A notice on a political Web blog about a forum being held tonight caught my attention.
The headline, “The Democrat Capture of American Christianity,” is quite telling. It appears on today’s list of items featured on Illinois Review, the “crossroads of the conservative community.”
What strikes me most is that I didn’t realize there was an American Christianity. And the headline infers that this form of Christianity is foreign to Democrats. So whatever the Religious Left practices is not only un-Christian, it’s un-American, … I guess.
The item on Illinois Review promotes an event being held at 6 p.m. tonight at the new office for Americans for Truth About Homosexuality in the Kingsland Ministry Center building, 25W560 Geneva Road, Suite 8-D, Carol Stream. The event will feature Linda Harvey, founder of Mission: America, who will speak about, “How the Democratic Party and the Religious Left are Constructing a New False Faith for America.”
Anyone interested in attending must reserve a seat by calling Angela at (847) 722-5330 or AFTAH at (630) 717-7631. People also may R.S.V.P. by e-mailing americansfortruth@comcast.net. Donations will be accepted at the door.
The way this event is being promoted here strikes me as a little odd. If the bedrock foundation of this nation is individual liberty, the concept of American Christianity would imply an individualistic approach to this religious faith.
But this seems to be something that Illinois Review, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality and Mission: America oppose. They believe there is one true faith for Americans to accept, and it’s not what people on the left are promoting.
Individual liberty includes religious freedom, and no patriotic American would dare hinder this cherished right. But once again religious freedom gives all Americans the ability to practice their religious faith according to the dictates of their own conscience.
This means that true Americanism does not mandate any particular faith, so “American Christianity” would appear to be an oxymoron. So the suggestion that lefties are corrupting the true American faith is illogical because their is no true American faith. The only thing universal about a true American faith is that it is whatever you choose it to be.
This does not mean there is no truth in the Christian faith. These organizations may believe that leftist policies pose a challenge to the way they want to practice their faith, and this is a legitimate concern.
But when it comes to homosexuality, I’m not sure members of these groups have cornered the market on the ultimate Christianity truth; perhaps no one has. What’s evident is that we Americans have the freedom to live out our faith as we see fit, not something imposed upon us by someone else.
I’d like to attend this event to see what Harvey has to say. If I do, I’ll follow up with an additional blog post.