A response to reading this -> [Oe List ...] From Joe Clift re fundamentalism & election

[Jon M Elizondo]

 Thank you, John, for sharing this piece.
It touches me that voices like Jim Wallis' are coming forth.
It heartens me and helps me feel like the Public Dialogue is Indeed
occurring.

Fear, Fear, Fear.
Fear is the mind killer, the little death.
It eats away at all semblance of the soul,
Until the hollow is left.
What shall fill this up?
Only 2 things...
Fear or Love
If Sin is separation,
and Grace is connectedness,
Then what does Jerry Falwell feed?
His separation or his connectedness?
What does Jim Wallis feed?  What do I feed?  What does George Bush feed?
What do the network executives feed?
What do the men and women from the heartland and small towns feed?
Which altar within them receives the food of their choice,
of my choice,
of your choice,

of Our Choice.

Many native peoples carry a Phrase...
In our songlore, the phrase for me was,
"All the Earth Belongs to All"
In Lakota it is, "Aho Mitakeuyasin"
In some of my prayer circles it is,
"All My Relations"

This phrase is the deep understanding which guides my choice.
my shadow and I are One.
And I choose to Love myself.


Jon Mark Elizondo




On Mon, 9 Aug 2004 12:18:11 -0400 "John Cock" <jpc2025 at triad.rr.com>
writes:
> As Evangelical as an Oak Tree
> by Jim Wallis, Sojourner Magazine, 7/14/04 (or on bottom of link 
> page)
> 
>  http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=sojomail.display&issue=040714
> 
> 
> I debated Jerry Falwell yesterday on Tavis Smiley's National Public
> Radio show. The subject was the current talk about "values" in the
> presidential election campaign. Tavis first asked Falwell to name a
> "short list" of the values issues that were important to him. It 
> turned
> out to be a very short list indeed. All the Religious Right leader 
> could
> talk about was the gay marriage amendment. That was it. 
> 
> I pointed out that overcoming poverty was a values issue, as was
> protecting the environment, as was fighting unnecessary wars on 
> false
> pretenses, as was the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. As he often does 
> when he
> fears he might lose a debate, Falwell eventually began to interrupt 
> what
> I was saying and moved into personal-attack mode, saying that I was 
> "as
> much an evangelical as an oak tree." The television preacher from
> Lynchburg has such a way with words. 
> 
> But then he really got vicious. He challenged me: "You voted for Al
> Gore, didn't you, Reverend? Admit it! Admit it!" he demanded. "You
> didn't vote for George Bush, or George Bush Sr., or even Ronald 
> Reagan!"
> He had me. I was finally exposed on National Public Radio - a 
> Christian
> who hadn't consistently voted for Republican candidates. How could 
> I
> ever again claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, who, as we all 
> know,
> was pro-rich, pro-war, and pro-American? 
> 
> It was an absolutely partisan and theocratic moment. There is only 
> one
> way that Christians can possibly vote: That's exactly what Falwell 
> was
> saying. And that's exactly what the Religious Right is saying. And 
> they
> say the only values issues are things like gay marriage and 
> abortion.
> et everything the Bible says about the priority of the poor, about
> Christian peacemaking, about respecting God's creation, or about 
> the
> image of God in every human being - including our enemies. 
> 
> I happen to think that both abortion and gay marriage are important
> issues, but they are not the only issues. Many Christians are 
> getting
> tired of the tirades of the Jerry Falwells who repeatedly claim that 
> all
> values issues have to do with sex and that every Christian must vote 
> for
> their Republican friends. Family values are important to many
> Christians, but so are social values. And many Christians are 
> pro-family
> without being anti-gay the way Falwell is. And many of us believe 
> that a
> deep commitment to the sacredness of human life requires a 
> consistent
> ethic of life, which also regards the destruction of war, the death
> penalty, and the scandal of global poverty as deeply moral concerns, 
> not
> just abortion. 
> 
> The future of American politics should be a real discussion of 
> values;
> that would be a very welcome development. And we may be reaching a
> "tipping point" when many other Christians and the media who cover 
> faith
> and politics will decide that the Religious Right should no longer
> dominate the discussion. Let them have their say, but let other
> Christian voices be heard. The control of right-wing 
> fundamentalists
> over the "values" conversation may be coming to an end. And the
> uncritical alliance between the Religious Right and the Republican 
> Party
> should be named a theocratic mistake and idolatrous allegiance (as 
> is
> any religious left's uncritical alliance with the Democrats). 
> 
> Later in the day, my friend Tony Campolo called and I told him what
> Falwell had said. Tony is a Baptist preacher and as evangelical as 
> you
> can get, but he will not likely be voting for George W. Bush. 
> Imagine
> that. We agreed the next time either of us is in a debate with 
> Falwell,
> we will name him for what he really is - a fundamentalist who has 
> stolen
> the word evangelical. 
>  
> 
>

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