As part of it’s “Elephant in the Room” series, Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network did a half-hour long segment on Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his presidential aspirations. CBN’s David Brody sat down with Pawlenty and wife Mary as well the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Politico’s Jonathan Martin. Among the topics were Pawlenty’s connection to the evangelical community and his lack of name recognition.

Pawlenty said he’s running on a platform of repealing health care reform: “I think it’s one of the worst piece of legislation in the history of the country.”

He also talked about his faith. “If the nation turns its back on God or tries to push him out of the equation, we are going be a much poorer nation for it,” he said. “We believe in Jesus Christ. We believe what Jesus taught — not only believe in but try our very best to follow. Jesus is who he says he is, and it’s both simple but also profound.”

The Pawlentys were asked about their church whose pastor is also the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and whether that connection could help with his presidential bid.

“I can’t imagine that Leith Anderson or I would think that that’s an issue,” Mary Pawlenty said. “Our faith obviously is a part of who we are, and to the extent individuals as they hear that find they are interested learning more about who my husband is. The notion that there’s somehow access, that doesn’t even compute in my brain that way.”

Gov. Pawlenty responded, “Pastor Anderson is not someone who would or should use that for political purposes, and he’s a wonderful person and a dear leader and minster. Neither he nor that group is some sort of plug-and-play political operation. He’s in the business of saving souls. He’s not in the business of political campaigns.

CBN also polled people on the streets of Washington, D.C., to see if they recognized Pawlenty. None of the ten people on the street easily recognized Pawlenty — only one did after incorrectly guessing that he was Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Minnesota Republican strategist Vin Weber made the case for Pawlenty as well saying he’s the only conservative governor in Minnesota for the last 50 years.

The full half-hour interview can be viewed below:

Brad Brandon, the Hastings pastor who endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer from the pulpit, said Emmer will lose because he didn’t reach out to evangelicals on social issues. On his radio program, Brandon chided Emmer: “He refused to allow God into his campaign, that’s what it boils down to.” Emmer dodged questions about abortion and gay rights at every turn during the campaign, including on Brandon’s show.

Brandon noted that the 9,000-vote gap between Emmer and DFLer Mark Dayton would be too much for Emmer to close.

“Just get used to the fact that Dayton is going to be our governor,” Brandon said. “I don’t like having a schizophrenic for a governor, but you know, it is what it is.”

Brandon said he’d been “analyzing for six months” what Emmer was doing wrong in his campaign.

“I noticed that he was making some very serious errors. He failed to energize the evangelical vote; he basically underestimated, you and me, as evangelical Christians, the evangelical vote,” he told listeners.

“I can’t tell you how many times I had Tom Emmer sitting across the table from me trying to interview him on the radio and I’m asking him about life issues, I’m asking him about social issues like gay marriage,” he said. “I asked him the hard questions and he would not give me a straight answer when it comes to social issues and it was getting to be frustrating.”

Just weeks before the election, Emmer appeared on Brandon’s show. When Brandon asked him about his positions on gay marriage and abortion, Emmer continued to steer the question toward jobs and the economy. And in each debate where the issues came up, Emmer frustrated moderators by not addressing the questions directly.

Brandon said he approached Emmer off the air to urge him to reach out to evangelicals on social issues, but Emmer declined.

Though Brandon criticized Emmer, he said he wished Emmer was governor.

“I think he’s a great guy and would have made a fantastic governor for the state of Minnesota,” he said. “I endorsed him, I voted for him, but I was not energized to vote for him.”

He added, “I don’t mean to be extra critical, but he refused to allow God into his campaign, that’s what it boils down to.”

Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Photo: Governor's Office

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed on with evangelical literary agent Alive Communications and evangelical publisher Tyndale House Publishing to write his memoir. The book doesn’t yet have a title, but according to a press release from Alive Communications it will chronicle Pawlenty’s rise from the “gritty streets of South Saint Paul” to the governor’s mansion.

“Multiple publishers were interested in acquiring Governor Pawlenty’s book because it’s a great American success story of a leader who rose from the gritty streets of South Saint Paul to the highest office in his home state,” said Rick Christian of Alive Communications. “Tim Pawlenty will also share his unique perspective on our times, while taking readers back to values solidified during the Reagan-era foundation of his career in public service.”

Alive Communications is an evangelical literary agency headquartered in Colorado Springs. They are the agent for Sarah Palin and her recent book “Going Rogue.” They also represent religious right leaders such as Billy Graham, Tim LaHaye of the apocalyptic “Left Behind” series and works by the Promise Keepers.

“We are honored to publish this new book by Governor Tim Pawlenty, which will include his reflections on his life, his remarkable career, and his vision for America,” said Ron Beers of Tyndale House.

Tyndale has published works by religious right luminaries such as Focus on the Family’s James Dobson and his wife Shirley, as well as Watergate conspirator and born-again prison minister Chuck Colson.

Gov. Pawlenty at the National Day of Prayer event in 2008. Photo: Governor's Office

Despite a ruling last week by a federal judge in Wisconsin striking down the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional, Minnesota’s commemoration of the annual event — almost exclusively an evangelical affair — will go on this year. It remains to be seen whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty will again sign a proclamation for the day in Minnesota.

On Thursday U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer, enacted by Congress in 1952 at the urging of evangelist Billy Graham and strengthened by President Reagan in 1988, violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

The day “serves no purpose but to encourage a religious exercise, making it difficult for a reasonable observer to see the statute as anything other than a religious endorsement,” Crabb wrote. She added that prayer is a very important part of people’s lives but that “recognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it, any more than the government may encourage citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic.”

Most Minnesota governors have endorsed the day each year with a proclamation — with the exception of Gov. Jesse Ventura, who refused to sign one. “I believe in the separation of church and state,” he said at the time. “We all have our own religious beliefs. There are people out there who are atheists, who don’t believe at all… They are all citizens of Minnesota and I have to respect that.”

But Pawlenty, an evangelical Christian, has been loyal to the exclusively evangelical event, and has appeared at several day of prayer events during his term in office, as has Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, also an evangelical.

Pawlenty’s office did not return a request for comment on how the court ruling might affect his support for this year’s event.

In recent years, only evangelicals were invited to speak at the event, which is part of Shirley Dobson’s — and Focus on the Family’s — plan for the nationwide events. In fact, Sharon Auldrich, Minnesota coordinator for the National Day of Prayer, was hand-picked by Dobson.

Auldrich said that this year’s event at the Capitol on May 6 will only be “strengthened” by the court decision.

“This ruling will continue the process of refining and drawing out those who believe faith in God is vital and will encourage them to stand strong on Biblical principals,” she said. “We are commanded to pray for our country and those in authority.”

She added, “God uses for good what the enemy has planned to use to destroy.”

She said the court decision will be test for Christians, including President Obama. “What this does is draw a line in the sand, and those who say they believe in God and say they have biblical values will have to step forward and prove it,” said Auldrich. “The request for President Obama to appeal [the decision] is going to be a very interesting test for him.”

In the past, the line-up of speakers for the event at the Capitol has been exclusively evangelical. In 2008, for instance, all eleven speakers were evangelical Christians — hardly representative of a state where one in 5 residents is evangelical Christian.

This year’s event will take an even different flavor when the National Day of Prayer observance at the Capitol teams up with the Minnesota Family Council for a prayer in the Capitol Rotunda following the event on the Capitol lawn. MFC bills its rally against rights for same-sex couples as “a call for believers throughout the state to join together in a united voice against the assault on God’s design for marriage.”

Bradlee Dean. Image: YouTube

“He’s un-American!” Bradlee Dean’s opinion of President Barack Obama — broadcast on his radio show “The Schools of Hard Knocks Roxx” on Apr. 4 — may echo that of fellow Minnesotan, Rep. Michele Bachmann, who in October 2008 told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews she’d like to see an investigation into whether Obama and members of Congress hold “anti-American” views.

But he takes his views where she wouldn’t. Bachmann backed off her statement, saying she was misunderstood and railroaded by Matthews, but Dean recently went on to say Obama is “not American. He’s unpatriotic to the max. Folks, he doesn’t have the spirit of a president.”

Yet, Bachmann still stands behind Dean, who runs an Annandale-based Christian ministry that brings an evangelical message into churches, prisons, and public schools. Next month, she’s headlining a fundraiser for that ministry, called You Can Run But You Cannot Hide (YCRBYCH), in Bloomington on Nov. 12. YCRBYCH says they will use the funds raised to reach others with their ministry — often public school students.

Following a Minnesota Independent report earlier this month that featured sources who question the constitutionality of the group’s taxpayer-funded assemblies at public schools, YCRBYCH scrubbed its podcasts and audio archives from iTunes and the several websites it maintains. But the Minnesota Independent has obtained several of the group’s audio offerings, which give an overview of the opinions Bachmann is endorsing by headlining the fundraiser.

Detail of the invitation for Bachmann's Nov. 12 YCRBYCH fundraiser

On the April 4 show, a caller, Lynn, said that Obama was not a U.S. citizen. Dean replied, channeling a bit of Bachmann, “He’s un-American, he’s not American, he’s unpatriotic to the max.”

On Aug. 1, Dean recited an open letter from the White House: “Truth be told with each passing day more and more Americans are unable to get the health care they need,” he read. To that, Dean added, “In other words, Obama is saying, ‘I can give it to you, who’s yo daddy?’”

On the same topic, Dean attempted to speak for African Americans.

“Just this week me and Steph [Dean's wife] just began to ask people on the street, ‘What do you think about Obama?’ We asked two black folks, which the color didn’t matter to me, but I do care more their perspective right now because it seems like the black communities are not for this guy at all. I believe there’s, like, a 70 percent ratio that they are very angry at this administration for what he is doing to them because this isn’t what they voted for. This isn’t what they signed up for.”

McMillian chimed in, “They realize they’ve been used.”

In August when the show aired, polling of African American voters showed approval in the 80 to 90 percent range.

In the same broadcast he called Obama a criminal. “You’ve already seen this president deny Christianity. You’ve already seen this president address the Muslim nation four times. You’ve already seen this administration, him and his wife, going into foreign countries, telling them that they are ashamed of this country,” said Dean. “This man is an internationalist. This administration is set against against your constitution, folks. That is a crime. That is a crime and do not let it go.”

Dean continued, “Crime cannot be tolerated especially from them that rule in government. It cannot be tolerated … Criminals mock society’s laws. That’s what you see in this administration.”

He frequently refers to the president as an “Obamanation” and Sen. Al Franken as “Frankenstein.”

On the Aug. 1 broadcast, the duo recalled an alleged clash between Bachmann and some constituents.

McMillian: “I remember Michele Bachmann did something up in Scandia County a while back. The homosexuals tried to corner her and confront her.”

Dean: “They even locked her in the bathroom. If that had been a homosexual senator or congressperson they would have brought charges immediately. No questions asked.”

In fact, Bachmann filed a police report, but as witnesses said, there wasn’t much to the incident.

The ministry has harsh words for gays and lesbians, as well. During its April 4 broadcast, the duo lashed out at the decision by the Iowa Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage in that state.

“In Minneapolis, they had to spread their smudge and their shame and their ignorance and their idiocies and their immorality and their debauchery in the face of the American people, all the way to Minneapolis, by having on the front page of the paper today, Jake, two little girls — I don’t know if that was their lesbian parents behind them.”

He continued, “Isn’t it interesting that these people are so stinkin’ sick in the mind that they use little kids for their agenda, showing their state of mind?”

After reading Bible verses, the duo incorrectly stated that homosexuality is a crime in the U.S. and said gays only live to be 42 years old.

“Do you not understand, enemies of God, [that] you are cursing yourselves?” said Dean. “This secular government is giving them rights? They are talking away their life is what they are doing. What’s the average age of a homosexual?”

McMillian chimed in, “A homosexual male? 42 is what they live to be.”

Dean added, “And by the way, they are aiming at your kids like crazy folks.”

Later in that same program, Dean erroneously stated that homosexuality is a crime. “Why are they asking for the decriminalization of homosex? Because it is a crime! It’s a crime! Folks, they are lawless people!”

In addition to McMillian, Dean has also teamed up with the Minnesota Family Council’s Barb Anderson on the radio program.

“Did you know that it’s illegal in 28 states in this country to commit adultery or fornication or sodomy even in the state of Minnesota?” Dean told Anderson and his listeners on Apr. 4. “But the laws have not been enforced in the courts since 1944. It’s illegal. Seventy-six percent of those who write your papers see nothing wrong with homosexuality. It’s rightly called crimes against nature.”

[The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned laws against sodomy in 2001, and the United States Supreme Court did the same in 2003.]

On the murder of a gay student in Wyoming, Dean said, “The Matthew Shepard lie had nothing to do with homosexuality. It was a drug deal that went bad.”

During an Apr. 11 show, Dean compared the trial of alleged Ponzi scheme runner, Tom Petters to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

“And there’s another man that is hopefully going to be coming out of this spotless … Just because you have a couple of bad apples doesn’t make everybody a bad apple or a bad apple tree.

What they did is, they did it through the color of law. What kind of message is that to you, America? And I’m sick and tired of it. If he is innocent, he is going to ruin some serious lives, folks, and if he is a just man that’s just what he’ll do.

The bottom line is that when you have federal prosecutors blocking the defense of Tom Petters, you better start asking questions why. Why, why, why?!

This is what they did to Christ! They took him by night, they judged him, they didn’t give him a trial, and they handed him over and they crucified him.”

Dean is no stranger to conspiracy theories. In 2006, the Weekly Standard traveled with him and his band, Junkyard Prophet, on their public school tour. Writer Matt Labash generally praised the evangelical rock band, but did find some areas of disagreement — on whether or not man has landed on the moon.

He is also a gold-plated conspiracy theorist who will readily hold forth on the mysterious plane crashes of Paul Wellstone and John Kennedy Jr., how Oswald didn’t act alone, how O.J. Simpson might’ve been framed (“He’s driving down the freeway, all of the sudden there’s this helicopter on his truck–how convenient!”), and how the moon-landing was faked in a television studio. We disagree so vehemently on this last point that he starts polling his assemblies on the subject just to settle the dispute. To what should be the chagrin of us all, apparently about 35 percent of public school students and teachers believe Neil Armstrong deserves an Oscar for his star turn in that NASA movie.

But Dean isn’t all conspiracies and vitriol. Like last week’s Bachmann fundraising email — which referenced “raising money from patriots like you” — the invitation to Dean’s Nov. 12 fundraiser uses the same honorific for financial donors.  Bachmann and Dean, the invite states, will give speeches to “empower patriots to be on the offense.”

Bachmann’s office hasn’t responded to the Minnesota Independent’s inquiries about Dean’s past statements or her involvement in this fundraiser.

Citizen’s Council on Health Care, a conservative outfit that lobbies against government involvement in the health care industry, is bringing Maria Anne Hirschmann, a former Hitler Youth turned evangelical Christian (complete with her own ministry), to Minnesota for its $100 a plate “Freedom Celebration Dinner” on Nov. 9.

Hirschmann stirred controversy this spring when she was tapped to speak at the Air Force Academy, a government institution, in Colorado Springs. Her previous public statements led to outcry from a variety of groups and the subsequent cancellation of her speech.

Hirschmann compared President Obama to the rise of Hilter’s Nazi Germany. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Hirshmann has said, “Obama, like Hitler, is ‘a charismatic leader who promises full pocketbooks.’ Obama’s pro-choice stands, she writes, resembles those of Hitler, who ‘brought abortion to a systematic level and declared the killing of unborn babies a national duty.’”

The Gazette continued:

In her April 2009 newsletter, Hirschmann states she is not comparing Obama to Hitler, rather she sees “trends in America that led Germany into disaster…” She goes on to ask, “Is this unlimited new spending and reckless printing of paper money similar to the economic recovery of Nazi Germany? Yes, it is and it made the German people jubilant because Hitler turned the economy around within four years. Nobody saw that the next four years prepared for World War II, and within 12 years most of Germany was in ashes and Europe nearly destroyed.

Following the cancellation of Hirschmann’s speech at the Air Force Academy, the Gazette interviewed her:

BARNA: You’ve been a critic of President Barack Obama

HIRSCHMANN: Obama is the result of a trend in America that is going away from the Judeo-Christian ethic. Obama is a socialist, one step from communism.

He could pave the way for a future Antichrist. Obama scares me because he has no record and people flock to him. Hitler also had no record, people flocked to him and both wrote a book. Christians laid flat and Hitler came to power, just like with Obama.

Obama is the result of the secular news media brain washing America. The media put Obama into power. He is so inexperienced …

Other statements by Hirschmann have raised eyebrows, as well. For instance, she sees the global war on terror as a Christians-versus-Muslims conflict. “Islam is a religion that believes it has a calling to make the world Muslim and do it violently and nonviolently — whatever way to spread Islam will be done,” Hirschmann told the Colorado Springs paper. “If the U.S. military does what God tells them, he will bless America,” she said.

Hirschmann’s speech at the Citizen’s Council on Health Care fundraiser will be titled “What Does it Mean to Be Free?”

YCRBYCH's Bradlee Dean, who plays for the group's band. Image: YouTube

Civil liberties groups say that You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International — a ministry/punk band that brings its Christian message to public school kids — is causing schools to run afoul of the constitutional principle of separation of state and church.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, who says such a separation is a “myth,” will be headlining a fundraiser for the group in November.

“We’ve made complaints about them in the past,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “And there are similar groups out there that use assembly subterfuges to gain access to a captive audience of school children.”

She said it’s incumbent on schools to research YCRBYCH before booking them for school activities.

“It is hard to believe schools don’t know what they’re getting into; all they have to do is a cursory check of the websites,” she said. “School Districts often pay exorbitant honoraria as well, so it adds economic injury to constitutional insult.”

She added that by not being honest about their evangelical mission such ministries are effectively turning public schools into evangelical recruitment centers.

“This is a devious strategy, used also by many ‘pizza evangelists.’” she said.

That term refers to evangelical ministries that seek to gain access to public school students by offering incentives not of a Christian nature, such as extreme sports, contests to win a car or pizza parties. The most common cases include these incentives along with a “secular” anti-drug assemblies, much like YCRBYCH does.

“Usually they don’t mention God or Jesus per se in the mandatory assemblies but they hand out invites to an after-hours event, often held at schools, which is open soul-winning,” said Gaylor. “It amounts to the public schools — whether officials are duped or not — recruiting for evangelists.”

While YCRBYCH admits that its public school program is designed to save souls, Gaylor says she’d doubt it’s effectiveness even if it was completely secular. “It’s dishonest and unethical, and we also question the value of the so-called secular program itself, which is often alarmist and painted in broad strokes, and can plant ideas, such as suicide, in immature minds.”

Alex Luchenitser, a senior litigator for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, has concerns about the group’s activities — and those of similar organizations, like Power Team, a well-known evangelical ministry that uses martial arts to engage kids.

“They’d put on a secular program in the schools and then would invite kids to a separate religious event,” he said.

When asked if religion is part of YCRBYCH assemblies, the group’s front man, Bradlee Dean, was less than clear. “Morality is, which is the fruit of religion,” he said. “Our testimony of Christ is spoken of if someone asks us ‘what changed you?’”

But in public, YCRBYCH has admitted on several occasions that it’s trying to win souls in public schools. On the ministry’s radio show, one member of the ministry — talking with Dean — said they share with public school children “our own testimony of how Christ turned our lives around in public schools so we can get the light into kids hands in public schools.”

That doesn’t sit well with Luchenitser. “That this group is doing this is quite outrageous and a very clear violation of the separation of church and state,” he said. “And the fact that they seem to be intentionally misleading the schools is very disturbing to say the least.”

YCRBYCH’s “Principal Packet,” a pamphlet sent to school administrators about the ministry, doesn’t mention that it’s a ministry or that the program is religious in nature; it doesn’t mention God or Jesus Christ.

Luchenitser said that if the group is actually misleading the schools, it’s schools that could find themselves in legal trouble. “I think that because of the misrepresentations, it could subject the schools to legal liability,” he said. “Parents could turn around and sue the school.”

If the schools can prove they were mislead, they in turn could sue the ministry, he said.

“There are a lot of things Jesus wouldn’t do because he’s the son of God,” Bauer told the AP. “I can’t imagine Jesus being a Marine or a policeman or a bank president, for that matter. The more appropriate question is, ‘What is a follower of Jesus permitted to do?’”

“I think if we believe the person we have can give us information to stop thousands of Americans from being killed, it would be morally suspect to not use harsh tactics to get that information,” Bauer said.

Hat tip People for the American Way

His resignation has prompted a flurry of press releases from church-state-separation groups and LGBT advocacy organizations.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State:

James Dobson’s decision to resign as chairman of Focus on the Family is unlikely to make much of a difference in the day-to-day operations of that organization. … For years, FOF has been the leading voice of religious extremism and intolerance in America. It has led the attack on the legal rights of gay and lesbian Americans, worked assiduously to undermine reproductive rights, assaulted the religious neutrality of public schools and labored to replace science with far-right, fundamentalist dogma.

Despite my differences with him, if Dobson were truly retiring, I would wish him well. But I know that Dobson and so many other leaders of the Religious Right intend to remain active, working to force their exclusionary worldview onto the rest of us.

Focus on the Family is merely rearranging the deck chairs on its big, intolerant ship.

People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert:

James Dobson may be stepping down, but he’s not stepping off the field. Dobson will continue hosting his national radio show and pushing his far right agenda under the cover of folksy advice.

Dobson has built an audience for himself in the millions and a series of organizations that pull in tens of millions of dollars each year. He presents himself as an expert on raising kids, but his real passion is for enacting the policies of the Religious Right.

Dobson and Focus on the Family fervently support failed abstinence-only sex ed programs, destructive bans on same-sex marriage and adoption, and efforts to undermine fundamental constitutional rights like privacy and church-state separation. Regardless of where Dobson appears on the organizational chart, he and Focus on the Family will continue their assault on Americans’ liberties.

Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation:

“For more than 20 years, James Dobson has used his expansive, well-funded media platform to promote defamatory and false information about the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “As Dobson resigns from his role as chairman, it is important to remember his history of false and defamatory claims about our community. GLAAD urges the media to not allow Dobson to turn today’s news into yet another media platform for him to advance his intolerant divisive attacks on gay and lesbian Americans and their families.

The central aim of the agenda is to find areas of mutual agreement among evangelicals and progressives. For gay rights, that means a focus on employment nondiscrimination laws for the LGBT community with an exemption for religious institutions. In reproductive health, it means finding ways to reduce the need for abortions by “preventing unintended pregnancies, supporting pregnant women and new families, and increasing support for adoption.”

The agenda takes an encompassing approach to immigration: “We agree that we need secure, compassionate, and comprehensive immigration reform. We support policies that create an earned path to citizenship and protect families, while securing our borders and treating American taxpayers fairly.”

Torture is one area where both sides seem to have found common ground. The coalition rejects torture as un-American and immoral.

Tony Jones

Among the dozens of evangelical leaders who have signed on is Tony Jones of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis. In his letter of support he wrote, “My hope is that President-elect Obama and the new Congress will embrace this governing agenda, which includes policies that represent real progress on historically divisive issues: reducing abortions and ensuring workplace equality for gay and lesbian persons.” Jones continued, “Together, this growing group of faithful persons represents a new path forward in America that models a positive religious presence in the public square.”

Another signatory is Paul de Vries, a member of the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. “There is one Lord Jesus Christ, and he has many issues,” wrote de Vries. “Tragically, while the Democratic and Republican parties each have at least an attenuated sense of some of his issues — each party seems tone-deaf to some others. Nowhere has the failure to be faithful to Truth and to listen to one another been more acute than on issues underlying the so-called ‘culture wars.’”

During a recent conference call with reporters, a number of evangelical leaders explained why they agreed to be a part of this effort to end the culture war. Probably the most profound example was Jonathan Merritt, founder of the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative.

“As a committed Southern Baptist, I know all too well the ‘culture war’ mentality. It is a mentality that often speaks without listening, divides rather than unites and promotes destructive partisanship,” he said. “At the same time, I am proud of the unwavering moral stances that conservative Christians, including Southern Baptists, have taken. We remain committed to important issues like the traditional marriage and protecting life conception.”

He continued, “Yet conservative Christians must also live out the other tenets of our faith, including compassion, charity, human dignity and the pursuit of peace. Therefore, I support this agenda because I am a Southern Baptist, not in spite of that fact.”