Hedges believes, as I do, that the theology of the Christian right is a distortion of the Biblical mesage, idolatrous as well as totalitarian. "Dominionism," in his view, is a major threat to American democracy. This is the notion that calls for the political empowerment of "Bible-believing" Christians. I believe as he does that this is a very dangerous idea. It is also foreign to basic Christianity. Christians purport to follow the One who "emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave."

Another significan American writer, Jim Wallis (God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, p64) points out the American religious right went for immediate political power rather than undergo the much longer process of building a moral movement and changing values. Their aim from the beginning has been to achieve electoral power.

The result, as we have seen recently, is to energize the political base, to stifle the opposition and to achieve political and economic objectives, not through persuasion but by naked political power.

The successful movements of social transformation in the past which had their roots in religious faith--the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, child labor reform, civil rights--all built a popular base and "constructed a moral argument." Political change grew out of the moral base and was seen as consonant with the deepest religious faith. The Religious Right simply doesn't operate this way. It's time to wake up and look at what is really going on in our country.