"The Beginning of the End of the Religious Right?"

You see that headline and assume it's someone opposed to the religious right authoring it, don't you? Wrong. The writer of the column carrying that headline is Cal Thomas, a card-carrying member of the religious right and an outspoken advocate for their cause in his syndicated columns, radio shows, and Fox News.

The clumn was prompted by the closing of what Thomas referred to as "One of the major players in what came to be know as the 'Religious Right' in the 1980's," The Center for Reclaming America for Christ. This was a part of Dr. James Kennedy's (one of the more extreme of the right-wing preachers that has infiltrated politics) Coral Rigde Ministries.

Thomas uses this occasion to give a brief overview of where he believes the conservative Christian insertion into the national political process stands, and it's not pretty:

Nearly 30 years after religious conservatives decided to re-enter the political arena -- after abandoning it as "dirty" and leading to compromise -- what do they have to show for it? The country remains sharply divided and the reconciling message they used to preach has been obscured by the crass pursuit of the golden ring of political power. In the end, they got neither the power, nor the Kingdom; only the glory and even that is now fading, as these older leaders pass from the scene. (James Kennedy is 76 years old and recovering from a heart attack).

Too many conservative Christians have focused on the "seen" rather than the "unseen," thinking appearances at the White House, or on "Meet the Press," is evidence that they are making a difference. And too much attention has been paid to individual personalities, rather than to the One these preachers had originally been called to exalt.

To paraphrase a verse familiar to most Christians, what shall it profit a man if he gains the White House, but loses his own soul?

Christians are also fond of saying God never closes one door without opening another door. The "door" of the Center for Reclaiming America has closed. The new doors can produce a more effective politics, if what's on the other side is based on a message that has less to do with partisanship and more to do with the One who transcends all politics and Who lends His power only to those who will use it as He instructed.

These are some powerful and, I believe, inspired words from someone who generally sits on the other side of the isle from me when it comes down to the issues of the day. His points about religious leaders focusing on politics and losing their focus on God is dead on. If his perspective would be given serious consideration by men like James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Tony Perkins, etc., we would see a much different and far less antagonistic and polarized political landscape, one which might actually focus on acceptance of ALL people and the care of those who are sick and/or poor.

Wayne Besen, Executive Director of the GLBT advocacy organization Truth Wins Out, wrote this about the closing of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ:

Today we celebrate the demise of one of the most insidious anti-gay groups in America that incited intolerance by pumping out virulently anti-gay propaganda,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ bet the bank on the ‘ex-gay’ message, and by doing so, bankrupted their credibility after their rising ‘ex-gay’ star crashed and burned.”

“This is a cautionary tale for right wing organizations that think jumping on the ‘ex-gay’ bandwagon is good politics,” said TWO’s Besen. “In the short term, it might cause some opponents to shudder, but in the end, it may lead to the shuttering of windows and doors with a sign that reads, ‘Out of Business.’”

Let's hope Besen is right and that, as people become more aware of reality, it becomes more difficult for organizations to gain anything by using the whole "ex-gay" myth and the people who allow themselves to be exploited by it.