Carter, Clinton organizing moderate Baptists: COALITION WOULD BE 20 MILLION STRONG

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Jan. 21, 2007
Carter, Clinton organizing moderate Baptists
COALITION WOULD BE 20 MILLION STRONG
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post
WASHINGTON - Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are leading an effort to forge dozens of small and medium-size, black and white Baptist organizations into a robust coalition that would serve as a counterweight to the conservative Southern Baptist Convention.

The giant SBC, with more than 16 million members, has long dominated the political, theological and social landscape among Baptists, often spawning resentment among smaller Baptist groups. It also has been closely aligned with the Republican Party.

The new coalition, which is Carter's brainchild, would give moderate Baptists a stronger collective voice and could provide Democrats greater entree into the Baptist community. But Carter and other organizers are trying to walk a fine line, insisting that the alliance is not directly political while touting its potential to recast the role of religion in the public square.

``We hope . . . to emphasize the common commitments that bind us together rather than to concentrate on the divisive issues that separate us,'' Carter said. ``There's too much of an image in the Baptist world, and among non-Christians, that the main, permeating characteristic of Christian groups is animosity toward one another and an absence of ability to cooperate in a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood.''
(snip/...)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/nation/16512494.htm?source=rss&channel=mercurynews_nation

[Doctor_J]

1. Ths would be great

It's waaaaaay past time that Falwell and Robertson were sent to the margin. Big Dog is a LOT more religious and faith-filled than the sanctimonious purveyor of death that currently lives at 1600, and JEC is probably the kindest man ever to live there. Time to shine a light on the Religious Wrong.

[AtomicKitten]

2. excellent

47,000 evangelical churches have come out in support of fighting global warming. Most Democratic tenets are genuinely Christian-oriented, not this Old Testament hate-mongering crap. They will become a strong army in 2008 and balance out the fundie monster church vote.

[4bucksagallon]

3. You can't convince me there are 20,000,000 MODERATE baptists..............

They appear to believe only what the bible says and that's it... Literal translation only thank you very much. Hmmmmmmmmm the word anal comes to mind.

[Geek_Girl]

6. Jimmy Carter, Al Gore and Bill Clinton are all Southern Baptist

I've known many Democratic Southern Baptist they have moderate views. I'm not sure about 20 Million but there are allot of them out there.

[tabasco]

4. This is a needed effort. Christianity has become more about hate than love.

Political opportunists have exploited religious people and it just makes me sick to see good people turned into haters and racists.

[mntleo2]

5. It's Good To See Clinton Working With Carter Instead Of ...

...so much with Bu$h Sr. I am glad he and Carter are finally publicly working together. This "bipartisanship" crap the the DLC people tried just did not work IMO, especially since it embraced the wingnuts and kept out progressives, who are actually the ones with the most sense. Yeah it was nice to see Clinton and Bu$h Sr. working together with the tsunami stuff and all, but sheesh, Carter had to win a freakin' Nobel Peace Prize before he had enough "credibility" to be seen with the likes of the Clintons. Oh yes, Carter was SUCH a kook just because he was actually DOING things for the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised instead of just talking about it like Clinton did.

When Clinton signed into law the most horrible and demeaning bill with Welfare Reform, he embraced the likes of Gingrich and his elitist white trash minions like a lover and together they tore down some of the most humane and sensible repairing of America's underbelly that history had ever seen, joining in with that old idiot Reagan's "welfare queen" myth. It was then I turned to the Green Party for awhile and still embrace many of their beliefs. Meanwhile Carter has worked with his own bare hands for homelessness around the world ~ including the USA, because he knows Americans in poverty are as much of a 3rd world country as many countries around the world.

So yay, Clinton is actually no longer ashamed to be seen in public with Carter, but boo it took long enough! Maybe he will learn a few things about what is really humane and care about AMERICANS instead of trotting around the world to everywhere BUT American 's innner cities and poverty areas, and then pass that insight on to his wife.

Yeah right

My 2 cents

Cat In Seattle

P.S. On edit: And don't EVEN try to point out how Clinton's office is in Harlem, where gentrification is driving out all the affordable housing, as it is doing all over the country, including my city.