Given the amount of coverage that "moral values" and evangelical Christianity have garnered this past election cycle, the term "Christian" has become synonymous in many people's minds with the extremist views of the Christian right, embodied by intolerance, homophobia and unconditional support for George W. Bush. Liberal Christian leaders spoke out today against this perception, and are fighting to reclaim the identity of Christianity from conservative extremists to bring it back to its liberal roots.

Battling the notion that "values voters" swept President Bush to victory because of opposition to gay marriage and abortion, three liberal groups released a post-election poll in which 33 percent of voters said the nation's most urgent moral problem was "greed and materialism" and 31 percent said it was "poverty and economic justice." Sixteen percent cited abortion, and 12 percent named same-sex marriage.

But the religious leaders acknowledged that the Christian right had reached more voters than the Christian left. Some said it was time for "moderate and progressive" religious groups, as well as the Democratic Party, to rethink their positions.

While pundits and GOP strategists can't stop talking about the "evangelical movement" and how it has propelled the Republican party to victory, they seem to have forgotten that vast numbers of self-identified Christians voted for John Kerry and against the reactionary anti-gay marriage amendments. The problem for these Christian liberals isn't that there aren't enough of them, but that they have been lumped together with a vocal and monied minority pushing extreme right-wing views.

Tom Perriello, an organizer at Res Publica, said the [a recent Zogby] poll shows that "while there may be a solid 20 percent who are very focused on abortion and gay marriage, for most Americans of faith, there are other moral issues of greater urgency, and that's where the religious middle is."

The fact is that most Americans are rational enough to realize that married gay couples pose no threat to them or their way of life, and that there are more important issues at hand. A fault of the Democratic party is that it allowed the GOP to assume the label of the "religious party" this election, which convinced voters that it was the party of morality. The solution to this problem: close the "God gap."

The answer to this "God gap," Perriello said, "is that progressives need to embrace the deep moral critique that people are looking for and make that case on poverty and Iraq, and not just try to talk more about God or outpace the Republicans on gay marriage or abortion."

According to Perriello, liberal religious groups registered 500,000 new voters, made 400,000 get-out-the-vote phone calls, and raised $1.75 million for newspaper and radio ads during the campaign. But he said the post-election poll found that 71 percent of voters had heard from the religious right while 38 percent said they had heard from the religious left.

It is heartening to see Christian leaders rise up against what amounts to a hostile takeoever of their beliefs by extremists. As long as they are able to keep the momentum going and continue to get their message out that many Christians support progressive policies it just might be what the Democrats need to start a dialogue with these voters the next time around.

ill_will

Detroit, MI

September 2004

NOV 10, 2004 06:37 PM

liberal christian = oxymoron

Grayce

I'm lost

February 2004

NOV 10, 2004 06:40 PM

The fact is that most Americans are rational enough to realize that married gay couples pose no threat to them or their way of life, and that there are more important issues at hand

well they dont live in cincinnati.... but i wish they did!

Shal

Los Angeles, CA

October 2002

NOV 10, 2004 07:33 PM

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

Jesus was the original liberal.

abracadabra

Seattle, WA

April 2004

NOV 10, 2004 07:44 PM

i am so sick of reading about religion....this country is so fucked...

ThisIsWhoWeAre

Oakland, CA

July 2004

NOV 10, 2004 07:52 PM

Shalome said:

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

Jesus was the original liberal.

Word!

waxangel

Baltimore, MD

May 2003

NOV 10, 2004 07:52 PM

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

Don't be stupid. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are (or were, for those that have departed) devout Christians who champion social justice, progressive values, and equality, and who all think Bush is a dangerous moron. My parents marched on DC during the Vietnam War, and my grandparents marched in Selma during the civil rights movement. Yet they manage to go to church every sunday, sing in the choir, etc. But according to you, one of these facets of their lives must be insincere? I really don't think so.

PoopooHead

Brooklyn, NY

September 2003

NOV 10, 2004 07:57 PM

Shalome said:

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

Jesus was the original liberal.

Kinda like OG, but OL.

Okay, that was lame.

JohnClement

Silver Spring, MD

January 2004

NOV 10, 2004 08:05 PM

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

I work with at least one very liberal Christian. Granted I also work with about 800 very conservative ones.

scooter11

USA

OLD SKOOL

NOV 10, 2004 09:04 PM

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

The Rev. Martin Luther King says hello!

DarrenDragon

Owensboro, KY

December 2002

NOV 10, 2004 09:07 PM

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

wasn't Martin Luther King a Christian? and if i'm not mistaken he was quite liberal.

edit: damn scooter11 beat me to it.

[Edited on Nov 10, 2004 by skinwalker]

koyanagisan

South Holland, IL

May 2004

NOV 10, 2004 09:10 PM

ThisIsWhoWeAre said:

Shalome said:

madmanjo said:
liberal christian = oxymoron

Jesus was the original liberal.

Word!

dbl Word

Cash

USA

OLD SKOOL

NOV 10, 2004 09:10 PM

wouldn't a true liberal christian refuse to fight back...and turn the other cheek?

wakeangel

Beaverton, OR

October 2003

NOV 10, 2004 09:22 PM

the thing that frightens me the most is that this nation is becoming increasingly fundamentalist and those of us who just want the words "...with liberty and justice for all" to mean something again feel the need to pander to the God-bunch. that being said Jesus was the original liberal and sadly his teachings have been hijacked in the name of fear and biggotry.
oh and please pardon in spelling errors i'm in the middle of dinner

aoife

Hilton Head Island, SC

October 2002

NOV 10, 2004 09:28 PM

I was going to make up T-shirts that said "Jesus was an anarchist." Because he was way further left than even most liberals in this country.

Cornel West's new book has lots of good stuff on liberal religious views.