This is a trend I have been following since I saw Stripper years ago. Some kids are finding solace in hard-core fundamentalism in these post-industrial times; their only chance to attain a feeling of "belonging" in increasingly isolated social landscape. They grasp and drink the kool-aide to be part of a "group," even if it costs them their rational thought. While the info-tech age is opening up communication, on a standard deviation curve for any cultural trait there are a lot of people in the population segment who will never be able to adapt to the new emerging technology. So like a double whammy of legacy isolation from the post-industrial and being left behind by the new modes of communication, people along the bottom of the curve grasps for any threads that will lead them to believe they still belong to a social fabric.

And the lowest pits of Hell are served for those who are selling this fabric with God printed on the shirts. Brand God, and one of the biggest sellers is Ron Luce and his pre-packaged BattleCry movement.

"This is a real war... I want an attacking church." - Ron Luce

On April 19, a new issue of Rolling Stone will hit news stands, and the timing couldn't be better, or worse :

Just as the American mainstream is waking up to the reality that the Bush Administration, contradicting David Kuo's claims on the administration's loathing for evangelicals, has actually packed the federal bureaucracy with partisan religious ideologues, "culture warriors" in professed battle with liberalism and secularism, Jeff Sharlet's new story in Rolling Stone, Teenage Holy War (link to 3 page excerpt of story) addresses a counterpart to  the flap over Monica Goodling and her fellows from Regent University that concerns a cadre of partisan religious ideologues within the Bush Administration....

SusanG's diary last night singing Gerald Ford's praises as having allegedly kept his faith and his political acts separate finally crossed some threshold that pushed my partner, Mike Doughney and I, into commenting. We wrote for the first time about an event we were present for where Ford threw the full weight of his status as Former President behind one of many key groups in the Biblical American, or what some might term the "dominionist", youth movement; by personally appearing at Teen Mania's "Stand Up" event in Michigan, back in 2000.

This diary, then, are some of the details of that, and unlike almost most every other piece of writing I've seen since Ford's death, this is based on a first hand experience, it reflects an event that happened almost 7 years ago, not during the 1970's.

This has been exceptionally difficult for me to write out, the gravity of what we saw and how to bring information forward; ourselves, holding to some value of civility even as we have seen incredibly uncivil things. But ultimately, I think it's critically important to look at Ford's 'legacy' in light of his actual actions. So at this point, I'm just going try to write 'what I know', while incorporating some quotes from my partner, Mike.

This will be a very brief diary entry, as I wanted to draw additional attention to both a specific article and the ongoing work of a researcher.

Marley Greiner, a researcher, activist, writer for the Columbus, Ohio Free Press and blogger behind
Theoconia: a Central Ohio Theocon Report has written an important initial article in the Free Press on Ron Luce and the Teen Mania Ministries Battlecry initiative:

photo credit: Marley Griener

And the article itself-
Teen Mania: Lift the Banner by Marley Greiner

   

Much has been written about the militant evangelical youth group, Battle Cry, organized by Ron Luce.  While there has been a fair amount of disagreement as to the nature of movement and what can be done it, (in ways that are somewhat reminiscent to me, of the debate about the Promise Keepers a decade ago), the group is nevertheless planning a series of events across the U.S. (and one in Canada) beginning on August first -- and stop the week before the November elections.

While the group insists that it is not political, and that the events are about increasing church attendance -- there is evidence that perhaps they doth protest too much.

Teen Mania Ministries is a great thing for our youth, or is it? To encourage teenagers to stand up to peer pressure and make sound decisions are what parents are for, but we all know safety nets are great for those who are less fortunate. What a lovely initiative whoever had come up with this Teen Mania Ministries. Well, that is what I thought at first.

In the mood for a scary story?  Well, I've got a doozy.  Matter of fact, I have a pair of 'em.  I'm talking industrial-strength, gut-churning, sphincter-tightening creepouts here.   And they could very well be coming to a location near you before much longer.  Now you can't say you haven't been warned.  

If you are, perchance, laboring under the misapprehension that you're familiar with the deepest depravity of the fundamentalist flying monkey mindset, I've got some disturbing news.  Those religious radicals are not only worse than you think, they are a quantum leap beyond anything you can possibly imagine.

Join me on the other side and let me tell ya all about it...

Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste.

They've kidnapped Jesus and have him locked up in the dark and ugly Abu Ghraib prisons of their hate-filled souls, while they busily go about the dirty work of hijacking and militarizing the message of the "Prince of Peace" to suit their own self-serving, power hungry goals.

Meet the New Christian Conquistadors... Ron Luce and his Holy Warriors of BattleCry.

The people behind BattleCry, veteran Christian youth organizer Ron Luce and his backers (who include Charles Colson, Ted Haggard, and Pat Robertson) don't like the America where I grew up. And it's more than just the separation of church and state.

http://www.counterpunch.org/...

http://www.truthdig.com/...

http://worldcantwait.net/...

http://rogouski.com/...

If you've been waiting until the Christian fascist movement started filling stadiums with young people and hyping them up to do battle in "God's army" to get alarmed, wait no longer.

http://counterpunch.org/...

http://worldcantwait.net/...

http://www.battlecry.com/

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060511_battle_cry_theocracy/

"BattleCry" rally, Western Massachusetts, summer 2004.

What is "BattleCry" ? Joan Bokaer, founder of TheocracyWatch relates an eyewitness account from a recent "BattleCry" stadium, event in San Franscisco [ also covered by ther SF Chronicle ],

Last weekend 25,000 youth descended on San Francisco to attend a  BattleCry  event. The purpose of BattleCry is to save today's youth from a "sinister enemy" that is "ravishing their hearts." From christianbooks.com:

A sinister enemy marches across our land leaving in its path the ravished hearts and minds of America's youth. Giant corporations, media conglomerates, and purveyors of popular culture have invested billions of dollars and endless hours of effort to seduce and enslave the souls of our youth. And so far, they have succeeded.

We offer only the finest of snackin' blog in this latest edition of Late Nite Snackin' Blogs on the Religious Right. Alas, if we had had snackin' blogs twenty years ago, the religious right would not be where they are today, and we would not, as a group, find ourselves so radically undernourished in this regard.  But fortunately, help is one the way! Our ingenious Chefs du Blog have fortified Talk to Action's snackin' blogs with theraputic doses of Knowledge and Understanding.

Tonight's Sampler: