Liberals’ Faith Message Ringing Hollow
From CitizenLink

Religious liberals worried that they’re losing their influence to religious conservatives are looking for ways to be more relevant, but their message may be getting in the way.
A recent example of the harsh rhetoric came from John Danforth, a former Missouri U.S. Senator, ambassador and Episcopal minister. “The loudest religious voices, whether they’re Muslim (or) Christian . . . are the people who advocate divisiveness,” he said, adding that “those who think religion brings people together need to speak up or risk being drowned out by extremists.”
If that’s not enough, Naomi Chazan, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, accused “fundamentalists” of thinking they have all the answers to all the questions -- and that terrifies her.
Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for the pro-family group American Values, told Family News in Focus those kinds of comments are a direct attack on conservative Christians. “These liberal activists,” she explained, “are targeting people like Focus on the Family, the minister and the neighborhood church, that person in the community who says, ‘I want my children to say the Ten Commandments or to speak the Pledge of Allegiance.’”
Barrett Duke, vice president for research at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said he understands why religious liberals are getting nervous -- their message has become irrelevant. “They have long ago lost the confidence in their beliefs to be able to offer real answers to people that actually help them in their lives and actually point them to a God who can help them,” he said.

This article is from CitizenLink the on-line policy and culture information news service of Focus on the Family ministries. For more information or to subscribe to this free service, log on to http://www.citizenlink.org.