I noted a few weeks ago that there’s a new religious political action committee, the “Matthew 25 Network,” that may very well have an impact on the political scene this year, far more than any religious progressives have had in quite a while.
To briefly review, the Matthew 25 Network is spearheaded by Mara Vanderslice, who served as director of religious outreach for Kerry-Edwards in 2004, and who has been active in encouraging Democratic candidates to discuss matters of spirituality more openly on the campaign trail.
The name of the project comes from the 25th chapter of the Biblical book of Matthew, quoting Jesus: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” The point, of course, is to expand the definition of what constitutes a “religious issue” beyond just gays and abortion, to include matters like poverty, the environment, social justice, and AIDS/HIV.
The PAC’s efforts have been kept under wraps for a while, but we learned this week about the group’s first initiative — a minute-long ad that will begin airing on Christian radio stations, starting in Colorado Springs, best known for being home to James Dobson and Focus on the Family.
The ad features a woman narrator, saying, “You know it’s an election year when certain people start grabbing headlines by attacking the faith of Presidential candidates. With all these stones being cast at Senator Obama, it can be hard to know what to believe. But in Luke, Jesus taught us that we must listen to what a man says because “out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.” So here are words from Senator Obama’s heart.”
At that point, we hear excerpts from an Obama speech, in which he says, “I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in people’s lives…. Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.”
Let me tell you a little secret: Mara Vanderslice knows what she’s doing.
David Brody, the senior national correspondent for Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network, touted just how effective the radio spot is.
I think the ad is EXTREMELY strong.
It stays away from public policy and really focuses in his personal commitment to Christ. That is a type of message that Evangelicals will want to hear.
The flip side here is that another group may start running radio spots on Christian radio detailing Obama’s liberal positions on issues which may conflict with some Evangelicals.
But look, you have to give this group credit for believing that they have a faithful message with Obama and they are not shy about promoting it. Plus, you won’t find any John McCain radio spots on Christian radio right now. Man, how the tables have turned.
Quite right. In fact, the ad anticipates trouble, and addresses it head on. It implicitly acknowledges that the audience may have seen those ridiculous smear emails, and it’s “hard to know what to believe.” That’s why, the Matthew 25 Network argues, Christians have a duty to consider a person’s testimony.
Now, I can appreciate the fact that non-Christians may not find any of this compelling at all, and may not even like the fact that these ads are running. But keep in mind, the ads aren’t coming from Obama or anyone associated with his campaign or the party — this is an independent Christian PAC, targeting Christian voters, on Christian radio, with a Christian message.
And it’s effective as all get-out.