Dueling for Values
But we do have reason to say a firm, aggressive "No" to extremists on either side who try to impose their religious--or secular--beliefs upon the rest of us. The recent televangelical rally that accused supporters of Senate filibusters of being against "people of faith" was pernicious--it was in effect accusing them of being antireligious--and President Bush was wise to distance himself. The attempt to purge a church in North Carolina of nine parishioners just because they voted for Kerry clearly goes over the line. It is also alarming to read allegations of proselytizing of and discrimination against nonbelievers in the Air Force Academy.
To be sure, people of faith have legitimate grievances against secularists who they believe look down on evangelicals and try to strip the country of its religious heritage. The lawsuit to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance is but one of many examples. As liberal evangelical Jim Wallis argues in his bestseller God's Politics , we must resist extremism in every guise.
But we must also recognize that there are multitudes of people on both sides of the divide who share many of the same beliefs and aspirations. Rick Warren, for example, recently visited leaders in Africa to see how his flock might help end abject poverty. The National Association of Evangelicals is signing up against global warming. Sens. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, and Jon Corzine, a New Jersey Democrat, have joined forces on Darfur. Good for them!
Still, strife is in the air. It is more important than ever that we work hard to understand each other's moral imperatives. It is long past time that we talk across the divide.
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