|
|
|
IX.) BJCPA
and the “How to Win” Manual: Defenders of Abortion,
Homosexuality, Pornography and
Offensive “Art.” 1.
This
section of our BJC flyer, probably better than any other, illustrates our point
about the BJC. The How to Win manual is one of the most blatant examples of the
left’s pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, pro-pornography and
pro-federal-funding-for-offensive-art agenda, all wrapped up into one neat
little political training manual. The
BJC’s leadership role, as documented at the front of the manual, tells the
whole story. Consider also, that
two of the BJC’s closest allies, Americans United and People for the American
Way, were also singled out for their leadership roles in the manual.
This section sums up everything we find to be wrong with the BJC.
With open arms the BJC embraces the most radical left groups in American
politics and then participates in the production of their far-left political
training manual, specifically to discredit and tear down the efforts of conservative Christians to be the
“salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” 2.
Mr.
Tichenor claims that this issue is a “totally baseless attack.”
However, Baptist Press felt it was important enough to write two articles
on the BJC’s involvement in the How to
Win manual (See Indiana
Baptist, June 13, 1995, pgs. 24-25)
and the CLC’s [ERLC] Richard Land wrote two separate editorials about it in
the CLC’s publication, Salt.
(Salt, Vol. 5, #2, 1995, pg. 2 and Vol. 5, #3, 1995, pg. 2)
3.
In
an effort to down-play the BJC’s role in the How
to Win manual, Tichenor states that “the BJC had a very limited role in
the publication of the manual…” But,
out of the coalition of 68 liberal organizations involved in the manual, seven
were given “special thanks” on the page entitled “Acknowledgments.”
Among those seven were the BJC, Americans United and People for the
American Way. According to the How
to Win manual, these three groups were given “special thanks” for their
“hard work” which “made this manual a reality.”
Consider again that 68 very liberal groups made up the How to Win coalition and only seven were awarded “special
thanks,” and three of those groups, AU, BJC and PAW are very closely related.
To argue for “a very limited role” is ridiculous.
The How to Win coalition represents the BJC’s allies in their battle
against conservative, Bible-believing Christians, which they identify as the
“Religious Right.”
4.
The
PAW/BJC relationship is most significant because PAW president Carole Shields is
a member of the BJC’s board of directors.
Likewise, Dunn is a former member of PAW’s board of directors.
This being said, it is most interesting that on the PAW website, under
the heading “The Action Line,” PAW reveals “a sampling of actions recently
undertaken by [PAW’s] Action Line members.” ·
“Defend
Public Support for the Arts” Under
this heading, it states: “[PAW] Action Line members rallied around the NEA
(National Endowment for the Arts) on two occasions this year.
In March, they contacted congressional leaders on the importance of the
NEA on Arts Advocacy Day and urged them to support the $136 million funding
level recommended by President Clinton.” ·
“Protection
of Equality and Diversity in the Workplace”
Under this heading, it states: “[PAW] members were urged to write
letters and call American Airlines with encouraging words regarding its
progressive personnel policies for Gay and Lesbian employees, their sponsorship
and participation in events relating to Gays and Lesbians and for its marketing
outreach to these communities.” ·
“Support
for Ellen” Under this
heading, it states: “When it was highly speculated that Ellen Morgan, the lead
character of the ABC sitcom Ellen was
going to ‘come out,’ many extremists were there to protest ABC, Walt Disney,
and Touchstone Pictures. [PAW]
members responded by contacting the President of Network TV and Television
Animation at Walt Disney and Touchstone Television and urged him not to bow to
political pressure and voiced their support for diversity and freedom of
expression on TV.” ·
“International
Family Planning” Under this
heading, it states: “[PAW] members were encouraged to contact their Senators
to release international family planning funds by March 1, 1997.
These funds have critical importance for women’s health worldwide but
were being delayed due to attacks by the Christian Coalition.” · “Late Trimester Abortions” Under this heading, PAW expresses its support for the partial-birth abortion procedure: “[PAW] members were urged to write their Senators and ask them to support President Clinton’s veto of H.R. 1833. This dangerous legislation would have banned a specific abortion procedure, even when it was necessary to save the life and health of the pregnant woman.” (Note: H.R. 1833 was the partial-birth abortion legislation vetoed by Clinton. The Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR) also sent a letter to Clinton supporting his veto of this legislation. (See Section II.3 for the list of signers to this letter.) (http://www.pfaw.org/actline.htm) 5.
On
July 8, 1997, People for the American Way issued a press release titled,
“Despite Growing Cultural Presence, Gays See a Hostile
Climate.” The subtitle
states: “People for the American Way Releases State-by-State Chronicle of
Anti-Gay Activity; Pattern of Hostility Traced to Religious Right Groups.”
The press release begins: “Despite the growing visibility of gay men
and lesbians in American culture, institutional bigotry is as pervasive as ever,
according to a major report released today by People for the American Way.
Hostile Climate, a book that
chronicles institutional anti-gay activity state-by-state, finds a distressing
increase in the number of incidents reported in 1996.”
The press release continues: “The report also concludes that a
significant proportion of anti-gay discrimination results from planned activity
by far-right groups claiming to act in the name of religion.”
The press release further noted: “In analyzing anti-gay activity, Hostile Climate found a pattern of bigotry fostered directly by
national conservative groups claiming to act in the name of religion.”
Quoting PAW president (and BJC board member), Carole Shields, the press
release continues: ‘“Despite or because of their rising profile in popular
culture,’ said People For the American Way President Carole Shields, ‘gay
Americans are the targets of rampant institutional contempt at work, church,
and in the hall of government. While
gay people may be increasingly popular in Hollywood, they are increasingly
targeted for discrimination throughout America.’”
According to “a special foreword to the report…the challenge ‘is to
make anti-gay prejudice and bigotry as
appalling to Americans as racism; to make discrimination against gay men,
lesbians and bisexuals just as
illegal as discrimination against African Americans and other minorities; and
finally, to make diversity something we celebrate as a people, not just
tolerate.’” Concerning the TV sitcom “Ellen,” the PAW press release states:
“…while this year’s pivotal TV episode of ‘Ellen’ marked an important
milestone in societal acceptance of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, an enormous
amount of progress remains.” Critical
of conservative Christian organizations for their opposition to homosexual
behavior, PAW’s president is again quoted: ‘“On a daily basis,’ says
Shields, ‘Religious Right leaders go on television and radio and hammer gay
men and lesbians. They accuse them
of ‘recruiting’ children to homosexuality in the public schools, and they
charge them with trying to undermine the American family. And they say these outrageous things in the name of God
Almighty. It’s offensive to my
own Baptist upbringing, and offensive to millions of other Americans who think
it’s wrong to use faith as a tool to divide our society.’”
6.
Note
also that PAW provided one of the directories at the rear of the How
to Win manual which identified 116 organizations across the country whose
work includes gay rights, abortion rights, censorship, education and the arts.
The How to Win manual is still listed as a resource that can be
purchased from PAW. In fact, the
entire 252 page How to Win manual can
be down-loaded from the PAW Internet website.
Indeed, PAW and the BJC have a lot in common. PAW, however, is just more open and public about its views.
7.
Mr.
Tichenor states that: “The BJC entered
into the [How to Win] coalition effort
to produce the manual because it believed that a document was needed to enable
people to oppose the philosophy of many on the radical right that would water
down religious liberty and knock down the wall of separation between church and
state.” According to the
manual, the radical right includes the American Family Association, Christian
Coalition, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Focus on the Family,
Rutherford Institute and numerous other conservative Christian groups.
The very reason these groups are referred to as the “radical”
Religious Right is because of their strong opposition to abortion, homosexual
behavior, federal funding for the arts and pornography. Never
is the BJC found in coalitions of the Religious Right.
The
question also arises, if the BJC felt so strongly that “a document was needed
to enable people to oppose the philosophy of … the radical right,” then why
doesn’t the BJC offer the manual at annual Missouri Baptist conventions?
If this manual is about opposing the Religious Right because of their
anti-religious liberty, anti-church/state agenda, then as a faithful
“religious liberty watchdog” the BJC should share its resources and insights
with the rest of us less enlightened members of the Southern Baptist family.
Mr. Tichenor answers clearly why the BJC does not offer this
“resource” at annual MBC meetings when he states: “If in fact such
pro-abortion material had been or were being distributed at the BJC booth which
was contrary to the positions on abortion which Missouri Baptists have expressed
through various resolutions then there certainly would be a basis to request
that such material not be distributed.”
(pg. 5 of
Tichenor’s response)
Not only is the How to Win manual pro-abortion, it is extremely pro-homosexual,
pro-pornography and pro-federal funding for offensive “art”
-- art that has even
included the desecration of Christ. |