scary stuff

The Institute on Religion and Democracy

Why am I just finding out about this organization? I have been told that members were quite present at General Assembly, and that a preacher in Austin is a member of their think tank. They have written a piece entitled "Saving the Soul of the Presbyterian Church".

From their mission statement:

In our own society, cultural trends are sapping the virtues and institutions of “civil society” necessary for democratic life. These worrisome trends include an extreme emphasis on the autonomous individual, the elevation of rights over responsibilities, a hostility toward definitive moral standards, an excessive dependence upon the state to solve all problems, and the cultivation of divisive identity politics. Perhaps the most serious threat to American democracy comes from the fragmentation of the family, the building block of society.

Nor is democracy in a good state abroad. A large part of humankind still lives under regimes that violate basic human dignity. Hundreds of millions of religious believers suffer persecution or restrictions in the exercise of their faith. Dictators espousing communism, radical Islam, militant nationalism, and other doctrines deny the very notion of universal human rights. By binding their peoples in political shackles, they also make it more difficult for them to rise up from poverty.

Never has there been a greater need for strong churches, as a crucial component of civil society. America and the world require a fresh impetus of Christian evangelization, transforming both individuals and cultures. Yet tragically, important segments of the American church are spiraling into deep decline as they retreat from this task. Particularly in the historic “mainline” Protestant denominations, but also in other churches, many leaders and institutions have lost their focus on the Gospel, the basis of their existence. They have turned toward political agendas mandated neither by Scripture nor by Christian tradition. They have thrown themselves into multiple, often leftist crusades – radical forms of feminism, environmentalism, pacifism, multi-culturalism, revolutionary socialism, sexual liberation and so forth.

Not all of these causes are entirely unjust. But they have gone awry and inflicted serious damage upon the church and society. In pursuit of radical political agendas, church leaders have alienated members, undermined church structures of openness and accountability, and rendered their own ministries ineffective. They have exacerbated the social trends that they ought to have been resisting.

bolded emphasis mine, as always.  This really creeps me out.  I know the Religious Right is everpresent, but I just don't associate them with the Presbyterian church.  Boy, the times they are a-changing.