When you call yourselves the “Christian Coalition” and savagely attack members of Congress for their point of view, implicit in that attack is the message that those who disagree have taken an un-Christian position.
Thirteen year later, with elections looming and a Pew survey showing that only 26 percent of Americans see the Democrats as friendly to religion, Wilhelm’s combative message is repackaged in FaithfulDemocrats.com ("An online Christian community").
To make sure the public buys it this time, the site enlists Tennessee Senator Roy Herron, whose folksy letter on the site’s home page churns out “religious” sound bites at a sixth-grade cognitive level:
In recent election seasons, many preachers have proclaimed not the Good News, but the Bad. They have told faithful members of their congregations that they cannot be Christians.
"Christians," they declare from the pulpit and beyond, "cannot be Democrats!"
If there’s any evidence to back up that assertion, I’d love to see it. Herron teaches divinity and law at Vanderbilt, so I’m sure he didn’t simply make it up for rhetorical effect.
Not many Christians will be influenced by the FaithfulDemocrats.com one way or the other, but at the end of the day, it is more a tool to provide sound bites to complement Democrats’ show Bibles. Here’s some more Herron:
We also prayed together before meals. I don't recall us ever eating at home without saying what Dad called "Grace" or Mother called "The Blessing." Mother and Dad, having been through the Depression, always were thankful. And they knew Whom to thank. My parents knew that they and our family and many neighbors had survived the Depression through the grace of God. And, quite frankly, through the policies of the Democratic Party.
I don’t know how that guy can sleep at night – or for that matter why Republicans should lose any sleep over FaithfulDemocrats.com.
