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Cursor.orgMediaTransparency.org sponsor More stories by Bill Berkowitz PERC receives Templeton Freedom Award for promoting 'enviropreneurs' Media Transparency writersAndrew J. Weaver FundometerEvaluate any page on the World Wide Web against our databases of people, recipients, and funders of the conservative movement. |
ORIGINAL RESEARCHBill Berkowitz Jason Christy's missionIs the twenty-first century evangelical entrepreneur ready for prime time?The recent announcement by Joel Hunter, the senior pastor of the nondenominational Longwood, Florida-based Northland Church, also known as Northland A Church Distributed, and a founder of both Christian Citizen and the Alliance for the Distributed Church, that he would not be assuming the presidency of the Christian Coalition in early January -- brought Jason Christy back into the news. Commenting on the Hunter situation, Christy, who in September 2005 had been named executive director of the organization only to resign a month later, said that it was clear that the Coalition had "picked the wrong captain for the wrong ship." He told the Washington Post that the title of Hunter's book -- "Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why the Tactics of the Religious Right Won't Fly With Most Conservative Christians" -- "alone tells me that they did not do their due diligence." When Christy was appointed the organization's executive director, Roberta Combs, the Coalition's post-Pat Robertson president, sang his praises: "The Coalition has always relied on leadership with a solid understanding of America's Christian community and the public policy issues that impact it," said Combs. "Jason Christy has demonstrated that understanding, as well as the ability to inspire and encourage people of faith to action. I look forward to working with him." According to a story posted at the Coalition's website, Christy and the Coalition received congratulations from "several leaders Christy has worked closely with as a Christian publisher," including Paul Crouch, Jr., Vice President of Administration for Trinity Broadcasting Network. "All of us here at TBN want to congratulate Jason on his new position as Executive Director of the Christian Coalition of America," said Crouch in a statement. "We are excited about the synergies between the two organizations and anticipate God's blessings as we work together. Jason is the right man at the right time for Christian grassroots activism." John Charles, Executive Director of Media Relations for the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, said that "The Church needs strong leadership to make an effective impact in the public arena. Jason will certainly be at the forefront of that leadership over the next few years." Those words became moot when Christy had second thoughts about taking on the post that was once held by the now Jack Abramoff-tarred Ralph Reed. Christy told Word News that he didn't think he could run the Coalition and continue running his other business ventures at the same time. Christy also pointed out that he was "in talks with CNN to create a religion program," that he was "in the middle of purchasing a website that promotes Church-related products and landed a deal to have his magazine syndicated on Bible.com, a site he says receives 1 million visitors a month," and that he was "in talks to create a Christian trade show in 2007." Jason Christy, the head of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based Christy Media (website) and the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Church Report (website), a national news and business journal for pastors and Christian leaders -- which claims a monthly circulation of 40,000 -- is one of a new breed of conservative evangelical Christians who have many irons in the fire. In January 2003, when Church Executive magazine's Steve Kane announced that Christy -- the founder of the publication -- was moving on, it was so that Christy could "follow his entrepreneurial muse." Kane pointed out that Christy "has created a new business called Reaction Media and has a number of projects in the works." Impact America PACIn March of this year, tired of "America's families, churches, schools and children [being]...under attack," Christy launched his own political action committee called Impact America (website). The new PAC, according to Spero News, intends to "educate Christian conservatives across the country by reaching in to their hearts and minds as well as into their churches with voter guides, candidate information and issue-oriented tours across America." "It has become apparent to me that America's families, churches, schools and children are under attack. From religious freedom to school prayer as well as other groups looking to make America a Christian-free zone, I believe the time has come for the Christ-based, family value voter to step up and be heard," Christy says. "The critical element will be focusing the energies of people all over the country who deeply believe in making America a better place," Christy says, adding that "by focusing on issues such as same sex marriage, immigration, healthcare reform, pornography, bio medical research and religious freedom, with faith and family, we can make America a stronger country." The love connectionAlso in March, Christy announced that The Church Report had partnered with Seeking and Finding to create CR Connections, a new Christian online companion service. "I am very excited to offer this new service on our site in a few weeks. As a Christian single myself, CR Connections offers Christians a choice, in finding a quality companion. I am confident that the unique surveys and technology offered through CR Connections will help Christian singles find quality mates, accountability partners, and new friends to share Bible study with similar values." Christy plays hardballWhile some of the younger set of Christian evangelical pastors are moving along a kinder gentler path of reconciliation and occasionally across political lines to build allies around specific issues, Christy appears to be bucking that trend, preferring hardball rhetoric, prickly sound-bites, and partisan politics. And, while he isn't in the same league as Rick Warren, the author of the mega-best selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life," and the pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, who has expanded the evangelical agenda to include AIDS, the environment and poverty issues, or has the rock-star appeal of Joel Osteen, the Senior Pastor of the non-denominational Houston, Texas-based Lakewood Church -- which draws tens of thousands of people to its weekly services and is, according to Forbes.com and Outreach magazine, the largest and fastest growing congregation in America -- and whose weekly television broadcasts are seen on a number of national cable networks, including Discovery, USA Network, ABC Family, Trinity Broadcasting and the Daystar Television Network, Christy is nevertheless carving out his own niche. And while he's never at a loss for generating publicity-seeking commentary, it's not clear if anyone within the evangelical community is paying him much mind. Perhaps his most outrageous heat-seeking missile was a recent column titled "David Kuo: An Addition to the Axis of Evil." In the piece, Christy claimed that the former deputy in the White House Office on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives -- whose recently published book, "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction" has become a best seller -- was moved "to author a masterpiece when he feels like an unimportant, disgruntled former employee and needs to make a few dollars": Kuo has a penchant for penning thrillers as a disgruntled former employee. Being lured by the riches of the dot com industry, Kuo and his wife both went to work for a dot com company called, Value America. After living the dot com dream, sure enough, the literary bug bit Kuo and he authored a tell-all entitled Dot Bomb. Perhaps Kuo, who has also been called naïve and an idealist, has been conflicted all along. Aside from the timing of the release of this book, Kuo has also written for various liberal websites and worked for several Kennedys, additionally, writes for another liberal Christian website. Don't be fooled by Kuo; he is someone who has been described as a 'wolf in sheep's clothing.' Don't let his smarmy tones and pouty eyes fool you. Having done campaign work for several Kennedys, having contradicted himself and his own letters, Kuo is being used to try and prop up the liberal left, to breathe life into lifeless campaigns and his master literary work is a mere smokescreen. Questioning the faith and motivation of this administration is wrong. Millions of dollars are being given to faith-based groups, religious charities are being treated equally under the law and each day the armies of compassion move forward with the agenda that the Bush-lead White House outlined in 2001. In a blog post dated October 23, Christy recounted a recent conversation he had with former Speaker of the House and Church Report contributor, Newt Gingrich, about his new book, "Rediscovering God in America." Christy concluded that Gingrich's book has "allowed him to combine his firm Christian faith and his historical acumen to remind us of how our faith has had an integral role in the development of our nation." Gingrich's book, wrote Christy, "walks the reader through Washington, DC from the National Archives through the various monuments that clearly support what Christians have long believed, 'that from day one in our country's history, the author of freedom was neither that state nor even the Founding Fathers.'" A few days before his confab with Gingrich, Christy blogged about how honored he was to have just met with former Attorney General John Ashcroft. Christy's post-election commentary noted that "it was a disappointing day for conservative Christians across the country. Like lemmings, too many people took the bait and voted against the Iraq War." And, apparently dissatisfied by Time magazine's list of "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America," Christy came up with his own lists. In January of this year The Church Report announced this year's list of "The 50 Most Influential Christians in America," while in July, the magazine focused on the "50 Most Influential Churches." For all his blather, and a never-ending series of project ideas, Christy has not yet become a significant player in evangelical circles. He may have been better served by staying with the sinking Christian Coalition. At least then he would have achieved one of his main goals -- being in the news. sign in, or register to email stories or comment on them.
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MORE ORIGINAL RESEARCHBill Berkowitz PERC receives Templeton Freedom Award for promoting 'enviropreneurs'Right Wing foundation-funded anti-environmental think tank grabbing a wider audience for 'free market environmentalism' On the 15th anniversary of Terry Anderson and Donald Leal's book "Free Market Environmentalism" -- the seminal book on the subject -- Anderson, the Executive Director of the Bozeman, Montana-based Property and Environment Research Center (PERC - formerly known as the Political Economy Research Center) spoke in late-January at an event sponsored by Squaw Valley Institute at the Resort at Squaw Creek in California. While it may have been just another opportunity to speak on "free market environmentalism" and not the kickoff of a "victory tour," nevertheless it comes at a time when PERC's ideas are taking root.
Bill Berkowitz Neil Bush of Saudi ArabiaDuring recent visit, President’s brother describes the country as a 'kind of tribal democracy' In late February, only a few days after Saudi Arabia beheaded four Sri Lankan robbers and then left their headless bodies on public display in the capital of Riyadh, Neil Bush, for the fourth time in the past six years, showed up for the country's Jeddah Economic Forum. The Guardian reported that Human Rights Watch "said the four men had no lawyers during their trial and sentencing, and were denied other basic legal rights." In an interview with Arab News, the Saudi English language paper, Bush described the country as "a kind of tribal democracy."
Bill Berkowitz Newt Gingrich's back door to the White HouseAmerican Enterprise Institute "Scholar" and former House Speaker blames media for poll showing 64 percent of the American people wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances Whatever it is that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come to represent in American politics, the guy is nothing less than fascinating. One day he's espousing populist rhetoric about the need to cut the costs of college tuition and the next day he's talking World War III. One day he's claiming that the "war on terror" may force the abridgement of fundamental first amendment rights and the next he's advancing a twenty-first century version of his Contract with America. At the same time he's publicly proclaiming how "stupid" it is that the race for the presidency has already started you know that he's trying to figure out how to out finesse Rudy, McCain and Romney for the nomination. And last week, when Fox News' Chris Wallace cited a poll showing that 64 percent of the public would never vote for him, he was quick to blame those results on how unfairly he was treated by the mainstream media back in the day.
Bill Berkowitz American Enterprise Institute takes lead in agitating against IranDespite wrongheaded predictions about the war on Iraq, neocons are on the frontlines advocating military conflict with Iran After doing such a bang up job with their advice and predictions about the outcome of the war on Iraq, would it surprise you to learn that America's neoconservatives are still in business? While at this time we are not yet seeing the same intense neocon invasion of our living rooms -- via cable television's news networks -- that we saw during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, nevertheless, a host of policy analysts at conservative think tanks -- most notably the American Enterprise Institute -- are being heeded on Iran by those who count - folks inside the Bush Administration.
Bill Berkowitz After six years, opposition gaining on George W. Bush's Faith Based InitiativeUnmentioned in the president's State of the Union speech, the program nevertheless continues to recruit religious participants and hand out taxpayer money to religious groups With several domestic policy proposals unceremoniously folded into President Bush's recent State of the Union address, two pretty significant items failed to make the cut. Despite the president's egregiously tardy response to the event itself, it was nevertheless surprising that he didn't even mention Hurricane Katrina: He didn't offer up a progress report, words of hope to the victims, or come up with a proposal for moving the sluggish rebuilding effort forward. There were no "armies of compassion" ready to be unleashed, although it should be said that many in the religious community responded to the disaster much quicker than the Bush Administration. In the State of the Union address, however, there was no "compassionate conservatism" for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Bill Berkowitz Frank Luntz calls Republican leadership in Washington 'One giant whining windbag'On the outs with the GOP, legendary degrader of discourse is moving to California He doesn't make great art; nothing he does elevates the human spirit; he doesn't illuminate, he bamboozles. He has become expert in subterfuge, hidden meanings, word play and manipulation. Frank Luntz has been so good at what he does that those paying close attention gave it its own name: "Luntzspeak."
Bill Berkowitz Spooked by MoveOn.org, conservative movement seeks to emulate liberal powerhouseFueled with Silicon Valley money, TheVanguard.org will have Richard Poe, former editor of David Horowitz's FrontPage magazine as its editorial and creative director As Paul Weyrich, a founding father of the modern conservative movement and still a prominent actor in it, likes to say, he learned a great deal about movement building by closely observing what liberals were up to in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Bill Berkowitz Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action jihadFounder and Chair of the American Civil Rights Institute scouting five to nine states for new anti-affirmative action initiatives Fresh from his most recent victory -- in Michigan this past November -- Ward Connerly, the Black California-based maven of anti-affirmative action initiatives, appears to be preparing to take his jihad on the road. According to a mid-December report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Connerly said that he was "exploring moves into nine other states."
Bill Berkowitz Tom Tancredo's missionThe Republican congressman from Colorado will try to woo GOP voters with anti-immigration rhetoric and a boatload of Christian right politics These days, probably the most recognizable name in anti-immigration politics is Colorado Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo. Over the past year, Tancredo has gone from a little known congressman to a highly visible anti-immigration spokesperson. "Tancredo has thoroughly enmeshed himself in the anti-immigration movement and with the help of CNN talk show host Lou Dobbs, he has been given a national megaphone," Devin Burghart, the program director of the Building Democracy Initiative at the Center for New Community, a Chicago-based civil rights group, told Media Transparency.
Bill Berkowitz Institute on Religion and Democracy slams 'Leftist' National Council of ChurchesNew report from conservative foundation-funded IRD charges the NCC with being a political surrogate for MoveOn.org, People for the American Way and other liberal organizations If you prefer your religious battles sprinkled with demagoguery, sanctimoniousness, and simplistic attacks, the Institute on Religion and Democracy's (IRD) latest broadside against the National Council of Churches (NCC) certainly fits the bill.
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