Donate to or support
Talk to Action






Talk To Action Speakers Bureau


Religious Right Organizations

Site Sections

The War on Reproductive Rights

Attacking Public Education

Shadow War: the battle for mainstream faith
the covert campaign against liberal chuches and the social justice tradition

War on Judicial Independence

Recommended Books
[above: click on image for YouTube video trailer]"Renewal or Ruin": New Video Documentary By Steve D. Martin Spotlights Secretive Rightwing Effort To Destroy Mainstream Protestant Churches


Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson


Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort
by Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons
sample chapter

God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade For Values Voters
By Sarah Posner


Liars for Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History
By Chris Rodda


Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism
: by Michelle Goldberg


With God on Their Side: How Christian Fundamentalists Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush's White House.
by Esther Kaplan


Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement
Tanya Erzen


Special Features

Attack on The United Churches of Christ

Attack on The United Methodist Church

"The Christian Right, Dominionism, and Theocracy", by Chip Berlet

Parts OneTwoThreeFourFive

"Taking Over The Republican Party", a four part series by Joan Bokaer

The Woman in A Mink CoatWhile We Were sleepingAngels On a PinheadUnder Cover of Night

The Indian River Incident : What You Can Do

link > The "Stop the ACLU Coalition" Shaming Project
How you can help stop "Stop The ACLU" just by sending a few emails



'Left Behind' video game imageThe Shaming Project

does the violence of "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" bother you ? If so, what can you do ? Well, to begin with you can email Jonathan Hutson's stories to people you know. That will help to bring more public scrutiny of the game. Public shaming really works ! Just click on the "email" icon and link at the top or bottom of the story and you'll be taken to a form that will allow you email the first story, The Purpose Driven Life Takers or the latest installment without leaving this site. Thanks. 'Left Behind' video game image

Donate to or support
Talk to Action




A Sinister New Wind: Holston and the IRD
By Steven D. Martin Tue Jun 27, 2006 at 07:28:30 PM EST printable version print story
Review it on NewsTrust
Perhaps I'm too busy to look.  Maybe I'm in denial, like so many other people.  I have four kids and (until recently) two careers, so I have a better excuse than others.  But I try to pay attention, and what I've seen disturbs me.

Until very recently our little corner of the United Methodist Church has seemed to escape the kind of divisive politics other Christian denominations and organizations within the UMC have encountered.  I am largely unfamiliar with the aggressive tactics others have seen in the church over the past few years.  I had never heard of a church takeover until I presented my film, "Theologians Under Hitler," to the Georgia chapter of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship last November.  At the breakfast gathering a pastor from Dalton, Georgia was describing the process used by a group that, over a period of several years, effectively gained power in that church and replaced the moderate pastor with a fundamentalist.

I was astounded.

[ editor's note: Steven D. Martin, Methodist Minister and author of the video documentary Theologians Under Hitler ( see review by Ethics Daily), goes on to describe a recent attempt, at his local Methodist summer conference, to introduce a divisive resolution that was apparently lifted from the website of the Institute For Religion and Democracy, an organization whose efforts to disrupt mainstream American Protestant denominations have been the focus of extensive coverage on Talk To Action, in our site section entitled The Shadow War ]

topic: Battle For Mainstream Faith
I've never heard of something like this in Methodism.  Our method of deploying pastors seems to prevent such things from happening.  Hearing about this kind of hardball was an eye-opener.

My Annual Conference (the regional governing structure of United Methodism) is the Holston Conference, a region governed by one bishop and twelve district superintendents, covering eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia.  Our conference sessions are relatively free from deep conflict: yes, we have our differences, and we have our healthy debates.  But on even the most divisive issues we seem to be able to discuss them and then keep on working together on ministries that truly make a difference.

I mentioned that until recently I had two careers: first, I am a United Methodist pastor.  Second, I am a documentary filmmaker.  I have recently taken a break from the pastorate to pursue making films and using them to bring about much-needed dialogue.  Without question my first love is Christ and the Church.  My filmmaking has made me aware of issues and realities I don't think I would have known about otherwise: cloning and stem cell research (Human Cloning: Bane or Blessing? 2002), issues regarding the experience of American Muslims (Islam in America After September 11th), and other important topics.

"Theologians Under Hitler" opened my eyes to tactics employed in the 1930s to bring the church into an alliance with the Nazis in Germany.  It was not too difficult to see parallels between then and now.  But even so, in Holston Conference we live in a region not often affected by the tactics seen in other fellowships.  Political attacks used by, or against, church bodies and structures happens over there, not here.   Not until about two weeks ago.

Each year we debate various resolutions on the floor of Annual Conference.  These debates are always about the same things: homosexuality, ecumenism, the General Boards and Agencies, appeals for advocacy for various ethnic groups, and so on.  This year we saw a several resolutions that were sent by the same Sunday School class: a class in a large-membership church in Cleveland, Tennessee, home of the headquarters of the Church of God.  They were remarkably well written, not the usual stuff we see.  I didn't agree with them, but admired the work that went into them.  "This Sunday School class must rock!" I thought.  But then the debate on the floor of our Annual Conference revealed something I wasn't prepared for.  A little research on the internet confirmed it.

An astute Sunday school class did not write the well-crafted resolutions I had admired.  The Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote them.  If you'd like, you can download one of them here, and fill in the blanks for your own Annual Conference.  Perhaps the IRD will even supply you with the paper to print it on:

http://www.ird-renew.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fvKVLfMVIsG& amp;b=436199&ct=2025815

There it was: evidence that my beloved church is being tampered with by sinister forces that have no interest in our region, by an organization bent on involving my spiritual brothers and sisters in a fight for the future of a church that feeds, clothes, serves, and loves millions of people around the world.  

This is sickening.  And I want people to know about it.  If Holston's no longer safe, no place is.

Steven D. Martin
www.vitalvisuals.com

Digg
del.icio.us
Newsvine
Reddit
stumbleupon
Facebook


To discuss this story, sign up for a free account

Display:
A Sinister New Wind: Holston and the IRD | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)
Steve (none / 0)
Thanks for this. I have witnessed the same thing for some time in the United Church of Christ, where our renewal group actually hosts on their website a place for what they refer to as Godly Pastors can register, and where they will work to place them in churches asking for a Godly Pastor. They do a lot of recruiting on campuses of Evangelical seminaries - and in OUR polity, they can actually get those pastors into the churches in which they have been working aggressively with their trained minions.

Not for nothing, by the way, but I think a documentary about this whole phenomenon is well past due, and would love to speak with sometime about that.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 08:18:45 AM EST

Documentary (none / 0)
The thought has crossed my mind, and the idea has been discussed around.  There are several options for this: a simple DVD with experts talking about the phenomenon all the way up to a well-produced, "Frontline" type investigative piece.  

Very simply, churches & judicatories MUST be made aware of what's being done to them, how they're being cynically used.  Video can be a much more powerful tool for doing this than other methods.  I'm all ears if you (and others) have ideas about this.

+Steve

by Steven D. Martin on Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 10:33:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

make that documentary! (none / 0)
AFAIK I haven't seen any of your work, but I'm reminded of a documentary I saw - what, 10 years ago? - as part of the "POV" series on PBS. It dealt up-close-and-personal with the right-wing takeover of the main Southern Baptist Seminary and the expulsion of women faculty. Sickening doesn't begin to describe the kind of backstabbing and other underhanded [fill in the blank] that got pulled in the process.

Having lived near the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY from 1979 to 1985 and seen the list of thesis topics decline from such subjects as women's leadership in the early church and Liberation Theology into the depths of Dispensationalism and hackneyed defenses of Biblical inerrancy, I knew something disastrous had happened, but until I saw that POV feature, I had no idea how utterly nasty the process was.

Go for it. The more real exposure these dastardly [fill in the blank]s get, the better.

(Excuse me. I have to go to my room and scream dirty words into my pillow and gargle with battery acid until I get the horrible taste I got in my mouth just thinking about those [fill in the blank]s out of there. We now return you to your regularly scheduled civilized discourse already in progress. Ptooey!)


by anomalous4 on Mon Jul 10, 2006 at 12:22:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]




Thanks for the info! (none / 0)
several resolutions that were sent by the same Sunday School class: a class in a large-membership church in Cleveland, Tennessee, home of the headquarters of the Church of God.

Steve,

I am currently speculating that if one were to visit this Sunday School class, one would find one person dominating this class.  There we would find the "plant" behind all the troublemaking.  I'd love to  investigate that person further and see his associations and background!  Something tells
me this person has been well trained by a particular entity.  Make sense to y'all?

I've seen lots of Christian groups infiltrated and taken over by fringe nuts in the past years.  

Remember when the Promise Keepers looked like it might be a good thing?
How about when a National Day of Prayer looked like that might be a cohesive and productive project?
Or perhaps the "Walk for Jesus?"
The list goes on and on.

The only such group I can currently name that doesn't appear to have been hijacked is Walk to Emmaus, and I can assume it has not been for lack of trying but rather due to the rigid controls placed on the group by Upper Room.
Even with that, the talks at Emmaus events are at times heavily influenced by the fringe nuts who happily volunteer to present them!

The Cleveland area Lee College is well known for producing willing soldiers for people like Randall Terry.  I would be remiss if I didn't also point out that Eric Rudolph had connections with the  anti-abortionists in this area.

I recently had to "shoot down" a boyfriend of my niece who had gone to Cleveland for college but found that working with the fringe groups much more exciting.  Listening to him brag about going to DC and standing in front of the Supreme Court building with red duct tape over his mouth was a little more than I could tolerate.  So I asked him how many lives that effort actually saved.  (spit, sputter) And would he punish doctors and women who have abortions with death since he considered such to be murder?  (more spit and sputter) And what would Jesus do and say? (gotta go, spit, sputter)  But don't run off, we're just getting to the good stuff!

Remember, the recruitment is ongoing and very active.  We must be prepared to challenge these folks at every turn.  Join their groups and take it to them, don't sit back and let them attack and infiltrate the good works of others without push back! :-)

by nofundy on Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 10:45:33 AM EST

I have history in Cleveland (none / 0)
nofundy-

I would probably discredit many of your comments as alarmist except for personal experience that tells me otherwise.  I was once an associate pastor at a large church in Cleveland.  While there I was reluctant to attend an Emmaus Walk for some very simple reasons (I didn't want to have a spiritual experience that left my wife out- men and women have separate retreats).  This put a big wall between me and the very strong Emmaus community there.

The year was 1992, and the election of Clinton was looming.  To make matters worse, the church was divided because of a senior pastor's alledged misconduct.  He was followed by an appointed senior minister who brought his fourth wife with him, a detail that did not sit well with this conservative congregation.  One morning, during Sunday School, flyers suddenly appeared on all the car windows in our parking lot explaining how no Christian could vote for Bill Clinton.  We announced from the pulpit that the church had nothing to do with this and that we condemned such action.  Both the senior pastor and I received threatening phone calls after this.  We both suspected that members of the Emmaus community were behind these calls and had reason to think so.  

Cleveland is a hotbed of extreme right-wing activity, no doubt.  But the church that put forth the IRD resolutions was the most liberal, most mainline church in town.  Perhaps this is why they were the ones putting forth the resolutions- because they had more credibility coming from the high steeple church in town.  What I don't know is: did they put the resolutions forth on their own accord, or were they targeted by the IRD to do so?  Or does it matter?

Again, our conference has not been part of these aggressive tactics before.  I'm afraid this is a sign of things to come.

by Steven D. Martin on Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 11:23:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Alarmist? :-) (none / 0)
Yeah, I get that quite often, being thought of as alarmist I mean.

Real transparency and knowledge of the subject matter along with a propensity to avoid any sugar coating can bring on such labels.  Refer to my appelation for proof.  :-)

Only thing is, after much debate and hand wringing,  reality based folks eventually come to the same conclusions that I get heat for stating early on.  I don't mind taking the fire though.  After all someone has to be first to say the emperor has no clothes!

And what is it with "conservatives" and sexually related hangups?  Shall we sweep it under the rug? Heh.  Enjoying the conversation BTW.


by nofundy on Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 01:21:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]




IRD responds?!?! (none / 0)
So I hear the IRD has responded to your post?

Details, dude, give us details!

Surely a nice Fisking type response would be worth another front page post?
Remember these folks attack you in their most vulnerable place. (swiftboating it's now called)

Let's invite the IRD folks in the house!  What say you T2A folks?

Seems we have some dark-corner lurkers at T2A that need to get an account and put their ideas and work in the light of day!

by nofundy on Mon Jul 03, 2006 at 09:17:02 AM EST

Email exchange with the IRD (none / 0)
Yes, I made a new friend.  Jim Berkeley, director of Presbyterian Action, responded to my original post.

I was flattered!  I'd say he spent an hour or more composing his response.  I can't imagine why (except that we may have touched a nerve), but it was gratifying to know that during that hour or so he was not able to work his destructive magic on the Church of Jesus Christ.

His note to me was gentle, kind, and polite.  It reminded me of the smooth-tongued rhetoric of Osama Bin Laden.

Thanks for asking-

by Steven D. Martin on Tue Jul 04, 2006 at 07:37:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]



Thank you (none / 0)
for sharing this very interesting information. I've heard about that sort of things but it was interesting to get it confirmed. Frightening that it happens!
James, programmer currently working on the How To Get Firm Strong Erection project.
by James H on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 03:33:47 AM EST

A Sinister New Wind: Holston and the IRD | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

WWW Talk To Action


The Fog is Lifting over Common Ground on Abortion
President Obama has made much about finding common ground on abortion, and Democratic oriented think tanks like Third Way and Faith in Public Life......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Short Takes
Examiner.com:  A few years ago, Talk to Action exposed the convert or die ideology of the video game based on Tim LaHaye's Left Behind......
By Frederick Clarkson (6 comments)
Sally Kern, Unpatriot: Why Does Oklahoma's Looney Lawmaker Hate America?
Everyone's favorite raging theocrat, Oklahoma House member Sally Kern, is at it again. Numerous reports indicate that Kern and her supporters plan to publicly......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Camp David Chaplain: "First we get the military, then we get the nation"
For a few hours today it seemed, according to a new Time Magazine story by Amy Sullivan, released Monday morning, that US President Barack......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Obama's [Reported] New Pastor: "First we get the military, then we get the nation"
UPDATE: The White House has denied the report that Obama has chosen the chapel at Camp David as his church. This, however, does not......
By Chris Rodda (2 comments)
CBS's Go To (Rightwing) Catholic Guy
The go to guy at CBS News for all-things Catholic is one Father Thomas D. Williams.  Never heard of him?  Well, if you watch......
By Frank Cocozzelli (2 comments)
MRFF Demands DoD Revoke Authority of Chaplain Endorser Who Suggested Democrats Should Be Executed
As I wrote back in May, the antics of disgraced former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, and his retaliation against the Military Religious Freedom Foundation......
By Chris Rodda (4 comments)
Al Jazeera Special Report Covers Advance of Fundamentalism in US Military
A June 23, 2009 report from Al Jazeera (English) by Josh Rushing, "Fault Lines - Religion in the Military", expertly covers a topic the......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Ann Coulter Justifies The Tiller Assasination
Ann Coulter is skilled at saying what she really believes while building in a certain plausible deniability, and that is what she has repeatedly......
By Frederick Clarkson (5 comments)
More on the Pre-Netroots Nation Pie Fight
The other day, I reported about the pies launched in response to the description of one of the first sessions to be announced for......
By Frederick Clarkson (3 comments)
Ralph's Resurrection?: Former Christian Coalition Honcho Reed Seeks To Rise From The Crypt
Last month I wrote a story for Church & State speculating about possible new leaders for the Religious Right. I focused on Mike Huckabee,......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Liberty Learns A Lesson: Falwell School Accepts AU Advice On Political Clubs
Americans United for Separation of Church and State reacted quickly when word spread recently that officials at Liberty University had revoked university recognition of......
By Rob Boston (0 comments)
Defense Department-Certified Agency Newsletter Suggests Killing Democrats
"In 2008, Ammerman implied that four presidential candidates should be "arrested, quickly tried and hanged" for not voting to designate English America's official language,......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Col. Jim Ammerman, Apostle & New World Order Conspiracy Theorist
Part Two - Conspiracy as Prophecy New World Order Conspiracy is not disseminated by white supremacist groups alone. New World Order conspiracy is a......
By Ruth (2 comments)
Common Ground Sink Hole at RH Reality Check
There is an odd new section to the prochoice site, RH Reality Check devoted to discussion of common ground on abortion, and featuring some......
By Frederick Clarkson (3 comments)

Radio host: We're only united through Christianity
Most of you in Indiana may know about Peter Heck, who hosts a daily radio show in Kokomo and puts out a column that appears in several newspapers across the state and in OneNewsNow.......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Cindy Jacobs--the new leader of the NAR
You may remember that Lou Engle has made moves of late to position himself as the new power in the religious right.  He's a member of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, a group......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
James F. Linzey Espouses anti-Semitic, White Racialist Conspiracy Theory
James F. Linzey is a prominent, active duty chaplain in the United States military. Linzey has stated that he was the command chaplain for the Operation Iraqi Freedom troop mobilization prior to the US......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
White Supremacist named as Holocaust Museum Shooter
An 89 year old, vehemently antiSemitic  Ron Paul supporter has been named by police as the gunman who opened fire in the Holocaust Museum shortly after noon today: Gunman, guard shot at Holocaust museum......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
From Focus On The Family to La Familia Michoacana
I didn't think my work on the religous right would converge with what I'm doing on the narcoguerra in Mexico...but here it is: the Faith-Based Cartel. ......
By julydogs (1 comment)
A Pagan Among the Mainstream Churches in Boise
The participation by an "out" Pagan in the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force proves that some religions will accept and welcome help from all quarters, in recognition that we are all human.  The glaring......
By Chiawana (0 comments)
Clarkson on CounterSpin
Hear me discuss the Tiller assasination this week on the nationally syndicated radio program CounterSpin, the progressive media criticism show produced by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).  You can also listen via Mp3......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Liberty Counsel tries to SLAPP Americans United
In what can charitably be described as an act of desperation, Liberty Counsel is asking the IRS to investigate Americans United's tax-exempt status.  This comes only days after AU asked the IRS to investigate......
By Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Strange how things bring the nutcases out
I read today that Westboro Baptist staged a protest at a vigil held for Dr. Tiller in Wichita.   I'm not surprised, but what did surprise me was that they had 20 people there......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Southern Baptists may be abandoning public schools
Via OneNewsNow, I discovered a story by former Southern Baptist Convention president Morris Chapman that appears to call for SBC churches to begin setting up Christian schools. I now wonder if our focus in......
By Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Footnote about Ammerman / Palin / Wagner Linkage
Colonel "Jim" Ammerman was listed as being an apostle in C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles [see ICA prospectus] from the organization's inception in 2001 through to December 2008. The ICA is one......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
The Singapore Struggle, after AWARE
An introductory post on steeplejacking in Singapore after the attempted takeover of a woman's NGO and a summary of recent updates. ......
By Sniper (2 comments)
What Does Bobby Jindal Really Want to Do To Louisiana Higher Education?
In recent weeks, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has stood back and watched while both the Louisiana House and Senate wrestled with his original budget proposal to cut $219 million from Louisiana public higher education.......
By ulyankee (3 comments)
Yank Dominionists are considering taking over....New Zealand?????
No, it's not a plot for a bad sci-fi movie, it's.... "The Three Greatest Issues Facing the Men of New Zealand" ....and the first wave of the "invasion" has already hit the island, just......
By CynthiaGee (1 comment)
The AWARE steeplejackers and their deep connections to Joel's Army and American dominionists
Thanks to a few Singaporean friends (who shall remain anonymous), I had become aware of a disturbing development--an attempted hijack of a major women's NGO. Through those same folks and Fred Clarkson's post on......
By dogemperor (0 comments)
Common Enemies: LGBT, Abortion Share Foes
by Pam Chamberlain [On The Issues Magazine] When I was in college, a group of radical women dressed as witches ran around major U.S. cities doing zap actions, placing hexes on male-dominated institutions like......
By On The Issues Magazine (0 comments)
Florida Theocrats at it again.
There are two news articles in today's Ledger that are of concern. http://www.theledger.com/article/20090424/NEWS/904259979/1003/NEW S00?Title=Jesus-License-Plate-Could-Come The new license plates come up for a vote this year. http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235098/1005/NEW S02?Title=Bill-Would-Strengthen-Voucher-Program This bill, also possibly up for a......
By ArchaeoBob (4 comments)
Is Humanism Arrogant?
Much to the dismay of theocratic Christians, humanists claim that ethics can be understood without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts.  Christian theocrats say this is hubris. ......
By TMurray (8 comments)
Terry Schaivo back in the news
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090330/NEWS/903305040/1003/NEW S00?Title=Schiavo-Anniversary-Mass-Planned Another move by the religious right- rather than letting Terry go (after an autopsy PROVED that she had severe and irreversible brain damage), they're dragging her up again. ......
By ArchaeoBob (5 comments)
no ark no temple
how can you build a new temple in jerusalem if there is no ark of the covanent to put in it? book of jerimiah states that the ark will not be reconstructed. what does......
By keyknow (5 comments)
WND.com Cashes In on "Birther" Conspiracy Theories
WorldNetDaily has been spinning ridiculous yarns about Barack Obama since last year's presidential campaign, particularly about the idea that he's a foreign-born usurper to the Oval Office. Now you can own a peice of......
By Scoutstr295 (0 comments)
Did you know NC's constitution bars atheists from holding office?
When I found out that an Arkansas state rep is trying to repeal a provision in his state constitution that bars atheists from holding office, I remembered that, sadly, North Carolina's constitution has a......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
AP helping religious right again--this time in Arkansas
I'm starting to wonder if the American Family Association has a moleat the Associated Press. That's the only plausible explanation for an AP story about a possible referendum about removing constitutional restrictions on atheists......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Creationists' new angle--it's in the name of academic freedom
(cross-posted at dKos) Looks like the creationist crowd is trying a new tack to try and get a toe in the evolution debate. Apparently shutting out discussion of creation amounts to a denial of......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Religious right threatens lawsuit over provision of stimulus bill
cross-posted at dKos The American Center for Law and Justice is threatening a lawsuit over the stimulus package. At issue? A provision that it claims may force colleges receiving funds to renovate their facilities......
By Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
Fundies raising stink about prospective gay appointment
cross-posted at dKosI had a funny feeling the religious right would find something about Obama to get worked up about, and wouldn't you know, it looks like they have.  Apparently the prospect of Obama--horrors!--appointing......
By Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
The Churches may need Redefining
       John Aravosis www.americablog.com/ has reported that Archbishop Rino Fisichella is commenting on the arrogance of newly elected President Obama as someone who is opening the door to abortion and thus the......
By tangodaddy (1 comment)
Blackwater: Guns for Hire or Trojan Horsemen?
The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that  Blackwater security may be forced out of Iraq: "Blackwater Worldwide,the security firm that allegedly used excessive force to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq, will soon be......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
If Abortion is Murder what do you do with the Killers?
This is a video I found today of a guy who interviewed pro-life activists at an anti-abortion rally. The interviewer asked the question, "What do you do with all of the women who commit......
By inlikeflint (0 comments)
Boston Globe Notes Warren's Hitler Cites, Misses "Africa Problem"
As a new Boston Globe article, "Effort to surmount polarizing debates backfires on pastor", by Michael Paulson, noticed, "The Huffington Post, noting that Warren has cited the success Hitler, Lenin and Mao had at......
By Bruce Wilson (4 comments)

More Diaries...


Donate to or support
Talk to Action
Left Behind: Eternal Forces: Installments of Jonathan Hutson's Talk To Action expose series on the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game have been viewed by up to 1/2 million people. See our site section featuring Over 35 original articles covering the controversial "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game that has provoked a boycott by a coalition of religious groups and a letter writing campaign urging Walmart to stop selling the game. Media inquiries click here
(image: detail from Francoise Dubois' rendition of the Bartholomew's Day Massacre reveals the actual nature of religious warfare)







Blogs

Bartholomew's Notes On ReligionChip BerletMax BlumenthalThe Panda's ThumbFrederick Clarkson Chuck Currie DefCon father Jake Stops The World John Gorenfeld Religion Clause Chris Mooney Religious Right Watch The Revealer Jesus Politics Majority Report Radio Blog Mainstream Baptist Orcinus Dispatches from the Culture Wars Ex-Gay Watch The Wall of Separation Blog From The Capital:a blog on religious liberty issues and the separation of church and state

CrossLeft: Organizing The Christian Left Dark Christianity The Daily Kos Booman TribuneePluribus Media My Left Wing Political Cortex Street Prophets

Organizations

American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of ExpressionACLUAnti-Defamation LeagueAmerican Library AssociationChristian Alliance for ProgressCitizens ProjectDefCon: Campaign to Defend The ConstitutionFaithful America People For the American wayInstitute For Democracy StudiesInterfaith AllianceJews On First: Defending the First AmendmentAmerican Fundamentalists Americans United for Separation of Church and StateBaptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty The Clergy and laity Network Political Research Associates Theocracy Watch Media Matters for AmericaMilitary Religious Freedom FoundationMontana Human Rights NetworkNational Center For Science EducationReligious Coalition for Reproductive ChoiceThe RevealerSouthern Poverty Law CenterTexas Freedom NetworkCrossLeft: Organizing the Christian LeftTheocracy WatchTruth Wins Out"