Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The Religious Wrong's Era

There's an article in Time Magazine by Jim Wallis, founder of the Sojourners. It's called "The Religious Right's Era Is Over," and while that may be a somewhat forward-looking statement, I've felt the earth tensing underfoot for a while. The article is as blunt as its title, and well worth a read. You might remember the Sojourners from Barack Obama's talk to them.

The Religious Right hasn't delivered on any of its promises. As the Apostle Paul said, they may speak eloquently with the tongues of men and angels, but they're like a sounding brass or tinkling cymbals, empty. Empty of love. (Corinthians 1:13) From the smallest, barely attended city church to the biggest suburban mega-temple, most people aren't looking for emptiness or the politics of hatred. They're looking for fullness and social love. People are tired of the fearmongering because it offers no social or political solutions, only pretend-protection from inflated boogeymen. The young are leaving that behind to look for something better. Next time Barack Obama speaks, check where his cheers are coming from.

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