Right moves to ... right cause, away from GOP

Is the Christian right finished as a political entity? Or, more to the point, are principled Christians finished with politics?

These questions have been getting fresh air lately as frustrated conservative Christians question the pragmatism - defined as the compromising of principles - of the old guard. One might gently call the current debate a generational rift. The older generation represented by such icons as James Dobson, recently retired as head of Focus on the Family, has compromised too much, according to a growing phalanx of disillusioned Christians. Pragmatically speaking, the Christian coalition of cultural crusaders didn't work.

For proof, one need look no further than Dobson who recently said the big cultural battles have all been lost. Then, Christian radio host Steve Deace aggressively interviewed Tom Minnery, head of the political arm of Focus on the Family. Minnery accused Deace of ambushing him when he had expected a chat about Dobson's legacy.

Indeed, Deace was loaded for bear - or Pontius Pilate. It wasn't exactly a Limbaugh/Obama matchup, but it was confrontational, and corners of America's heartland and Bible Belt have been buzzing ever since.

Deace's point was that established Christian activist groups too often settle for lesser evils in exchange for electing Republicans. He said compromise may be the grease of politics, but it has no place in Christian orthodoxy.

Put another way, Christians may have no place in the political fray of deal making. That doesn't mean one disengages from political life, but it might mean that the church shouldn't be a branch of the Republican Party. It might mean trading fame and fortune (green rooms and fundraisers) for humility and charity.

I was alerted to the Deace-Minnery interview by E. Ray Moore - founder of the South Carolina-based Exodus Mandate, - who thinks the movement is imploding.

"Yes, Dr. Dobson and the pro-family or Christian right political movement is a failure," he e-mailed. "It would have made me sad to say this in the past but they have done it to themselves."

For Christians such as Moore - and others better known, such as columnist Cal Thomas, a former vice president for Moral Majority - the heart of Christianity is in the home, not the halls of Congress. And the route to a more-moral America is through good works - service, prayer and education - not political lobbying.

Moore says: "In the modern era of the Christian right, we have traded these proven methods for a mess of pottage ... and often in a shrill and nagging manner, which makes our God look weak in the eyes of the world."

Amen to that, says Thomas, who made similar points in his 1999 book "Blinded by Might." Thomas has long maintained that the religious right is in left field.

"The problem isn't political," Thomas told me. "The problem is moral and spiritual."

Whether we're seeing a crackup of the older Christian right remains to be seen. But something is stirring, and it sounds like the GOP may be losing its bailout money. God apparently has his own stimulus plan.

"You have the choice between a way that works and brings no credit or money or national attention," says Thomas. "Or, a way that doesn't work that gets you lots of attention and has little influence on the culture."

It is hard to imagine a political talk show without a self-appointed moral arbiter bemoaning the lack of family values in America.

But, do let's try.

© 2009, Washington Post Writers Group