Advice from Christian activist: View Democratic faith forum through political ey

[Soldier4Christ]

Advice from Christian activist: View Democratic faith forum through political eyes

As three Democratic presidential candidates answered questions at a televised "Faith, Values and Poverty" forum Monday night, the pro-family grassroots group Christian Defense Coalition protested what it says is a contradiction between the stated Christian faith of the participants and their public policy actions and votes. The leader of that group asserts that participation by the three was a "well-scripted" and obvious attempt to redefine themselves as persons of deep faith for election purposes.



Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards and current U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton (D-New York) and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) all spoke to questions about their faith in relation to public policy. The forum at which they spoke was sponsored by Jim Wallis and the liberal religious group Sojourners. It was televised by CNN and designed to address social justice, human rights, and poverty from a faith standpoint.

"I take my faith very seriously, and very personally," Clinton said during the debate. And Senator Obama stated: "My moral commitments to that vision of what Dr. King called a moral community grows out of my faith."

Christian Defense Coalition director and National Clergy Council president Rob Schenck, whose group was protesting outside before the event, offers his perspective on what he heard during the forum. Schenck says the three candidates may speak about poverty and social justice from a personal opinion, but contends they have no moral authority to speak from the Christian perspective -- as long as they endorse various positions in support of partial-birth abortion, same-sex unions, and anti-religious stances in agreement with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.

"We are saying, don't look at what they say at a televised, scripted CNN event -- [but] look at their policies, look at their lifestyle, their practices," says Schenck. "Clearly, their policies violate the historic teachings in Christianity on abortion, on marriage, on religious expression." And Schenck says just as importantly, Christians should look at those candidates' voting records.

The ministry leader cites what he sees as a contradiction in Clinton's participation at the Sojourners event. "For example, tonight, Senator Clinton is at a big fundraiser for the National Organization for Women," he points out. "So last night, she's trying to portray herself to the nation as an authentic, devout Christian; and this evening, she's helping raise money for a group that looks at Christianity as one of the enemies."

Schenck maintains that every Democrat knows their party cannot win the White House if they are unable to get a certain percentage of the faith and values vote -- so that, he concludes, was what their appearance on Monday night was about.