Posted on 06/23/2005 3:17:51 PM PDT by tutstar
They call themselves religious Americans who want to close what they refer to as the "God gap" in politics. The Christian Alliance for Progress announced in a news conference Thursday its movement to counter the power of the religious right in the shadow of Jacksonville's politically powerful First Baptist Church.
"As everyone in the city of Jacksonville knows, the First Baptist Church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and as everybody in the country knows, the Southern Baptist Convention is right now calling many of the shots as part of the religious right in the Republican Party," said Tim Simpson, director of religious affairs. "So, we as citizens of Jacksonville and this organization thought that there would be no more symbolic venue than to come to the heart of what we consider to be the religious right in the city of Jacksonville and to make our case that gospel values once again need to be articulated in the public sphere from a different perspective than they have been in the past." _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "This organization has been formed to mobilize and give voice to Christians who have been alienated by the extreme political agenda of certain elements of the religious right," Mrotek said. "The mission of the Christian Alliance for Progress is to reclaim Christianity and transform American politics through action based on our values."
"We're here because we can no longer stand by and watch people speak hatred, division, war and greed in the name of our faith," "We're here because Christianity is being used by radical leaders of the religious right as they seek to marginalize gay and lesbian people; to criminalize desperate, pregnant women; to suppress scientific information and honest information about human reproduction and replace them with ignorance."
(Excerpt) Read more at news4jax.com ...
I'm sure Dr. Vines will not make any apology on Sunday. He will tell it like is, as usual!
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bttt.
I think I'd like to see a statement of beliefs from this organization. I'm not one to cast anyone out of the kingdom, but to some of these people Mere Christianity is mere mythology.
Good question!
I think that the problem is: They want religion but not if it means speaking against a sin.
I can guarantee you they will not affect what is taught from the Bible at FBC. Sunday morning's sermon ought to have a little extra salt thanks to this!!
Church services can be viewed online at www.fbcjax.com
later ping?
LOL! So much there....but I really love the "criminalize desperate pregnant women" part. ROTFL!
How We Seek to Follow the Jesus of the Gospels - Seven Values We Share:
* Compassion and Care for "The Least of These"
We follow Jesus' call to compassion and his command to "love your neighbor as you love yourself."
* Responsibility and Obligation
We heed the call to take up our cross - to transform our lives, but also to do more: to move beyond the "personal" and to take responsibility in our communities and country.
* Justice for All
We stand against powerful systems of human injustice in our world as Jesus stood against them in his.
* Equality and Inclusiveness
Like Jesus did among women, tax collectors, Samaritans and others, we reject hurtful exclusionary distinctions between "us" and "them."
* Faithful Stewardship
We follow Jesus' call for responsible stewardship - caring protection for the environment and sharing of our worldly treasure.
* Right Use of Power
We turn away from fear; we use the power of God that flows through us to protect the innocent and build justice in the world, not to coerce others to our will or force others to accept our vision.
* Spiritual Foundation
We turn to God as our spiritual foundation.
It's not that the left minds mixing politics and religion; they just don't like religious conservatives having a political voice.
Call us psychic, I guess.
I'd rather be ruled by Baptists than by Communists.
That one was choice!!
I haven't had a chance to go to their site and see what other gems might be unearthed.
very good analysis....
http://www.christianalliance.org/
I was skimming down the thread and saw someone posted a bit from the site.
Whenever anyone gives out such statements such as "As everybody knows..." or "As everyone in Jacksonvill knows..." it is generally a cover for their bias, lack of sourcing and lack of diligence. One thing it is not. It is not a lack of basic dishonesty.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
(BTW, it always comes down to abortion. To the left, "Religion = anti-abortion.")
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