As I mentioned previously, I found Culver and Dorhauser’s book Steeplejacking to be both highly informative and deeply disturbing. Most importantly – it was effective. It was well-written, and it did a good job of conveying the threat to mainline churches. It also sheds light on the actions of the neo-conservative Institute on Religion and Democracy an organisation that is probably most effective when it remains in the shadows.
Unsurprisingly, this has has prompted backlash by the IRD. Also unsurprisingly, the IRD smears have been uncritically parroted by other rightwingers. Frederick Clarkson has documented two of these smears by the IRD – one last week, and now a new one. Clarkson reports that both of these are highly inaccurate attack pieces. Hopefully it says that Steeplejacking is having the desired effect. An organisation founded by rightwing Catholics and funded by the ultra-rich (including the Scaifes and the Ahmansons) that campaigns to destroy mainline churches for doing the mission that Jesus gave to the church… Well, you’d think they’d want to keep their role as low-key as possible.
For more details, see Talk to Action’s Shadow War On Mainline Churches section.
Filed under: Institute on Religion and Democracy, Progressive Christianity, Religion, Steeplejacking
