Values Voters Summit: Alliances between Catholics and Evangelicals Needed

By Deacon Keith Fournier
10/11/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

For Catholics, it is time to build an effort which embraces the authentic Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church as its foundation for our political participation

Among the speakers at the "Values Voter Conference' were most of the Republican Presidential candidates. The effort of the Republican establishment to handpick the 2012 Republican nominee is failing. The group called "Values Voters" certainly shares many of those values with people like me, a Catholic, from Dorchester, Massachusetts raised in a blue collar family, who has been in exile from the Democratic Party since it sold its soul to that strange alliance which now leads it.

Attendees at the Values Voter Conference in Washington,DC

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - On the weekend of October 7 - 9, 2011, thousands of people gathered in the Nation's Capital to hear speakers address the current cultural, moral, economic, spiritual, and leadership crisis facing our Nation.

Among the speakers at the "Values Voter Conference' were the Republican Presidential candidates. Hopefully, the effort of the Republican establishment to handpick the 2012 Republican nominee is failing. The candidates are now engaged in a robust and volatile primary contest to determine who will oppose the current President, Barack Obama, in one of the most important elections in American history.

Some may feel my tone is too "strident" when I refer to our current situation in the United States as a "crisis". I am simply being blunt. We are in a crisis - and anyone with open eyes will not deny it. I have written before - and reiterate today - the 2012 election will determine the future of the American experiment in ordered liberty.

The "Values Voters Summit" was sponsored by FRC Action (formerly American Renewal), the non-profit and tax-exempt legislative action arm of the Family Research Council. The Conference represents an effort to ask whose values will form the foundation for our nation's future?

The media coverage of the event has been disappointing. The first allegedly "breaking news" story I saw from the mainstream media was actually an effort to "gin up" a news story out of comments made by one protestant evangelical pastor. He expressed concerned that Mitt Romney was a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

The LDS church membership of Mitt Romney has been known for years. The position of most mainstream Christian communities concerning the theology of the LDS church is also well known. Neither of these matters is newsworthy.

The positions which the candidates are espousing on the major issues of the age is what is truly newsworthy. Sadly, the reports concerning such important information are sorely lacking. That is why the alternative news sources, such as this one, will do what we can to report on those issues as we approach this critical presidential election.

I did not attend the "Values Voters Conference" conference for many reasons. However, I believe it is important. The group being called "Values Voters" these days certainly shares many of those values with people like me, a Catholic, from Dorchester, Massachusetts raised in a blue collar family, who has been in exile from the Democratic Party since it sold its soul to that strange alliance which now leads it.

The "Values Voters" effort is clear about acknowledging its members and its positions. Consider this comment in a recent article written by Tony Perkins for the Washington Times entitled "Values voters are key to election win" Tony Perkins is a gifted and impressive man. He serves as the President of the Family Research Council, whose action arm hosted this conference. He gave this accurate assessment of the goals of the movement and its primary constituency, evangelical protestants:

"President Obama knows what this election is about. It's about values - about whose values will govern America's future. Speaking to the Human Rights Campaign last weekend, Mr. Obama said: "I have to make sure that our side is as passionate and as motivated and is working just as hard as the folks on the other side, because this is a contest of values. This is a choice about who we are and what we stand for. And whoever wins this next election is going to set the template for this country for a long time to come.".

"We have heard some say that this election year, candidates can safely tune out "values voters" because only the fiscal issues "really matter." But the numbers don't lie. A Barna survey from April 2011 finds that evangelicals continue to represent nearly half of Republican primary voters. Thus, they hold a significant sway over who is chosen to be the GOP presidential nominee.

"Values voters are not only a large voting bloc, they are a consistent voting bloc. Barna notes, "Evangelical Christians distinguished themselves by their consistency. The issues that mattered to evangelicals in 1992 are the same issues that matter to them today." Some might pass this off as being out of touch, but as Barna explains, "Evangelicals' perspectives have remained stable, because they're based on a worldview that doesn't shift with the ebb and flow of cultural preferences and fads."

"The GOP presidential candidates recognize and support these timeless values. They are all pro-life. They all support marriage as the union of one ...

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1 - 10 of 24 Comments

abey
1 year ago
Let the alliance be on Spiritual sense not on convinence, without any tacts with the devil, Specially keeping out the gay agenda "ists."
No Way
1 year ago
Rafaelmarie, listen to yourself! People like you are the ones who become the David Koresh's and Jim Jones of society. Know what?? If the great tribulation or the great chastisement is coming, then GOOD! I hope it comes with guns blazing and in a hurry, give me streets of gold and no more sorrow asap. Just don't think that you're one of the angels who is blowing one of the horns. I'm an evangelical, though....I don't worry about the end times, My Lord and My God is welcome to take me home whenever he calls because He died for my sins. You're no more special than a lunatic. "Consider yourself warned" Ooooh! Oh no! Eeeek! I'm rilly scared, raffi. Gimme a break.
Dale
1 year ago
While I understand Deacon Fournier's desire to work with Evangelicals on a political issues, I disagree with his assessment that the controversy about Pastor Robert Jeffress. The controversy was not that Romney is Mormon, but Jeffress repeated assertions that Christians should avoid voting for non-Christians.

This is important because Jeffress does not believe that Catholics are Christian. He holds to a Whore of Babylon theology which views the Catholic Church as a tool of Satan designed to pervert Christ's teachings and lead souls astray. I think it very reasonable to assume that it a Catholic were a leading Republican candidate, Pastor Jeffress would urge Christians not to vote for that person.... because he is Catholic and not Christian..

While I think there is solid ground for cooperation between Evangelicals and Catholics, the Evangelicals also have to be willing to avoid promoting speakers who are anti-Catholic. The fact that the conference intentionally chose Jeffress to introduce Perry does cause me concern.
Rob
1 year ago
Amen Jeffrey! You've touched on a drum I've been beating for a long time. Until Christians start living like Christians in all aspects of their lives, until we begin really living out the teachings of the church, I do not think things will change. I know many of the regular commentators will be quick to blame the liberal establishment. And to some degree they are right (but I refuse to lay that solely on democrats). I really think it's our weak witness to the world that has paved the way for all this darkness. It's great we are all "God-fearing Christians" come election time, but it's just all words and the opposition knows it. And they have finally gained enough strength to exploit our weakness. All we talk about is money to the detriment of life issues. You would think our founding fathers created a corporation instead of a country!
Jeffrey Caperton
1 year ago
Thanks to Rob, I took a second look at what Kevin wrote and I am in agreement as well. The reality is that Americans vote their pocketbooks; that economic issues will always have priority over moral issues. Consequently, an ambitious politician will ignore econimic issues at their own political peril. I think the words from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, "For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be too", say it well. My argument over the years has been that the reason we do not have a Christian society is because Americans, particularly American Christians, do not really want a Christian society because that may mean sacrificing personal ambitions, material wealth or possessions for the "greater good" (For lack of a better term at the moment). We all expect the "other guy" to sacrifice for the greater good (Consider how our liberties are typically defended by the poorer members of our society in a time of war); leave me just the way I am. American Christians, Catholic and Protestant, will make a lot of noise about abortion and gay marriage, but that is generally where our calls for righteousness end.
Mr. Francis H. Boyer
1 year ago
Of course Romney being a Morman was no secret nor was it ever meant to be one I'm sure but the fact that a candidate states that he is a Christian when, as a Morman, he is not, makes his statement fair game for the other candidates. The Mormans are good people but they do not follow the Gospels nor the Person of Jesus Christ. About ten years ago the Vatican stated that the Morman Baptism is not valid. They believe in it (fine) but their convuluted idea of the Trinity et al, as the then Cardinal Ratzinger stated cannot be reconciled to true Christianity. So the Baptist Minister is right, they are a cult.
Steve
1 year ago
I read all the comments posted so far, and I'm a little surprised in that no one has focused on Natural Law. Natural Law goes beyond any political affiliation, or any religious denomination. Simply put, applying St Thomas Aquinas' primary precept, "Good is to be sought, evil avoided". All people should be able to understand that which is good, and that which is evil. The problem, it seems, comes when this precept is applied to one's self in certain situations. We can all pretty much justify our actions, especially if our conscience is not properly nutured and formed.
rafaelmarie
1 year ago
No Way,

Let us see you saying that when this nation in it's death throes of the great chastisement.

When people will be jealous of the dead, because their suffering is so great.

Let us see how much of an idiot I am now in trying to warn everyone they can do something now, rather to say, I should of listened to rafaelmarie?

But by then it will be too late, and you will be feeling like the real idiot.
Rob
1 year ago
I sort of agree with Kevin on this one. Let's assume that given the current field, everyone examines the social doctrine of the church and ends of voting republican mostly due to the life and marriage issue. I just don't believe that will change anything. I don't believe that any of the candidates that are currently running will ever make any of the "value" issues a top priority in their platforms. I've never seen any of these values take center stage in the GOP field because there is only room for fiscal matters and defense. Those things aren't bad, but I really do think we are kidding ourselves if we think a tidal wave of republicans is going to change anything, particularly in regards to abortion and gay marriage. Maybe you get a reversal of the Mexico City policy (not inconsequential), but it will be status quo in this country. Maybe they pick up the fight with DOMA, but even that isn't producing much fruit. The most we can expect is some hybrid of the status quo. And I have to be honest, that isn't what I'm voting for and I feel betrayed. I really do think that if the Christian vote is so huge as the article states, then maybe it's time to stop making deals with the devil and form our own party. Let's put our money where our mouth is and go for it. Because we aren't getting anywhere with the status quo. Abortion is alive and kicking for 40 years with no signs of abating. Well I guess we might chip away at it because we can't afford it (planned parenthood funding), but to me that is just sad and further evidence of what is really driving policy in this country. We eliminate abortion funding because of fiscal concerns, not because of some renewed conscience.
JeanCatherine
1 year ago
Keep in mind I dont believe the last of the Popes were Anti-Christs but I do think there is something to some of what Yves Dupont wrote.

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