Group Headed by Dobson: Pray for Rain at Obama Acceptance Speech

This is what it has come to. This article, below, is the kind of thing we hear more and more of--and so does the rest of the world. Yet another spokesman for the so-called evangelical Christian Right has provided to the world their view and their example of what it is to be a follower of Jesus and reflect his love, patience, compassion and trust in God to the world. This is their take on what it is to live and share Christ in such a way that the world will feel His love for them. How could it come to this? How could confessing Christians become so co-opted by secular politics, and so distort the Christian walk? I am so sad and sick about it.

Last week, however, Focus [on the Family] unveiled a new video, asking politically-conservative Christians to pray for rain on Aug. 28, in order to disrupt Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Shepard called for "abundant rain, torrential rain ... flood-advisory rain." He adds, "I'm talking about umbrella-ain't-gonna-help-you rain ... swamp-the-intersections rain." Explaining why he wants everyone to pray for rain, Shepard explains, without a hint of humor, "I'm still pro-life, and I'm still in favor or marriage being between one man and one woman. And I would like the next president who will select justices for the next Supreme Court to agree."

In other words, Obama disagrees with the religious right on culture-war issues, so Focus on the Family wants God to smite Obama with rain. Got it.

And this is the image of evangelical Christianity that for some time has been set in the minds of non-evangelical Christians and non-Christians. Despite your earnest protestations and historical explanations, evangelical Christianity (the contemporary, protestant definition and interpretation, that is) is now inextricably linked and identified as a right-wing political identity and right-wing political machine. And James Dobson joins with both parachurch and church organizations in leading it.

But I don't sense or hear any direction remotely like this in the voice of Jesus I encounter in the Scriptures, nor the voice of the gentle, humble Jesus that I hear in prayer through His Spirit that indwells me. I don't know about you, but the evangelical Christian Right does not reflect my Christian identity, nor the walk I feel called to by my Lord. It is not my identity--and I want people to know it.

Greg Hudson

[Thanks, Laura.]

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/94853/group_headed_by_james_dobson_asks_christians_to_pray_for_rain_at_obama_speech/