BRING ON THE PAGANS…. Once in a while, it’s good for political activists to expand their rhetorical repertoire a bit. Conservatives, for example, have been complaining about “liberals,” “Hollywood,” and the dearth of “family values” for decades. The culture-war language is stale, and more likely to produce eye-rolling than passion.
Perhaps it’s time for the right to bring back an oldie that we haven’t heard emphasized in a while. (via Lee Fang)
Two leading voices of the Republican Party’s evangelical wing visited Rock Church [in Hampton Roads, Virginia] on Friday for a forum aimed at recapturing some of the movement’s political momentum.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee urged Christians to get involved in politics to preserve the presence of religion in American life.
“I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history,” Gingrich said. “We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism.”
Now we’re talking. It’s one thing to lament feeling surrounded by liberalism, but to feel surrounded by paganism is to kick it old school. Really old school.
Back in December, a religious right activist insisted that “today’s liberalism is really just … a philosophy rooted in ancient pagan traditions.” But the piece was published in WorldNetDaily, where it didn’t have much of an impact.
Having Newt Gingrich talk about it raises the stakes. After all, the media keeps telling us how important he is.
I’d actually like to see this catch on with other leaders on the right. Nothing helps demonstrate the relevance of conservatism in the 21st century like high-profile complaints about pagans.
