BJCPA: Civil Religion, Politics and Allies

Of the Religious Right, BJCPA Executive Director James Dunn writes: "Why not let the righteous rule? If for no other reason, than that they are so damned certain they’re right, that’s why!" (Lead sentence in Dunn’s regular column in Report from the Capital, July/Aug 1993, p. 15)

Criticizing the National Prayer Breakfast under the Reagan administration, BJCPA Executive Director James Dunn wrote: "The National Prayer Breakfast, which thousands attended recently, appeared to many to be laudable piety, a nation on its knees before God. Was it in fact a church on its knees before Caesar? Was this a civil religion so flattered that it had been invited to the king’s table that it forgot that the prophet speaks God’s word to the king and must never be bought? THE FALSE prophet tells the king what he wants to hear. He is the court chaplain, whose function it is to give sanction of religion to the wishes of the king. ... The false prophet or court chaplain represents civil religion at its worst." (Florida Baptist Witness, Aug. 25, 1983, p.7)

But under the Clinton administration, Dunn was not only "invited to the king’s table" for a prayer breakfast, but helped White House public liaison official Mike Lux "put together the invitation list." (Washington Times, Sept. 4, 1993, p. C-I, "Scope of Clinton’s Outreach")

At a 1993 meeting called National Religious Leaders’ Symposium On America The Beautiful, BJCPA Executive Director James Dunn was one of several Religious Left speakers. Reporting on the event, the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, July 24, 1993 issue, states: "Margot Adler, who will speak and celebrate rituals today and Sunday in the Springs as part of the America the Beautiful celebration, is the best known chronicler of contemporary Paganism." Identifying Adler as a "Wiccan priestess since the early 1970’s," Adler "summarizes the essentials of modern paganism as: ‘The world is holy. Nature is holy. The body is holy. Sexuality is holy. The imagination is holy. You are holy."’

Other speakers included: the Rev. Ms. Meg Riley of the Unitarian Universalist Church’s office of gay and lesbian concerns (Riley serves on the governing board of Americans United with Dunn); Rev. Dr. Paul H. Sherry, president of the United Church of Christ and Rev. C. William Nichols, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Meeting jointly in St. Louis just before the Colorado meeting, Sherry and Nichols criticized the Clinton Administration’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy for gays in the military. The two church leaders stated, "The new policy fails to fulfill President Clinton’s pledge to reverse the ban on service by gays and lesbians in the armed forces." (Religious News Service, July 23, 1993 p. 2) (For more information see "defense" section XV)

Founded in 1980 by television producer Norman Lear, People for the American Way (PAW) has become a leading defender of pornography, abortion, homosexuality and government funded offensive "art." In its early years, BJCPA Executive Director James Dunn served as a member of PAW’s board of directors, causing much concern among Southern Baptists, who at the time was supplying the vast majority of the BJCPA’s funding. According to a 1984 article in Christianity Today: "[PAW] raised the ire of some Southern Baptists because of its relationship with the Playboy Foundation. PAW received a $40,000 grant from the foundation and has placed ads free of charge in Playboy magazine. It enraged Southern Baptist conservatives when PAW mentioned the BJC in connection with Dunn." (Christianity Today, March 16, 1984, p44)

According to a Baptist Press story, "Dunn told Baptist Press that on Jan. 11, 1984 ‘I declined renomination to the board of that organization."’ He continued, "Leaving the leadership...[of PAW] does not reflect any retreat from working with groups with different degrees of disagreement." (Baptist Standard, Jan 25, 1984, p.3)

While Dunn no longer serves on the board of PAW, he does still maintain close relationships with PAW leadership through other organizations. Numerous PAW leaders serve with Dunn on the governing board of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and another less known organization called The Churches Center for Theology and Public Policy, described by the BJCPA "as a ‘think tank’ for churches dealing with political issues." (Report from the Capital, May 1991, p9)

The current president of PAW, Carole Shields, serves as a board member of the BJCPA. Her father, Grady Cothen, served as a co-chair of the BJCPA’s Religious Liberty Council. (Carole Shields’ written testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, July 23, 1996) (For more information see "defense" section XVI)

In his prepared comments before the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society, Dunn refers to the Religious Right and of conservative Southern Baptist leaders as: demons, shysters, extremists, doctrine driven-madmen and ideological idiots. The rise of conservative Christians in the political process, Dunn refers to as "the plague." Pat Robertson is referred to as "sleaze." (1994 speech before the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society. The July, 1994 issue of The Whitsitt Journal contains an abridged version of the speech.)