Posted on 04/23/2007 11:02:52 AM PDT by areafiftyone
The list, which was published last week by Religion News Service (RNS), hopes to show the strong influence that religion has had on the “Grand Old Party” over the past years, and how these leaders’ voices may solidify a candidate’s run towards the presidency.
“When Focus on the Family founder James Dobson can raise doubts by questioning whether Fred Thompson is a ‘Christian,’ or prays the nation doesn’t get ‘stuck’ with a President John McCain, that really reflects the power religious conservatives have to shape the GOP run for the White House,” said Kevin Eckstrom, editor of RNS, in a statement. “We wanted to find out who the GOP candidates are talking to, and maybe more importantly, who is returning their calls.”
Written by national correspondent Daniel Burke and senior correspondent Adelle M. Banks, the list features several outspoken Christian conservatives as well as activists and grassroots organizers.
The top GOP “King Makers,” in no particular order, are as follows:
• James Dobson – founder of Focus on the Family who has around 220 million listeners from his radio broadcasts.
• Richard Land – the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest protestant denomination in the United States.
• Rod Parsley – pastor of the megachurch World Harvest Church, which has about 14,000 members. The church is located in Ohio, which is a major swing state during elections.
• Michael Farris – founder of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. According to RNS, one observer said he had "a network of home-schoolers that will do anything for him."
• Pam Olsen – president of the Florida Prayer Network who has a network of pastors throughout the state. Florida is also a key swing state for elections.
• Don Wildmon – head of the American Family Association (AFA) and major speaker about societal issues. He speaks on 185 radio stations in 36 states.
• Tony Perkins – president of the Family Research Council (FRC), an outspoken Christian lobbying group located in Washington.
• Steve Scheffler – head of the Iowa Christian Alliance which as 4,000 members. According to RNS, it is the most active and credible religious group in the state.
• Jay Sekulow – chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, originally founded by outspoken Christian Pat Robertson. Sekulow has argued several cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Tamara Scott – Iowa leader of Concerned Women for America, a large U.S. conservative Christian political action group. She has talked with nearly every GOP candidate, according to RNS.
Religion News Service is a Washington-based source of news about religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues.
They left me out. Huh.
Well I hope these people get it together pretty soon. Time’s a-wastin’.
They left out JR and/or FR.
Its weird to note they mentioned several folks for their media credentials and left out Rush Limbaugh who has a huge audience of listeners.
If these people are so influential, why don’t we have a better selection of candidates? No, I think the GOP doesn’t really value their Christian support any longer. They have bought the lies of the left and are forever trying to prove the evil “Christian Right” doesn’t really have any power. Well, apparently they don’t. But the idea that they shouldn’t is an idea of profound discrimination. And it has nothing specific to do with their being Christian. It’s that they are American citizens and have as much right as anyone else to their poltiical opinions and influence. Each person gets free speech and one vote. It’s all equal. When you have a radio program with millions of listeners then you have more opportunity. But that’s just the way freedom works. The left has been very successful at pushing the idea that religious people shouldn’t have an equal voice or opportunity to influence policy, unless of course they are from the religious left. Truth is, the religious right (small r’s) really has little representation any longer. Times are changing fast. Too many Christians are so confused about whether or not it is a sin to be political that they just roll over and wave a white flag. Or they get suckered by socialist thought. Perhaps their blindness is by God’s design, a punishment for their sins of apathy and worldliness. Even those who feel no guilt for being a responsible citizen still weaken and compromise much of the time.
Does Don Wildmon really have that big of an influence?
Does anyone have a list of these people and who they are getting behind for the GOP primary?
About the only one I listen to on a regular basis is Jay Sekulow.
I don’t think any of them are endorsing anyone just yet.
They left out Rush because he is not a professional Christian.
Dobson seems to be angry all the time. He has become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
I don’t know who any of these people are.
Hey, what about the Heathen News Network?
(chuckle)
A Christian myself, I can’t abide self-styled kingmakers like Dobson attempting a religious litmus test on men like Thompson. Dobson wasn’t anointed or appointed or elected by anybody to be the arbiter of all that is Christian, or to determine if a given candidate is Christian enough.
In my view, a GOP candidate shouldn't seek and doesn’t need the blessing of a wannabe Protestant Pope.
LOL! Hillary owns and operates that one.
‘LOL! Hillary owns and operates that one.’
(chuckle)
There's a reason that Mitt Romney pulled in more cash than any other GOP frontrunner, and it isn't because he's a churchgoing man.
That said, some of the guys named above I wouldn't really consider to be big religious figures, but more or less media personalities or in one case, a lobbyist.
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