Church in the World

US Democrats ?enemies of faith?

Americas

THE REPUBLICANS? majority leader in the United States Senate, Dr Bill Frist, is due to join prominent Evangelicals tomorrow in denouncing the Democratic Party as the enemy of ?people of faith?.

Evangelicals keep 24 April as ?Justice Sunday?, and use it to decry ?the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the Left? that they say remains dominant in the judiciary. This year they are making a telecast from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, which will be available to Evangelical congregations throughout the country. Participants include the national leaders of the religious Right James Dobson, founder-chairman of Focus on the Family; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; and Charles Colson, the Nixon aide imprisoned during Watergate and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries. It will also include Dr Frist who has up till now maintained a certain distance from the resurgent religious wing of his party.

Next week the Senate is likely to consider Dr Frist?s proposals to change the rules on the President?s nominations to the Federal bench. Over the last few decades, as judicial appointments have become more politicised, both parties have blocked candidates on purely ideological grounds. Since 2000, with the religious wing of the Republican party in control of the White House, and increasingly dominant in both chambers of Congress, Democrats have resisted what they say is an attempt to recast the judiciary. They have thwarted a number of Bush?s nominations by the use of the filibuster ? a manoeuvre that extends a debate to prevent a vote. These battles are preliminaries to the inevitable conflict over the Supreme Court. Mr Bush will almost certainly have two or more seats to fill this term and, if he prevails, can produce a conservative majority on many issues, most pivotally abortion.

As Senate rules stand, 60 of the 100 Senators must vote to cut off debate; the Republicans at present have 55. But a simple majority can change this rule. Although all the Democrats favour maintaining the filibuster, Dr Frist hopes to keep moderate Republicans in line and repeal it before the next wave of nominations comes up for review.

Advertising for tomorrow?s telecast makes it clear that the enemy is the activist judiciary, legislating from the bench. For years ?the courts, aided by liberal interest groups, have been quietly working under the veil of the judiciary, like thieves in the night, to rob us of our Christian heritage and our religious freedoms?.

Democratic Senators have denounced the ?extremist teleconference? to bash judges? (Charles Schumer of New York), denouncing Frist?s ?attempt to exploit religion? (minority leader Harry Reid). Mr Reid declared that anything ?designed to incite divisiveness and encourage contention is unacceptable?.
Richard Major, New York