May 2010

Right Wing Leftovers

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 5:25 pm

Random Book Blogging: Dominionism and "The Family"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 5:14 pm

Today's installment of Random Book Blogging comes from "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" by Jeff Sharlet.

I've just started reading it and I know that I'll use it again for future Random Book Blogging posts, but for now I just wanted to highlight this one passage, as it pertains to what we have been writing about here lately:

The more I learned about the Family, the more difficulty I had in clarifying their theology ... But at Ivanwald, or in a prayer cell at the Cedars, or in a conversation with world leaders, the Family's beliefs appear closer to the more marginal set of theologies sometimes gathered under the umbrella term of dominionism, characterized for me by William Martin, a religious historian at Rice University and Billy Graham's official biographer, as the "intellectual heart of the Christian Right." Dominionist theologies hold the Bible to be the guide to every decision, high and low, from whom God wants you to marry to whether God thinks you should buy a new lawn mower. Unlike neo-evangelicals, who concern themselves chiefly with getting good with Jesus, dominionists want to reconstruct early Christian society, which they believe was ruled by God alone. They view themselves as the new chosen and claim a Christian doctrine of conventionalism, meaning covenants not only between God and humanity but at every level of society, replacing the rule of law and its secular contract. Since those covenants are signed, as it were, in the Blood of the Lamb, they are written in ink invisible to nonbelievers.

Staver, Engle, Land, and Others Seek a "Just Assimilation Immigration Policy"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 4:52 pm

Tomorrow, the National Evangelical Association will seek to rally support for comprehensive immigration reform by placing a full-page ad Roll Call that calls for reform that "establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents." Among those reportedly slated to sign on to this effort are Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.

But before the ad has run, Liberty Counsel issued its own lengthy statement calling on "Evangelical Leaders [to] Unite on Just Assimilation Immigration Policy" that is calls on anti-immigration activists to stop labeling any effort to grant a pathway to citizenship immigrants already in the country as "amnesty" and "to stop politicizing this debate needlessly and to honestly acknowledge the difference" - it is signed by the likes of Staver, Land, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Ken Blackwell, and Lou Engle:

Our national security and domestic tranquility depends on secure borders. We must first secure our borders before we can implement a broader just assimilation immigration policy. Secure borders are not closed borders. Violent criminals and drug traffickers take advantage of open borders. Such criminals are a threat to everyone in every community, including Latinos who are disproportionately victimized by them.

After securing our borders, we should allow the millions of undocumented and otherwise law-abiding persons living in our midst to come out of the shadows. The pathway for earned legal citizenship or temporary residency should involve a program of legalization for undocumented persons in the United States, subject to appropriate penalties, waiting periods, background checks, evidence of moral character, a commitment to full participation in American society through an understanding of the English language, the rights and duties of citizens and the structure of America’s government, and the embrace of American values.

We must return to a rational immigration policy that acknowledges that we are both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. It is our obligation to provide a just solution to those people who are currently undocumented under the present policy. That solution is neither amnesty nor mass deportation. A just, rational policy would put otherwise law-abiding undocumented persons on one of three paths: one path leads to pursuing earned legal citizenship or legal residency, one leads to acquiring legal guest-worker status, and one leads back across the border including a swift process for the deportation of undocumented felons.

America has an obligation to preserve within her borders the culture that has made her successful. Assimilation is both key to protecting that culture and to the immigrant’s chances of success. History has proven that Latinos are quite capable of rapid assimilation. As a group, they have strong moral convictions, a strong sense of family, and a strong work ethic.

A just assimilation immigration policy respects the traditions held by people of many backgrounds that make up America while recognizing the importance of a shared language, history and cultural values. Those who choose legal citizenship should have the opportunity to fully participate in the American dream by removing any barrier to achieving those dreams. America is not a nation divided. There should be no Black America, White America, Latino America, or Asian America. There is one America made up of many races and ethnicities with a common history, culture, and values. Although Americans may speak many different languages, they share English as their common language. The immigration process should provide a just assimilation by teaching English, the history and founding documents of America, and the common values of liberty and justice which are embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Naturalized citizens renounce all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and declare allegiance to the United States. They pledge to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and they pledge to support the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

Let us be clear – an earned pathway to citizenship is not amnesty. We reject amnesty. And we ask those who label an earned pathway to citizenship as amnesty to stop politicizing this debate needlessly and to honestly acknowledge the difference.

Oklahoma Town Prays Away The Bad Weather

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 4:18 pm

Via Americans United we get this great story from the Tulsa World about a prayer group organized in Miami, Oklahoma for the sole purpose of mobilizing at the threat of bad weather and praying it away:

On Monday, when it appeared that Mother Nature would unleash nasty weather, city officials in Miami turned to a heavenly ally.

They called on the city's Emergency 911 prayer group for divine intervention.

That group was activated at 8:35 a.m., when city officials learned that the town faced a good chance of being hit by a severe thunderstorm -- and possibly worse -- Monday night.

''We don't pray for it to hit anybody else," said Glenna Longan, Miami's emergency management coordinator. "We just want it to dissipate so nobody is hurt."

Longan came up with the idea after Miami was repeatedly battered by severe weather in recent years. There have been near-record floods, and crippling ice, snow and wind storms.

It was enough to make even the most hardhearted get religion.

The idea was embraced by Huey Long, who became Miami's city manager two years ago. His view was that it couldn't hurt and might actually help, though some have questioned whether the city might be challenged on the issue of church-state separation.

Longan said: "You need to always be prepared in both the secular and spiritual sense. You don't know what will happen. The people in this group think God's got to do something because he's on the line now."

Longan said nine churches in Miami and one in Afton are participating in the prayer group. Several denominations are represented.

She said the prayer group's efforts appear to be working in that Miami has not been hit by a severe storm since the group's inception.

Klingenscmitt: Americans Have a Right to Know if Kagan is a "Moral Reprobate"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 3:30 pm

Yesterday we noted that, like several other right-wing activists, Gordon "Chaps" Klingenschmitt was demanding to know if Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is gay.

Last night Alan Colmes had Klingenschmitt on his program to discuss the issue and his petition effort to oppose Kagan and it did not go particularly well for Klingenschmitt.

To begin with, he seemed unfamiliar with the facts surrounding Kagan's decision to bar military recruiters from using the school’s Office of Career Services when she was dean of Harvard Law School and then insisted that Kagan was "openly gay" but that the White House and the press was trying to cover it up. Sensibly, Colmes asked how Klingenschmitt could claim that Kagan was "openly gay" when Kagan has never said she was gay, and Klingenschmitt insisted that CBS had reported it and that students at Harvard has also reported it.  Of course, that is hearsay ... which is pretty much the exact opposite of being "openly gay."

When Colmes asked why it would even matter if Kagan was gay, Klingenschmitt said it was important because the public has a right to know if she is a "moral reprobate":

King: If Gays Don't Want To Be Discriminated Against, They Should Stay In the Closet

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 2:17 pm

Last week I noted that Rep. Steve King was going to be on the Family Research Council's "Washington Watch Weekly" radio program over the weekend to discuss ENDA ... but then I totally forgot about it.

But fortunately Jason Hancock of the Iowa Independent remembered and caught King telling FRC's Tony Perkins that if gays don't want to be discriminated against because of their orientation, they should just keep quiet about it:

If homosexuals want to avoid discrimination they should be more discrete about being homosexual, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, said Tuesday on the radio program of Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

King and Perkins were discussing the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Perkins expressed fear that “someone could come in dressed one day as a woman or a man, the next day they come in dressed as the opposite sex” and an employer would be “helpless to do anything about it.”

King agreed, saying the legislation opens the door to Christian businesses getting entrapped by the “homosexual activist lobby.”

“I can imagine someone coming in and interviewing one day in man’s clothes and come back the next day and apply for a job in woman’s clothes, and then setting up a lawsuit in a sting operation to harass our religious organizations,” he said.

King then told a story about his days in the Iowa Senate, when gay activists came to lobby a fellow Republican lawmaker, state Sen. Jerry Behn of Boone, for protected status for sexual orientation and gender identity.

He said, “Let me ask you a question. Am I heterosexual or homosexual?” And they looked him up and down — and actually they should have known — but they said “We don’t know.” And he said “Exactly my point. If you don’t project it, if you don’t advertise it, how would anyone know to discriminate against you?” And that’s at the basis of this.

Good As You has much more on this.

Liberty U. Announces Investigation of Caner Claims

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 1:32 pm

We recently noted the energetic conversation on Muslim and Christian blogs about documented discrepancies in the dramatic “Jihad to Jesus” life story told by Dr. Ergun Caner, head of Liberty University’s seminary. 

Just last week, Liberty broke its months-long silence with a dismissive waving away of the controversy. Christianity Today magazine reported that Elmer Towns, dean of the school of religion, “says the Liberty board has held an inquiry and directors are satisfied that Caner has done nothing theologically inappropriate.” Furthermore, Towns said, the questions raised about Caner were neither moral nor ethical issues, a claim that had the opposite of its intended effect among Baptist bloggers who had been calling for Caner and Liberty to come clean. How can publicly and repeatedly lying not be a moral or ethical issue, they asked? Towns’ response also generated a damaging story by the Associated Baptist Press. Early this week, I wrote a piece for Alternet noting that Liberty University had dug in its heels and asking why Caner wouldn’t take advantage of the path from public repentance to redemption that has been well-worn by misbehaving evangelical leaders
 
Yesterday, Liberty changed its tune and announced that Ron Godwin, the university’s provost, “is forming a committee to investigate a series of accusations against Ergun Caner, president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.” The brief official statement included a quote from Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. dissing the very bloggers who have documented the holes in Caner’s story. “Liberty does not initiate personnel evaluations based upon accusations from Internet blogs,” Falwell said. “However, In light of the fact that several newspapers have raised questions, we felt it necessary to initiate a formal inquiry.”
 
But didn’t Towns say that the university’s board had already looked into it? Well, it turns out that the board “inquiry” that Towns described to Christianity Today was just a “passing discussion” at a March meeting of the board’s seminary subcommittee. It “wasn’t an inquiry or anything like that,” says Liberty spokesman Johnnie Moore.
 
 Liberty says it will complete its investigation by June 30. Stay tuned.

Two Weeks After SCOTUS Ruling, Mojave Cross Torn Down By Vandals

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 11:55 am

A few weeks ago, a divided Supreme Court ruled that it was acceptable to display a cross on public land to honor fallen soldiers in a case involving a monument on display in the federal Mojave National Preserve.

Sometime over the weekend, the cross was reportedly torn down: 

The 76-year-old Mojave Cross war memorial in San Bernardino County's High Desert has been torn down by vandals, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the religious symbol could remain -- at least temporarily -- on public land.

Sometime Sunday night, the cross was taken down from its perch atop Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve, according to Liberty Institute, a group that represented veterans groups and caretakers of the cross in the recent Supreme Court Case.

"This is an outrage, akin to desecrating people's graves," said institute president Kelly Shackelford. "It's a disgraceful attack on the selfless sacrifice of our veterans. We will not rest until this memorial is re-installed."

...

Liberty Institute is offering an undisclosed reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the removal of VFW property.

Schlafly: Obama Must Apologize to America For His "Poor Moral Tone"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 11:36 am

The Eagle Forum's Phyllis Schlafly sat down for an interview with Newsmax TV during which she stated that President Obama owes the nation an apology for "the poor moral tone" he has set and for not recognizing America's greatness or Christian foundation: 

Conservative activist and commentator Phyllis Schlafly says President Obama owes the American people an apology for lowering the nation's moral tenor and marginalizing Christianity.

In an exclusive interview, Schlafly told Newsmax that the president is wrong to say America isn't a Christian nation. And she strongly objected to the "political correctness that has infected the Pentagon, the Army, that was manifested in the Fort Hood massacre, and now with this dis-inviting of Franklin Graham."

...

Newsmax.TV asked Schlafly: "Considering the president of the United States is traditionally expected to be a role model, do you think President Obama owes America an apology for the poor moral tone set by his presidency?"

"Yes I do," Schlafly replied. "And he should stop going around the world apologizing to other countries for America. Most other countries are better off because the United States has protected them against aggression. The great inventions of the United States have made their lives pleasanter and easier. And America is a very exceptional country.

"It's unfortunate that Obama does not believe in American exceptionalism, or the Christianity in America. Yes, he does owe us an apology," Schlafly said.

Among some of the other highlights: Schlafly also attacked the Bush family, saying conservatives were sick of them; claimed that Christians were being treated like smokers; and asserted that feminists hate Rep. Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin because they have husbands, families, and success careers: 

She reacted strongly to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's statement that the GOP must shed its image as "the old white guy party" and move beyond nostalgia over the presidency of Ronald Reagan. "We're tired of the Bush family," Schlafly said bluntly. "They're ancient history now. We're proud to be the party of no. We say no to Obama's globalist ideas. We say no to his bad judicial appointments. We say no to his incredible spending, his spreading the wealth, and trying to turn America into something we're not. We're proud to be the party of no."

...

Anti-Christian activists are trying to marginalize any public expression of Christian faith. "What the atheists are doing is treating Christians like smokers," Schlafly said. "In other words you can do it in your own room, in your own house, but not in public. And that's not the American way. Americans have always had public demonstrations of our belief in God. The pledge of allegiance is another thing that's under attack."

...

"They are successful women," Schlafly told Newsmax. "And you need to understand that the main goal of the feminists is to make women feel they are victims of an oppressive, patriarchal society. And both Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin are successful women. They've both got a neat husband, a lot of children, they have been successful in politics -- and that is what the feminists absolutely cannot stand."

Porter Fights Back, Disputes Allegations of Dominionism

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 5/11/2010 10:38 am

It has been a rough couple of weeks for Janet Porter, ever since her May Day prayer rally at the Lincoln Memorial brought in just a few hundred people, rather that the several thousand they were expecting, leaving her to cover the tens of thousands of dollars in organizing costs.

And then things got worse when VCY America announced that it was dropping its airing and support for Porter's radio program, due to her increasing embrace of dominion theology, cutting off a large part of her audience and funding. 

Since then, Porter's radio program appears to have been placed on hold, as she's just been running repeats of earlier programs for the last week or so.  But today she used her weekly column in WorldNetDaily to respond to her critics - interestingly, not critics such as us, but rather those who should be her allies who have not supported her efforts or her theology:  

Then there's the accusation that some who were there believe in "dominion theology," which, I'm told, wants a theocracy to rule the world. Not what I believe; not even close. We who attended May Day just want to obey God in every area of influence and use our freedom to spread the Gospel. If you do an Internet search on D. James Kennedy, Jerry Falwell, or Charles Stanley with Dominionism, you'll see the same type of accusations were repeatedly made against them, too.

If people have a problem with being salt and light in a dark and decaying culture, they have a problem with Jesus who said if you love Him, you'll keep His commandments.

We were even getting calls asking if I "denied the Trinity." Are you kidding me? I would die before denying the Trinity.

If you've read the paper or have had a glance at the legislation that has just become law, you know that our nation is in peril. And when we find ourselves in peril, God has told us what to do (2 Chronicles 7:14): humble ourselves, pray, seek God's face and turn from our wicked ways. It's what Nineveh did when they had just over a month before they would be destroyed. They humbled themselves and fasted. They repented and prayed. They didn't say, "You can't repent with us because we don't agree on everything." No, they all just repented. God was pleased, and they were spared from the judgment they deserved. That's a pretty good precedent.

The bottom line is our nation is on fire and our freedoms are burning right along with it. And yet, instead of putting out the fire, many want to turn the water hoses on each other. And then they'll all wonder what happened when the freedom to spread the Gospel is nothing but a charred memory.

I'm not going to prevent the firemen from putting out the fire because they don't have the "right uniform." My primary concern is whether or not they have a hose. That is not to say we are compromising on the basics of the Bible: That hose needs to be filled with water, not with gasoline. But, if we want anything left of our freedoms and our nation, we had better start working together.

Porter's claim that her May Day event was not a dominionist event is a little hard to understand, considering that it was based explicitly upon 7 Mountains theology, which is unabashedly dominionist and aims to create a "virtual theocracy" here on earth:

All governments suffer from corruption, a built-in sabotage that guarantees their eventual implosion. The only government that will never have any corruption is the theocratic Kingdom of God. Here on earth, there will always be something less than a perfect government. ... A government can potentially function as a virtual theocracy, but only as the individuals in power allow themselves to be puppets (i.e. servants) of the theocracy (God’s rule and reign). The goal is to bring the influence of heaven to bear on whatever political machinery that exists ... One of the primary roles of future government leaders will be to instruct in righteousness. The more God’s judgments are poured out on earth, the more explicitly will they be able to give that instruction.

If Porter doesn't want to be portrayed as a dominionist, maybe she should stop organizing events based entirely upon dominion theology and stop issuing dominionist prayers seeking control over the media and declaring that her goal is "to take dominion in every area" and "occupy until Jesus comes."

And she should probably stop writing WND columns entitled "Stop whining and take dominion!" and declaring: 

I think it would look something like Genesis 1:26: "Let them have dominion over … all the earth. …"

First, we must regain control of the public debate and the battlefronts, including:

the schools
the universities
the legislatures
the courts
the White House
the media
the music
science
business
technology
and Hollywood