Will the Real Numbers for Organizations Led by Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Please Stand-Up?
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Fri Jun 08, 2012 at 04:20:12 PM EST
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez has had a remarkable career. The talented, charismatic preacher has been much sought after by both Democratic Party and Republican leaders. He is on the boards of leading evangelical institutions, including the National Association of Evangelicals, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Christianity Today magazine. He has been the subject of uncritical profiles in major media and he is sometimes invited to the White House.  

His involvement in the New Apostolic Reformation and related controversies has been much discussed here at Talk to Action.  

But this post is about something else.

Depending on which of his recent bios one reads, Rodriguez claims to serve and represent some some 15 or 16 million people and advocate for forty million Hispanic Christians via the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference the impressive-sounding organization of which he is the founder and president.  He is also the co-pastor (with his wife, Eva) of New Season Christian Worship Center, a small church in Elk Grove, near Sacramento, California.

But his prominent public profile not withstanding, hard evidence of a vast followership is hard to find.  So let's consider one visible measure of his followership -- his footprint on Twitter and Facebook.

As of this writing, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference has only 1030 Likes on Facebook and 3,204 followers on Twitter.   This Twitter feed serves both NHCLC and Rodriguez himself.  NHCLC maintains an additional and currently active Twitter feed under its other name Hispanic Evangelical Association, with 303 followers.

New Season Christian Worship Center has 42 followers on Twitter, and 1,816 Likes on Facebook. The number of "Likes" might seem pretty good for a small church until we consider that Rodriguez also claims on the church web site to be "providing oversight and leadership to over 34,200 churches in all 50 states and Puerto Rico."

(Curiously, Rodriguez claims that the NHCLC represents the identical number of churches in this recent press release.)

It is possible, of course, that the followership of Rev. Rodriguez does not happen to be active on social media.  Participation on social media does vary greatly among constituents of organizations large and small, religious and otherwise.  Nevertheless, the discrepancy between the number of people and churches Rodriguez claims to represent, and the number of people who follow NHCLC and New Season Christian Worship Center is so great, I don't think this can be easily explained.  

There is also no explanation I can find of where the numbers of Rodriquez followership comes from, let alone how rigorously the numbers are derived.

Whatever we may say about the leadership and followership of Rev. Rodriguez, he directly states on his Linked-In profile what he clearly would like everyone to believe:  "By God's Grace, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez stands today as America's voice for Hispanic Christianity."




Display:
Reminds me of The Catholic League, which sends out endless press releases, all of them written by and quoting the organization's ONLY APPARENT MEMBER -- and also its "President" -- Bill Donohue.

by Jafsie on Sat Jun 09, 2012 at 06:48:59 PM EST

Well. Anyone can claim anything. However, your review of his following surely indicates that he is not the foundational character he claims. The Dems need to get over courting such people anyway. It's like all unrequited love - the pain outweighs the benefits. Rodriguez and his ilk get off on being courted, and the very fact otherwise intelligent people would accept his self-reported "ministry" figures and following is really pathetic. They will NEVER give the Dems the love, and jerking the party minions around just makes them giggle while giving them MORE power to spread their pernicious word. Hey Dems - you don't pay ANY attention to the mainline and progressive people who ARE your natural constituents. Start talking with Protestants, Jews, Muslims and most Catholics as well as any others who believe in justice, see a role for government in upholding that justice, and you'll do a whole lot better. OK - we ARE the folks who obey the laws and don't pump for candidates, but we do the heavy lifting on smoothing the ground on issues and bringing out people on moral concerns that you put into play as our national and state policies. Know who your friends are. You may think we all will just knee jerk vote for you, but it's not true. We won't go GOP for sure - but we need to hear you, understand you, and be certain we're not better off going Peace & Freedom or Green. You have a lot of work to do with US before you go sidling up to someone as slimy as Rodriguez. We will be true while he's fickle. Put your time and energies where they count. That would be with us.

by Churchlady on Fri Jun 08, 2012 at 06:25:18 PM EST

have the numbers he claims to represent, but that does not really matter. He is representative of two highly prized groups- hispanics and evangelicals. That is all he really needs to have clout.  Politics and elections are all about numbers, and the evangelical/fundamentalist groups have them. The old mainline Protestants do not. In 2008 less than 8% of the population belonged to the old liberal leaning mainline Protestant churches. The most recent polls show that there are almost twice as many non-believers as mainline Protestants, and of course, non-believers are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of political clout. In 1922 a minister named Harry Emerson Fosdick gave a sermon entitited "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?"  In the world of government and politics today, it certainly appears that they already have.

by BGBlade on Sat Jun 09, 2012 at 11:26:03 AM EST
Interesting that your approach to discussion is to try to invalidate the work of many of us on this site, and perhaps the site itself.  

We have been writing here for several years about the important national role played by Rev. Rodriguez; how he brings a creeping religious rightism into the Democratic Party; how he is actively anti-environmental; anti-Islam; anti-abortion; anti-gay rights; how he has played a leadership role in a major dominionist movement in the US and the world.  

That said, there is certainly an increasing evangelical demographic, and within that, a Pentecostal demographic, as well as an ever larger Hispanic demographic trend in the U.S. Apparently a secular trend as well.  But none of that means that evangelicals or Hispanics of any religious or non-religious point of view has to accept Rodriguez as "representative,"  This post is about how unrepresentative he actually may be.

 

by Frederick Clarkson on Sat Jun 09, 2012 at 01:28:33 PM EST
Parent


@ BGBLade

If Rodriguez doesn't have a sizable following, which his social media numbers clearly indicate that he does not, then he has no legitimate claim to be representative of hispanics in particular or evangelicals in general.

The rest of your post ... about the drift from mainline to evangelical fundamentalist churches is a strawman argument. It simply has no bearing on the legitimacy of Rodriguez's self-promoting claims.


by PastorJennifer on Sun Jun 10, 2012 at 04:56:02 AM EST
Parent

for repeated affronts to the letter and spirit of the TOS and site guidelines that shape what we are trying to do and how we are trying to do it.

We generally prefer not to make a big public deal out of these things. That would be a hijacking of our own site. We prefer not to dwell on such distractions. But occasionally it is necessary to let people know that there is indeed sometimes action behind the scenes, and that we do try to live up to our standards, albeit imperfectly, in our all volunteer effort.

In this instance, we had a repeat troll. The next time, the troll will be banned on sight.

by Frederick Clarkson on Sun Jun 10, 2012 at 05:19:47 PM EST
Parent




This so called leader of Hispanics is just an anti-marriage rights homophobe. I like your article but I found out through a quick search that the Dean of Liberty University's Law School Matt Staver claims they have over 40,000 member churches. Is this true? Do you think these two organizations are conspiring?

by Jaypride on Sun Jun 10, 2012 at 11:42:49 PM EST
are are standard tool of the Religious Right.

by Frederick Clarkson on Mon Jun 11, 2012 at 12:36:59 AM EST
Parent
yeah like the Million Moms trying to bully JC Penney into dropping Ellen Degeneris... At best their numbers turn out to be around 30,000! They are truly laughable in their self-agrandisement.

by PastorJennifer on Tue Jun 12, 2012 at 04:25:12 PM EST
Parent



I feel qualified to speak for myself on some topics but not all. I have met people with PhDs, LLDs, JDs, DSCs, and autodidacts who were as well informed and not one of them would say they spoke for anyone other than themselves. As soon as someone says "I speak for ... name a group ... " you have been told you are being lied to. I have yet to find an exception. "I speak on behalf of ..." can be challenged and possibly verified but that statement is not the same as the earlier one. In a democracy we each must speak. In a republic some speak. in any other political mess only a few speak and they have no ears for our voices.

by DeadZone on Mon Jun 11, 2012 at 03:25:54 AM EST

Sun rises in east. Preacher, self-appointed pundit, and/or wannabe politician claims "leadership" or "spokesperson" status without doing the years of hard work to build an actual organization of size. No ideology or political party or religious group is free of overly self-important people. My favorite aphorism about politics: "Politics is show biz for ugly people." (ugly = non-Hollywood grade appearance)

by NancyP on Sat Jun 16, 2012 at 12:12:02 PM EST

Thankyou for sharing the data which is beneficial for me and others likewise to see. https://www.hmhb.org/buy-cbd-oil-near-me/

by IsaiahJosiah on Tue Mar 31, 2020 at 06:25:01 AM EST

The work of Reverend Samuel Rodriguez and the organizations he leads is undoubtedly making a positive impact on society.  peter veres breast cancer doctor It is important, however, to remain aware of the real numbers associated with his efforts. Taking a closer look at the data can help us to better understand the true scope and reach of his work, and how it is making a difference in our communities.

by isabelladom on Wed Apr 05, 2023 at 02:58:30 AM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (374 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (195 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (110 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (250 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (64 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (176 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (156 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (329 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.