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Southern Baptist Institutions Endorsing Candidates (pt. 3)
The Southern Baptist Convention is not naive enough to directly violate prohibitions outlined for 501c3 institutions. They have their own slate of attorneys keeping them informed. As I mentioned, they have gone on record trying to overthrow existing laws protecting First Amendment prohibitions. I have found that skirting the law or coming close to violations has become more and more a norm in the past few years. As an example of a back handed endorsement, SBC publications often speak highly of GOP politicians like J. C. Watts featuring their pictures with affirming articles.17 On the other hand, publications from the agencies often portray Democratic leaders in a negative light. For example one headline reads, "Gore, Gays and God".18 Thus reminding the faithful of Al Gore's link to homosexuals, which serves to offer up red meat to an audience that many claim votes only two issues, gays and abortion. Another feature article headlines Jimmy Carter's affirming view of Mormons.19 Romney's Mormon connections are excused by the crowd because he's a Republican. The Southern Baptist ethic and public policy organization is laced full of Religious Right and GOP activists. Agency staff member, Tom Strode was a member of the ultra Fundamentalist Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. A church made famous when its pastor accused Jimmy Carter of promoting secular humanism through the government. This Washington team, as it was called, has James Smith, who formerly worked for the U. S. House of Representatives Republican Study Committee.20 Although convention magazines cannot endorse candidates officially, nothing stops them from featuring stories on special public GOP figures. Single Magazine carried a cover photo of Condoleezza Rice, current GOP Secretary of State.21 Controversial ten commandments judge, Roy Moore, adorned the cover of Homelife Magazine in 1997. He was invited to speak at the pastors conference at the SBC Convention a few years back when Moore was running for public office in Alabama. Marilyn Quayle was on the cover of an earlier issue of Homelife. Jerry Sutton was in line to be president of the SBC with supporters pushing him to the forefront. On Jerry's resume was the Justice Sunday Sutton hosted on national TV. On the simulcast Jerry had a message to Democrats after losing the last election. The message was "Liberalism is dead". In the broadcast Sutton said Terri Schaivo was murdered by her husband. The church Sunday night service was turned into a rally to support Supreme Court appointments.22 An update on Sutton is his current battle to survive his own church. A group of members is accusing Jerry of using church funds much in the same way Richard Roberts was accused of using for his daughter. I have, in my files, a church bulletin from Sutton's Two Rivers Baptist Church. The church is encouraging members to go door to door in voter registration drives. The Austin Statesman newspaper wrote about the annual SBC meeting in Indianapolis saying, "...its political subtext was unmistakable in this election year. There is a war raging, for souls and for votes. By convention's end, the Southern Baptists were dispatched with a mission as much political as religious."23 The New York Times featured a photo of SBC president, Jack Graham, standing applauding a message delivered live from President Bush, whose image was posted on a huge screen overloooking the crowd.24 At the meeting Paige Patterson lead a prayer characterizing President Bush as more of a religious leader like King Solomon of the Bible than a secular king. Earlier in the year, Jack Graham had encouraged Southern Baptist churches to use their churches to promote voter registration.25 Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd, a rising star in the machinery of the Fundalmentalist Baptist movement, went even farther in using the church to engage in electioneering. In a July 4 sermon Floyd used his pulpit, aired on National TV, to embrace President Bush. Claiming he was just speaking his mind and not endorsing anyone, critics sluffed off his excuse claiming that any small child could have understood what he was implying.27 Legal expert on church/state issues, Brent Walker, said Floyd's sermon was a direct violation of IRS rules.28 The farthest our of the far right SBC is represented by recent vice president Wiley Drake. Drake has been connected to Dominion theology and claims to be a chaplain for the Minutemen. The Minutemen are the militia group that monitors the Mexican border. The recent Vice President has signed a document endorsing the killing of abortion providers.29 Drake used the SBC letterhead as 2nd Vice President to endorse Republican Dick Mountjoy of California. Lawyers from the SBC saw Drake as a loose cannon and warned him to cool it.30 Drake did openly what many of them are doing under the table. Jerry Falwell once blurted out an endorsement on SBC radio that had to be checked. The Convention leaders had to hustle to repair the damage caused by such an outburst. However, a Convention that openly hosts theocracy advocate and ORU grad David Barton has been skating on thin ice for over a decade. At least Wiley Drake is open enough to be honest in his endorsement. One might uphold Drake for not being as sneaky as his cohorts.
1. www.patriotism.com 12/11/02
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