One Nation, Under God, By Any Means Necessary, Part 2
Equally disturbing is this article from Rolling Stone (which I found via Paul Waldman at The Gadflyer) detailing a Dominionist conference:

It's February, and 900 of America's staunchest Christian fundamentalists have gathered in Fort Lauderdale to look back on what they accomplished in last year's election -- and to plan what's next. As they assemble in the vast sanctuary of Coral Ridge Presbyterian, with all fifty state flags dangling from the rafters, three stadium-size video screens flash the name of the conference: reclaiming america for christ. These are the evangelical activists behind the nation's most effective political machine -- one that brought more than 4 million new Christian voters to the polls last November, sending George W. Bush back to the White House and thirty-two new pro-lifers to Congress. But despite their unprecedented power, fundamentalists still see themselves as a persecuted minority, waging a holy war against the godless forces of secularism. To rouse themselves, they kick off the festivities with "Soldiers of the Cross, Arise," the bloodthirstiest tune in all of Christendom: "Seize your armor, gird it on/Now the battle will be won/Soon, your enemies all slain/Crowns of glory you shall gain." Meet the Dominionists -- biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government. As the far-right wing of the evangelical movement, Dominionists are pressing an agenda that makes Newt Gingrich's Contract With America look like the Communist Manifesto. They want to rewrite schoolbooks to reflect a Christian version of American history, pack the nation's courts with judges who follow Old Testament law, post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse and make it a felony for gay men to have sex and women to have abortions. In Florida, when the courts ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed, it was the Dominionists who organized round-the-clock protests and issued a fiery call for Gov. Jeb Bush to defy the law and take Schiavo into state custody. Their ultimate goal is to plant the seeds of a "faith-based" government that will endure far longer than Bush's presidency -- all the way until Jesus comes back. "Most people hear them talk about a 'Christian nation' and think, 'Well, that sounds like a good, moral thing,' says the Rev. Mel White, who ghostwrote Jerry Falwell's autobiography before breaking with the evangelical movement. "What they don't know -- what even most conservative Christians who voted for Bush don't know -- is that 'Christian nation' means something else entirely to these Dominionist leaders. This movement is no more about following the example of Christ than Bush's Clean Water Act is about clean water."

Some of the same folks from the Confronting the Judicial War on Faith conference also show up here, including Rick Scarborough:

To implement their sweeping agenda, the Dominionists are working to remake the federal courts in God's image. In their view, the Founding Fathers never intended to erect a barrier between politics and religion. "The First Amendment does not say there should be a separation of church and state," declares Alan Sears, president and CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund, a team of 750 attorneys trained by the Dominionists to fight abortion and gay marriage. Sears argues that the constitutional guarantee against state-sponsored religion is actually designed to "shield" the church from federal interference -- allowing Christians to take their rightful place at the head of the government. "We have a right, indeed an obligation, to govern," says David Limbaugh, brother of Rush and author of Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity. Nothing gets the Dominionists to their feet faster than ringing condemnations of judicial tyranny. "Activist judges have systematically deconstructed the Constitution," roars Rick Scarborough, author of Mixing Church and State. "A God-free society is their goal!"

This has to be, hands down, the weirdest passage:

It helps that Dominionists have a direct line to the White House: The Rev. Richard Land, top lobbyist for the 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention, enjoys a weekly conference call with top Bush advisers including Karl Rove. "We've got the Holy Spirit's wind at our backs!" Land declares in an arm-waving, red-faced speech. He takes particular aim at the threat posed by John Lennon, denouncing "Imagine" as a "secular anthem" that envisions a future of "clone plantations, child sacrifice, legalized polygamy and hard-core porn."

I didn't realize that was John Lennon's intent. But it seems these folks can twist just about anything around to meet their agenda:

[Gary] Cass (executive director of Reclaiming America) also presents another small-town activist, Kevin McCoy, with a Salt and Light Award for leading a successful campaign to shut down an anti-bullying program in West Virginia schools. McCoy, a soft-spoken, prematurely gray postal worker, fought to end the program because it taught tolerance for gay people -- and thus, in his view, constituted a "thinly disguised effort to promote the homosexual agenda." "What America needs," Cass tells the faithful, "is more Kevin McCoys."

The two conferences that are detailed in this post and the previous post are not reflective of the majority of Christians, even conservative Evangelical Christians, in this country (as evidenced by the polling on the subject of government intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, where a majority of even conservative Evangelical Christians were against the intervention of the President and Congress in a family affair). But these folks have the loudest voices and unfortunately they cannot be ignored. But there's work to be done, and I agree with Paul Waldman's assessment:

The dominant trend in Christianity today is the Purpose-Driven, super-casual megachurch, where you can grab a latte on your way in, it's OK if you wear shorts to Sunday service, and the sermon is more Oprah Winfrey than Oral Roberts. Take in a few minutes of a sermon by Joel Osteen, the hottest young pastor on the scene (just flick around at night at the top end of your cable channels - you'll run into him), and you begin to think that accepting Jesus isn't so much about eternal life and ultimate truth, but more about getting along with your spouse, being effective and happy in your job, and being smart with your money. Progressives shouldn't fear this trend - whether you think it leaves something to be desired theologically, it's a kinder, gentler version of faith and religious practice that doesn't demand much in the way of smiting of infidels. And people who adhere to it will be open to progressive arguments - and will also be turned off by people like the Dominionists.