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Christian right vows to stay strong under Obama

For Christian right leaders, Senator Barack Obama's victory last week was a huge setback that left some in the midst of a grieving process. While things may not be going well for the movement, some of its leaders vowed to not only survive under an Obama administration but to thrive.

"Nothing unites Christian conservatives more than a common enemy, and here the enemy is a radical liberal agenda," said Rebecca Hagelin of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation on Christian Broadcasting Network on Monday.

Hagelin made sure to clearly state that president-elect Obama himself is not the issue, but rather a "nation and a Christian movement" that she believes has fallen asleep and left the door open to a radical liberal agenda.

"There are a lot of dangerous social agenda items and I think you will see the church rise up to fight these like never before," she contended.

Issues at stake, she noted, include a long list of measures preventing abortion - such as parental notification, informed consent and bans on partial birth abortions - and free speech if the Fairness Doctrine is passed into law.

Similarly, Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America predicts that Obama's radical leftist policies could have a reverse effect on many Americans.

"If [president-elect Obama] implements the policies that he says that he believes," Wright said, "many people in America ... may be shocked enough that we'll see the pendulum swing the other way."

While David Kuo, CEO of the social networking site Culture11.com for the cultural conservatives, also foresees great opportunity for conservatives, he thinks that the movement will ultimately evolve to be more progressive in the next few years.

He highlighted that the movement is undergoing a generational shift and that it is likely to stay socially conservative but be more progressive in terms of the agendas it advocates for.

"I think the religious right has an enormous opportunity to be reconstituted in a way that may be even more reflective of an agenda that Jesus might pursue," Kuo said, according to ABC news.

Some evangelical leaders have already begun to pursue agendas beyond the movement's big three issues of abortion, marriage and justices.

Added: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 22:22 (GMT)

Oh dear... we all thought the dinosaurs didn't make it on to the Ark because Noah couldn't fit them in but in fact they slipped in disguised as rightwing Xtians and are still with us today thriving all over the USA and ensuring the world will vaporise in climate undoings.

Isn't it time they visited their shrinks, took the pills and read some world history to extend their knowledge beyond the village 'welcome' sign?

To even begin to think there is anything the least bit 'socialist' or even 'left wing' about 'the mos-lim guy' is to demonstrate an appalling level of total ignorance, God provided no doubt.

Freedom is not to be found being locked into fairy tales.... but in reading the tales, absorbing the 'moral' if there is one, and growing up to take the responsibility mentioned in the Garden of Edan fairy tale....

Please.... we need to move beyond complete stupidity to ensure the world does not vaporise in some battle between religious halfwits from the worlds two biggest fairy tales.

howard haighter, sydney australia

Added: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 17:22 (GMT)

God forbid the conservative movement becomes any more "progressive" (to use the liberal coined buzz-word). We compromise too much already! I, as a man in my mid 20s, am part of this younger generation and can say from experience that the reason we don't tend to fit into the traditional conservative movement is not a generational gap issue. It's a spiritual issue. The people in my generation are not conservative because they're not saved, period. Also, one of the worst things we could do is embrace the global warming hysteria. As a professional scientist myself, I have examined the evidence for man-caused global warming and found it to be complete BS and pseudo-science. Evidence currently suggests we're at the beginning of a cooling trend if anything as a result of the current sun-spot cycle. Many pastors have lost my respect by jumping on that bandwagon. Some conservatives are so concerned about appearing ignorant and backward to the world that it ends up being a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts. God gave us brains and he expects us to use them. If the conservative movement wants to add a "global-warming" plank then count me out. I'll go it rogue and continue fighting for what I believe in on my own. And I am sick and tired of all the PC rhetoric coming from the body of Christ. "President-elect Obama himself is not the issue"? BS. He sets the party agenda! The most radical elements are HIS agenda. He is the enemy and its not un-american or un-biblical to say that! To all the wishy-washy tip-toeing conservatives in the church I have three words: "Grow some b*lls." Don't compromise with the world.

Brent, Durham

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