WITH RANDALL BALMER
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SFR: Is this a perfect time to release your book [Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America] considering the current political climate?
RB:
I think it is. What I find striking is how, up until now, there has been a lack of any real push-back from the Left in terms of what's been happening politically in this country for the last six years. Now there's starting to be a spate of books that are trying to both rally support and make a case for liberalism. What makes this book different is that I
write from the perspective of an insider, as somebody who acknowledges himself as an evangelical Christian.
How come it's taken liberals so long to fight back?
I think September 11 is a big factor. Fear is a powerful force and we have an administration that knows how to use fear very effectively for its own political advantage. Another factor is that the Democratic Party is in shambles, and I say that as a proud and loyal Democrat. For me, the 2004 election was a wake-up call. I had to decide at that point-after checking the Canadian embassy Web site-if I was going to find another place to live or if I was going to be mad as hell and try to do something about it. I vacillated for weeks between those impulses and finally decided I was mad as hell and I was going to do something about it.
What kind of backlash are you expecting from conservatives?
I will be Swift Boat-ed, there's no question about that. These people strike with merciless efficiency. First they'll try to ignore the book, then they'll try to discredit me as an evangelical Christian-I'll put my credentials up against anyone in that respect-and then I think they'll resort to gratuitous personal attacks.
What's the difference between the Religious Right invoking God in their support of war against "terrorists" and Islamic insurgents invoking God in their support of war against "invaders?"
My quarrel with the Religious Right is that they're insufficiently pro-life. You have these people who profess to hear a 'fetal scream' and yet they turn a deaf ear to the cries of those who are being tortured in the name of a government that they put into place. I am appalled that there is not outrage in this country over the use of torture. Simply because the administration names somebody an 'enemy combatant' does not absolve us from the moral obligations of avoiding torture.
As a professor of religious history at Columbia University, in what sort of historical context could you place what's happening in America?
I think the Religious Right has perverted and bastardized the New Testament and they've also defaulted on the noble legacy of 19th century evangelical political activism. Evangelicals in the 19th century were very concerned about the plight of minorities, about the plight of women and about trying to help the poor and those on the margins of society…What I find regrettable about the Religious Right is that, in my judgment, their agenda is indistinguishable from the platform of the Republican Party.
What separates you from professed evangelicals like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell or James Dobson?
The leaders of the Religious Right have led their people astray. Where I distinguish myself from each of those leaders is that
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I take seriously Jesus' words when he says, 'blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are the poor.' When Jesus says, 'love your enemies,' I seriously doubt he meant that we should torture or kill them.
You were recently ordained as an Episcopal deacon in the Diocese of the Rio Grande. What do you think about the controversy over gay bishops and the election of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first woman to lead the church?
The Bible has a whole lot to say about a lot of things. One of the things that it doesn't have a lot to say about is homosexuality-or abortion for that matter. Jesus himself said nothing about either topic. Jesus did say quite a bit about loving one's neighbor, about caring for the poor and about acting as peacemakers in society. Somehow we've got this all twisted around and I think the Religious Right is a big part of that.
How long have you called Santa Fe your [part-time] home?
My wife and I have been coming to Santa Fe since the early '90s. We decided several years back to see if we could find an inexpensive place where we could hang our hat rather than shelling out for hotels and so we finally did that a few years ago.
Is Santa Fe really as liberal as people make it out to be?
[Laughs] I love the bumper stickers in Santa Fe. Santa Fe has the best bumper stickers of anywhere I've traveled in America and I've been to all 50 states. I'm not sure it's quite the People's Republic of Santa Fe, but it lists in that direction. Which is why I love it.
George W Bush: no-nonsense Christian or obstinate simpleton?
I think George W Bush isn't quite as stupid as his enemies think he is. He calls himself a Christian and I have to defer to him on that, but his policies suggest a remarkable tone-deafness to the New Testament. I don't understand how anyone can call himself a follower of Jesus and permit the torture of human beings, engage in a reckless war or dedicate himself so relentlessly to the perpetuation of poverty.
