Its easier to shut up and fit in than to think and stand out.

There was an interesting article in this past week's Times about a minister - an admitedly conservative one - who ticked off a considerable portion of his 5,000 member mega church because he believes that the entanglement... the melding of evangelical churches with the Republican party is bad for the church and that it borders idiolotry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/us/30pastor.html?hp&ex=1154318400&en=f0cf63e262a9a896&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Among other things, he objected to things like patriotic video presentations on the Fourth of July featuring fighter jets and soldiers being superimposed over the image of the cross in a number of churches around his home town of St. Paul MN.

Fighter jets in church, huh? Things have changed since my days in the youth choir at old First-Congregational.

Anyhow, he took some heat over it, losing about 1,000 members and causing rifts with his fellow evangelical clergy.

This fellow is still a Christian Conservative by any stretch: pro-life, anti-gay, etc., but according to the Times, "... he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.", a pretty bold set of assertions for a conservative evangelical.

In general though, from reading the article, I think what he is really guilty of in the eyes of his critical peers and some parishioners - all those folks who really have drank the Kool-Aid - is encouraging his congregation to engage in - horror of horrors - critical reasoning. That is: He's given them encouragement to think for themselves.

It’s not supposed to be that way when you’re in the Army of God.

Personally I always find it frightening that the C-right has become so monolithic in its thinking that the veering of a single pastor from the established script of war, God and country should cause such tumult, but then again, I haven't had any Kool-Aid since I was six, so I may be missing the point.

Anyway, it is an interesting article, so have a look.