Does Dobson Speak for Me?

by Fidel "Butch" Montoya

One of the biggest concerns about the news media covering religious news and issues of Evangelicals revolves around the central fact of who actually represents the point of view of this large diverse group.

The on going controversy and questions as to whether the Religious Right is dead or is irrelevant to the issues of the 2008 Presidential election continues to generate more questions and interest in the mainstream news media.

This election year we have seen a resurgence of new voices raising concerns and wanting to be heard. Many members of the Evangelical sector of the Church have tired of being aligned with the voices of the Religious Right and in particular of Rev James Dobson.

In Colorado, a diverse and cross cultural interfaith group of religious leaders are tired of being misrepresented by Dobson and his cohorts at Focus in the Family and have formed “We Believe Colorado.” We Believe Colorado has committed to work together on issues of common interest and to represent faith groups not aligned with the dying breed of the Religious Right leadership.

A question continually bought up, “Is why does the cable and network news media think that Rev. James Dobson speaks for the majority of religious and value voters?” That is one question We Believe Colorado can answer. Dobson and company do not speak for the new voices of religious leaders fighting for justice and righteousness and who have no interest in taunting our faith as a wedge issue.

Faithful America, a national grassroots group committed and motivated by their faith to press for solutions to moral issues of our time, studied some interesting statistics and data after Rev. James Dobson’s crew dug up an old 2006 speech by Sen. Barack Obama on his faith.

You can just see it now, all these researchers at Focus on the Family focusing on finding old speeches by Senator Obama. They found at least one speech they could use to attack the senator.

Faithful America also reviewed the news coverage given to Rev. James Dobson’s unwarranted attack on Senator Obama’s 2006 speech. The critique centered on how the news media allowed itself to be hoodwinked by the Dobson speech machine and take as truth whatever Dobson claimed was news worthy.

We Believe Colorado immediately recognized Dobson’s remarks as mere propaganda from the oracles of Colorado Springs.

The question Faithful America asked was, “What religious story dominated the cable networks last week?”

Given two choices, what story do you think would create more news or opportunities to break it down for more interesting quotes and observations – the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life releasing a groundbreaking survey of 35,000 Americans documenting the diversity and tolerance of people of faith and the growing consensus by people of faith around issues like poverty and the environment or Rev Dobson attacking Sen. Obama’s 2006 speech?

The surprising or alarming answer to the question was the news cable talking heads and pundits chose the out dated 2006 speech.

Given the two choices, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX NEWS on Tuesday, June 24, mentioned the Rev. James Dobson’s comments 189 times criticizing the two year old Obama speech.

The new landmark Pew study and survey barely made the news with just 8 mentions.
This situation gives the impression that Obama’s 2006 speech is a priority in our religious community. Allowing the news media to pick our national spokespeople and issues is something we need to challenge.

Rev. James Dobson does not speak for me or many other interfaith religious leaders and it is time the national news media understands that fact.

To ignore ground breaking news from the Pew Institute for comments from an old speech that occurred two years ago is not only irrelevant to the issues of this election, but also irresponsible. It is merely creating a false narrative and distracts from the important issues of people of faith.

To continue to give Rev Dobson the title as national spokesperson for Evangelical religious leaders and believers is misleading the American public and distorts our values and faith priorities. It also sends a false picture of who we represent.

Clearly, Rev. James Dobson does not speak for me, so to the national media news editors/producers, “Get over it, Dobson is old news and his nasty misleading comments have no room in our efforts to use our faith to fight for justice and truth.”

Opinion: On homosexuality, Can we at least talk about it? By Professor David Gushee

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Here is an interesting opinion piece by David Gushee, university professor from Mercer University - a tenured professorship that protects his freedom of speech and writing. Obviously, it is an issue that has created over a million sermons or as McDonald's would advertise..."billions and billons sold."

I don't suspect it will change anyone's opinions, but as Professor Gushee says, can we at least talk about it?

I guess you can say I am not "tenured" and some will find it wrong for me to even bring this subject up.

Professor Gushee was willing to write the op ed, I am just asking you to consider reading it.

It is a controversial issue, and always will be a wedge issue for some. It is an interesting article, I trust you will at least take the time to read it.

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Faith Based Latino Initiative



Opinion: On homosexuality, can we at least talk about it?


By David Gushee

Published: March 27, 2008

(ABP) -- I'm one of the few leaders in Baptist life with the freedom to talk openly and honestly about the complex theological, moral, pastoral, and public policy issues raised by homosexuality without destroying myself professionally.

Because I hold a tenured professorship in Christian ethics at Mercer University, I am one of those rare souls who can talk candidly about this hot-button issue. And these days I'm finding it hard to avoid the nagging and unsought conviction that this freedom now demands responsible exercise.

Methodology is everything. Starting points are everything. Glen Stassen and I wrote a widely read book in which we argued that truly Christian ethics focuses relentlessly on Jesus Christ. It starts there, it dwells there, it ends there. All statements about Christian morality -- all statements about anything -- must fit with the Jesus we meet in the Gospels. Jesus is where God meets the world, and thus where any who bear his name must meet the world as well.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He defined neighbors to include everyone. Absolutely everyone. He sharpened that definition by calling us to attend to those regarded as the last, the least and the lost. The most rejected, the most hated, the most abandoned, the most feared, the most loathed, the most despised, the most mocked -- these are the people to whom Jesus most directs us to offer our love.

I go to press conferences sometimes and talk about what Christians ought to stand for in society. Two times in recent months I have finished one of these press conferences and been approached quietly afterwards. Both times a young man has handed me a business card and gently said something like this to me:  Please do not forget about me and people like me. They were homosexuals. They were seeking Christian love. They were asking for some help.

In my doctoral dissertation I studied Christians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. I discovered that in that horrible drama there were essentially four categories of behavior: victim, perpetrator, rescuer and bystander. Most instances of mass evil involve a small number of direct perpetrators killing a large number of hated victims in the presence of a much larger group of acquiescent bystanders, and resisted by a tiny number of rescuers. Scalded by that research, I have vowed with God's help to be a rescuer kind of Christian.

In light of the hatred, mockery, loathing, fear and rejection directed at homosexuals in our society -- and in our churches -- I hope to God that I am not and never have been a perpetrator. But I fear I have indeed been a bystander. I am trying to figure out what it might mean to be a rescuer.

There are always very, very compelling reasons to be a bystander. Mainly these revolve around self-interest. You live longer when you are a bystander. People like you more. And even if you entertain nagging questions of conscience about your inaction, in the end it is easier to stay out of it. And so the hated group keeps getting thrown under the bus.

There are dozens of such particular flashpoints related to the issue of homosexuality. Christians, their churches, their denominations and their institutions are arguing about everything from homosexuality's causes to whether active gays can be church members or leaders to even whether gay couples can appear alongside other families in church pictorial directories.

I want to begin a dialogue in this column by simply calling for the rudiments of Christian love of neighbor to extend to the homosexual. And the place to begin is in the church -- that community of faith in which we have (reportedly) affirmed that Jesus Christ is Lord. I call for the following Christian commitments:

-- The complete rejection of still-common forms of speech in which anti-homosexual slurs (queer, fag ) are employed either in jest or in all seriousness

-- The complete rejection of a heart attitude of hatred, loathing, and fear toward homosexuals

-- The complete rejection of any form of bullying directed against homosexuals or those thought to be homosexuals

-- The complete rejection of political demagoguery in which homosexuals are scape goated for our nation's social ills and used as tools for partisan politics

-- The complete rejection of casual, imprecise and erroneous factual claims about homosexuality in preaching, teaching or private speech, such as,  All homosexuals choose to be that way.

-- The complete recognition of the full dignity and humanity of the homosexual as a person made in God's image and sacred in God's sight

-- The complete recognition that in any faith community of any size one will find persons wrestling with homosexuality, either in their own lives or the lives of people that they love

-- The complete recognition that when Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, that includes especially our homosexual neighbors, because the more a group is hated, the more they need Christ's love through us

There is more to be said. But this is at least a place to start.

-30-

-- David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University. www.davidpgushee.com

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Lead or Move Aside

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

The struggle for justice and righteousness for undocumented immigrants is becoming a more difficult proposition. The Bush Administration is pushing for more and more enforcement of the antiquated immigration laws on the books.

Undocumented immigrants are now being held in new detention centers while they are being sentenced for up to five months in jail before deportation. This creates a basis to arrest the undocumented immigrant if they return to the USA as “criminals.”

The Homeland Security Department, specifically ICE is beginning to squeeze more and more communities with high “Latino” populations. There are more and more reports of ICE arresting and deporting USA citizens.

ICE has no inclination to trying to verify citizenship, only deportation. The government does not care if you are a citizen or not, if you don’t carry the necessary paper work, you are bound to be deported.

The New York Times reported that, “At the same time, in the last year, local police departments from coast to coast have rounded up hundreds of immigrants for nonviolent, often minor, crimes, like fishing without a license in Georgia, with the end result being deportation.”

In Oklahoma, the reports continue to come out that the police continue to target Latino drivers at roadside stops where documents are demanded by the police. Some of the Latino USA citizens are now carrying passports or birth certificates to avoid being jailed.

All across the country, Latino Evangelical churches are suffering in attendance as more and more of our brothers and sisters are afraid to go to church.

Afraid to go to church because we have seen the tentacles of corrupt ICE officials stalking Latino Christians in camp grounds, churches, homes, jobs, grocery stores, and schools.

It is a very sad time in our country where gasoline prices are at record high prices and continuing to climb with no end in sight.

The war in Iraq almost forgotten in the news media and the American memory of men and women who continue to die in a war with no end.

The American economy whirling out of control with higher prices for food, unemployment getting higher, and a recession causing more havoc with the economy and no one seems to really care.

Yet with all of these problems, many Americans continue to refuse to take the blinders off and continue to blame “Mexicans” for all of our problems.

Meanwhile, because the American economy is sliding downward, it is beginning to seriously affect the worldwide economies of other countries as well. Imagine a serious world wide recession on the horizon which I suppose we can blame on “the Mexicans” as well?

For many of the pastors and ministers who have not stopped to realize the consequences of a broken immigration policy and being run amuck by the Bush Administration’s policies, it is time to pray and seek God's wisdom.

Yet, I continue to be amazed at the apathy and uncaring attitude by many Latino Evangelical ministers who refuse to acknowledge that God demands that we “act justly, seek mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6)

To “act justly” is seek justice for the lost and unrepresented and not to use our Bible as blinders.

To “seek mercy” is to ensure that we do not allow injustice to create lack of respect for humanity as we pray in our stained glass churches.

To “walk humbly with our God,” means to understand we are not to be arrogant with our titles and knowledge…but to be servants to serve the needs of the people.

But as we continue to ask and beg pastors and ministers to pray for undocumented immigrants in our country who are being abused by unscrupulous businesspeople, a mean-spirited government, racism and bigotry of our neighbors and fellow Christians, we must continue to find more avenues of service beyond prayer.

We can encourage those members of our congregations who meet the requirements to become citizens to do so. We must encourage ALL who have not registered to vote, but who are qualified to do so, to register to vote. And most importantly, vote in greater numbers than Latinos did during the primaries.

Es Tiempo de Votar, It is Time to Vote! It is time for our community to vote and express our indignation at the failed policies of the past, and to vote for change that will bring solutions to the broken immigration policy of our country.

WE must not become the political pawns of any party. We must stay true to our community’s values and principles of family, life, and justice.

We do not seek the attention of any candidate that does not carry in his heart the values we hold true.

The Latino community must also demand that the politicos in the church and in the political parties to listen carefully to the demands we have for justice, liberty, and righteousness for all.

To our fellow Church “religious leaders” who have forgotten we must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, lead or move aside.

Fidel “Butch” Montoya
H. S. Power & Light – Latino Faith Based Initiative

Who Answers the Phone at 3:00 a.m.?

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

The hour of defeat that Hillary Clinton fought so hard against to acknowledge is finally here. Hillary will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank her supporters and pledge her support to Obama.

In a letter to supporters, Hillary says, “I made you, and everyone who supported me, a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never look back. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.”

As difficult as is to finally concede the race, there is no getting around the fact that Senator Obama reached the magic number of delegates he needed to make him the prospective nominee for the Democratic Party.

For Obama, who has risen to power in meteoric fashion, faces his first major challenge. He must try to convince Hillary supporters he is the best candidate.

Odd when you compare resumes, there simply was no contest. Hillary has worked her whole life for this moment, and in short fashion, it has been taken away by someone whose resume is still questionable.

In terms of experience, the questions will remain during the election season, but finally we will have the answer to the question, who best can respond to that 3:00 a.m. telephone call? McCain or Obama?

Yet in the middle of all of the new challenges now facing the Obama campaign is the fact that many Latino Hillary supporters have vowed not to support Obama.

Among 18 million Americans who voted for Hillary during the primaries, was the fact that the Latino vote gave Hillary the margin of victory in states like New Mexico, Texas, California and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

While obviously some Latinos will support Obama, there is still no indication where the majority of the Latino vote will go. The Latino vote was there for Hillary when her campaign needed their votes.

In her letter to supporters, Hillary also wrote that “together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.” So will Latinos follow Hillary's advise and vote Obama or will McCain benefit from the Latino vote?

Yet, the Obama candidacy so far hasn’t been able to create much excitement in the Latino community. The crowds have come out to hear the candidate, but thus far the Latino vote was squarely in Hillary's corner.

I am not sure that Obama has made any noteworthy effort to reach out for this group of voters. If he has any plans to do so, now would be the right time to show that he intends to fight for the Latino vote.

At this point while Hillary makes her pledge to support Obama, it will interesting to see if her political decision affects the Latino voter one way or the other.

Will the Latino community listen how Obama intends to reach out on policy issues and other campaign issues important to this voting group or will they turn to help McCain, the champion of comprehensive immigration reform?

No question, the Latino vote remains a significant factor in the upcoming election season as McCain and Obama begin to fight for the right to be President.

Hillary will try to make the case for her supporters to work for Obama, “My differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.”

Yet 16 months is a long time to bash Obama and in one day try to convince her supporters that he is better than McCain. There will need to be efforts by Obama to ensure his Cabinet for one thing is reflective of our county.

Hillary’s prominence as a national political friend to the Latino community, with her defeat, it will be viewed as a great loss to the Latino community.

If the Democrat leadership expects the Latino community who supported Hillary to just drop their Hillary for President signs, shows they have not learned the lessons of this year’s primary.

Can McCain convince the Latino voter to support his Republican ticket? While other GOP candidates have squandered their chances of getting the Latino vote back, McCain is about the only one who could repeat as Bush did in bringing back 35% or more Latino voters. That could be the winning margin…again.

Let’s hope the Obama top advisors don’t believe the Latino vote will be there for the taking. For one thing, the Latino community will not just give its vote away again now or in the future.

It is time for Obama to show us that he intends to fight for the Latino vote, understanding that the margin of victory still may be in the hands of the Latino community.

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative

IMMIGRATION

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
Special to Caminos - Latino Quarterly - Chieftain - Pueblo, Colorado

New focus sought on immigration debate
Four Corners conference proposed to bring a rational voice to divisive issue.

While many pundits and political consultants predicted that immigration reform issues would be the hot wedge issue of the 2008 presidential campaign, the issue has all but disappeared from the national narrative on human justice.

Many felt the presidential campaign consultants would use the issue to create a climate of hate, division and fear.

For one thing, presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain, along with fellow U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, were co-authors of the comprehensive immigrant reform bill that Congress refused to act upon earlier this year. McCain backed away from the issue in fear of losing the conservative vote and no one has carried on the fight, and so it has become a back burner issue.

State legislatures across the country have tried to pass new “reform bills” but many of these bills are merely temporary fixes that will only reap more racism. These quick fixes will not create the solutions needed, except perhaps to create more chaos, confusion and fear about raids, deportations and fractured families.

Knowing that interest has waned nationally on undocumented immigration, Dr. Tom Acker, professor of Spanish at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, has come up with a novel plan along with other academic colleagues.

What they are proposing is a Four Corners conference that would be to revisit the issue of immigration and devise a new, strategic plan to present to the new president.

The conference would be the first of its kind in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Acker hopes we would learn from one another experiences and draw from those perspectives to come up with a new approach.

I spoke with Acker and asked him why yet another conference on immigration.

“This perennial issue is emotionally charged and fraught with misunderstandings, half truths and fear mongering,” Acker said. “It is the role of an institution of higher learning to provide a space where this issue can be examined from multiple facets in a dispassionate, professional and academic manner.”

It would almost be like doing an autopsy, examining the issue from the experiences of the many individuals involved in the volatile issue. Participants would prepare a comprehensive report with a national agenda to restart the debate again, but only this time with a strategic plan of action.

Acker even has come up with a name for the conference that is devoid of the emotionalism and hate the issue entails.

He calls it the “Conference on Immigration: Its Social, Political, Economic, Pedagogical and Cultural Repercussions.”

He says they hope to have this conference sometime in April or May at Mesa State.

What Acker proposes and what has created the great interest, particularly along the Front Range, is what Acker says is a way to bring the doers and thinkers together.

It brings all of us to the table, to think together. What a novel idea!

“This conference will provide an opportunity for interaction between theory and praxis, the thinkers and the doers,” Acker said. “We hope that this event will create a synergy that, by inviting important keynote speakers whose expertise will generate interest, will attract serious regional participants in the conference as well.”

Imagine the undocumented immigration issue under the direction of theory and praxis, and with a goal to present the recommendations to the new president, and pledge to work with the new president to get it done right this time.

Fidel "Butch" Montoya is director of H.S. Power & Light, a Latino faith-based initiative, and former manager of safety for the city and county of Denver.