[Cal]

Another example is Rick Warren. There is probably no more influential advocate for Christian charitable serving in the world today. He is succeeding in changing the face of the Church. (Probably to one you would like better, Peter.) But do you think the media gives him credit for this? I haven't seen it. They grudgingly respect him but still warily watch him. Why? Because he's still fairly conservative and an abortion opponent. And when he says anything political they don't like, you can bet they aren't going to call attention to his charitable efforts. They are going to try to paint him in a bad light. I know because I've seen them do it.

Imagine if Larry Ficklin (see last post) had not been a Christian pastor, but a gay artist. Do you think the media, had they caught wind of that, would have missed the chance to trumpet his name far and wide? Had that been so, you can bet you would have heard of Larry Ficklin.

The media's message would have been "See? Gays can be great people, too. Don't you feel bad for being prejudiced against them?"

Do you think they are looking to trumpet the same about Christians? Nope. So maybe what you "see" about Christians has more to do with what the media reports than what's actually going on.

I'm not for stridency and self-righteousness. But to say Christians should refrain from political advocacy because some are that way is an over-correction, IMHO. That's playing right into the hands of the bullies.