischief is very offensive because there are quite a few presidents who are not worthy of a special "day."

As for Mike Huckabee, he's still traveling the country and delivering speeches at his favorite venue - church:

An ordained Baptist minister, Mike Huckabee was right at home Tuesday night at the pulpit of Community Bible Church.

The former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate was the guest of honor at the church's annual Men's Wildlife Supper, an event that drew an all-male audience of more than 3,500 to the church on Parris Island Gateway.

After dining on a free buffet of alligator tail, wild boar and venison, the crowd packed the church's auditorium as Huckabee delivered an impassioned 45-minute speech with the feel of a Sunday sermon.

"There's a lot of anxiety in the world right now with the economy, and no one is really sure what's going to happen," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen in 2009, but no matter what happens with the economy, God is still God."

Finally, I don't really have anything to say about this graphic from a recent Family Research Council Washington Update other than to say that I think they might be getting a little paranoid:

Condemned to Hell Over a License Plate

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 1/7/2009 6:26 pm

Via AU's Wall of Separation, we learn that supporters of South Carolina's "I Believe" license plates gathered for a rally last night to voice their opposition to a federal court's injunction stopping production of the plates - and they were not hesitant to declare the decision just the lastest attack in the so-called "war on Christians" and make their outrage known, with one speaker, Rev. Arnold Hiette, going so far as to condemn the plate's opponents to hell:

State and local church leaders Tuesday were joined by South Carolina's attorney general and lieutenant governor for a standing-room-only rally at People's Baptist Church. More than 400 people gathered to protest the Dec. 11 injunction stopping the production and sale of "I Believe" license plates.

Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, who first introduced legislation allowing the plate, declared the need for a long-term grassroots campaign for its production, calling Christians the new "silent majority."

"There is free speech for every group in this state besides Christians," Bauer said. "Every citizen has the right to free speech in this country. I don't understand why witnessing in public is considered unconstitutional. You don't even have to be a Christian to believe everyone deserves the freedom of speech."

...

Church pastor Rev. Arnold Hiette warned it's only the start of what could be a prolonged battle ...Red-faced and angry, shaking his fist alongside his Bible, Hiette told the congregation that the four complainants - especially the Unitarian - and one judge who took away the people's right to witness via their vehicle tags "along with the ACLU, they're going to burn in hell."