Thank you David Kuo for always maintaining a Jesus-centered perspective, no matter how politically-offensive it is to do so. I was unaware of Reed’s efforts, though failed, to encourage fundamentalists in actually following Jesus’ teachings. When Jesus tended to the sick, the poor, and the dying, it didn’t involve: a) preemptively bombing them based on sloppy, opportunistic rumors, b) unlawfully occupying their land & other natural resources,c) illegally incarcerating them, or d) systematically torturing them.

You would think that given the notion that Mr. Reed supposedly agrees with, writing, ‘And while they may occasionally be mistaken or their enthusiasm misplaced—for as the apostle Paul said we all see through a glass darkly in this world’ that he would encourage a more judicious approach when said evangelicals make such extreme pronouncements about groups that they would seek to ‘help’ with their Christian values.

Please, let’s give the “religious right” a rest! Ralph is right on target here. The truth is that confessional and evangelical churches are doing a heck of a lot more for the downtrodden than the liberal churches in most cities. Do you consider Tim Keller to be a member of the religious right? Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church has set very high standards for making ministries of mercy a priority, and has spawned dozens of like-minded churches in the theologically conservative Presbyterian Church in America. These Calvinistic, socially conscious Presbyterians do not fit your “religious right” mold.Just because most of us (outside NYC) are Republican does not mean that we identify with the tired old cast of characters usually associated with the “religious right.” I spent most of my life in the liberal PCUSA. The big difference between the liberals and us is that we reach out to the poor with both word and deed. All you get in the liberal church is deed, and those deeds are disppearing as fast as their membership.If it makes you feel better, I spotted a Jim Webb bumper sticker in my church parking lot!

Why must we always compare – ” The truth is that confessional and evangelical churches are doing a heck of a lot more for the downtrodden than the liberal churches in most cities. ” Good people everywhere want to help the poor, the dispossessed, the widow and the orphan, the prisoner and they really want to be merciful. Left, right – there are good people there and there are institutions that avoid actual – well – action. The Pope – actually both recent popes – have condemned the war, questioned the morality of both communism and capitalism, yet the only discussion about morality I ever hear is about stem cell and abortion. As repugnant as abortion is – this war is an obscenity created and kept going by a false kind of moral thinking. The American bishops have had nothing to say about the war. they do worry about getting homosexuals out of seminaries, the niceties of liturgy, using only precious metals for celebrating Eucharist, who’s allowed to touch the vessels; and who is practicing birth control. As a Catholic – I’m embarrassed by these guys – they’re afraid to take a politically difficult stand so they talk about stupid stuff and make it sound important. Same thing happens in just about every church I can think of. The church is good, the church is fallen, the church must be redeemed – to paraphrase Walter Wink. So, a David Kuo comes along and says – you have to be honest to follow Jesus and this is how you do it. You speak truth – not approved junk. We only model what we see and to be honest – the media prefers a James Dobson or a jerry Falwell to a David Kuo. James and jerry play to the basest of religious impulses and the media likes the reactions and the polarizing arguments. It sells. So David, we always need a model to know what to do. Count yourself as the guy for now. We’ll all try to be more truthful and less concerned for being a good person in the church. Thanks for jumping off the cliff for us. We will follow.

And don’t forget, taking ill-gotten gains from casinos to help the poor.