Evangelicals in heated battle over agenda

[ck4829]

A struggle for control of the evangelical agenda intensified this week, with some leaders declaring that the focus has strayed too far from their signature battles against abortion and gay rights.

Those issues defined the evangelical movement for more than two decades — and cemented ties with the Republican Party. But in a caustic letter, leaders of the religious right warned that these "great moral issues of our time" were being displaced by a "divisive and dangerous" alignment with the left on global warming.

A new generation of pastors has expanded the definition of moral issues to include not only global warming, but an array of causes. Quoting Scripture and invoking Jesus, they're calling for caps on carbon emissions, citizenship for illegal immigrants and universal health care.

The most well-known champion of such causes, the Rev. Jim Wallis, this week challenged conservative crusader James C. Dobson, the chairman of Focus on the Family, to a debate on evangelical priorities.

A Focus on the Family vice president, Tom Minnery, said he would be happy to take up that debate. Dobson himself, Minnery said, is busy writing a book on child rearing.

http://www.fairviewobserver.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS06/703120388/1321/MTCN06

[sutz12]

1. Maybe if their agenda had any relevance, they wouldn't be losing. nt

[rurallib]

2. Is that book of Dobson's on child rearing or child wrecking?

[BOSSHOG]

3. dobson too busy writing a book to debate wallis ??

Thats rich. Like limbaugh being too busy to stay at ESPN.

[TN al]

4. Dobson, Wildmon, et al.

have just lost their focus is all. They are defining who is and isn't a christian based on their conservative values. They think you have to be a conservative first and a christian second. Pretty sad really.