The Two Faces of Evangelicalsm

I happen to know some evangelical Christians who wouldn't go out of their way to pee on James Dobson if he were on fire. (Well, they probably would, because they're very good people, but you get my drift.) So I found this article very interesting. Dobson does not come off well at all, and I think quite legitimately.

Warren, to the consternation of some anti-abortionists on the religious right, invited Senator Barack Obama, Democratic [Senator] of Illinois and a presidential candidate, to his church to talk about their mutual efforts to battle AIDS and world poverty. Warren is the establishment's favorite evangelical leader, comfortable going to Harvard and the Aspen Institute to preach about Jesus and tolerance.

Asked about gay marriage, Warren echoes the party line, yet says it is not a high-priority issue. "I am not homophobic," says Warren, who also pointedly dismisses the desirability of a "God party."

He seems more at ease talking about AIDS and the need to preserve the environment. Still, he has enormous influence in the evangelical movement and does not seem preoccupied with whether he has a special pipeline to politicians.

Dobson is.

"Dobson thrives on a role as a political kingmaker" said Charles Kimball, a religion professor at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina.

And Dobson is willing to use almost any tactic, however incendiary and divisive. On his radio programs, publications and speeches, his favorite targets are gay civil unions, which Dobson would have you believe threaten the fabric of a moral society. He even has a program to "cure" gays.

Rmember, it was Dobson and Wildmon who demanded the ouster of a minister high up in the (American Evangelical Association? I'm having a blond moment here) for saying that evangelicals should pay more attention to the poor and the environment. It wasn't Warren, but I've forgotten the name.

Given that Dobson is so divisive and polarizing and Warren is generally much more of a uniter and doesn't want to be the power behind the throne, why is it that Dobson gets the publicity and has so much influence?

Maybe that's why.

Ask your local newspaper.