The Response

The event, called The Response, has drawn heavy criticism because of the anti-gay views of its sponsor organization, the American Family Association.

Amid belated media recognition that the apostles of church-growth guru C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation dominated presidential hopeful Rick Perry’s August 6th “The Response” prayer event, some pundits are rushing to dismiss the political influence of dominionist factions within evangelical Christianity.

Luckily I was away at a family reunion — celebrating actual love — so I missed Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s hot mess of a rally on Saturday. But Right Wing Watch made videos of certain scenes. And they just kill me. How in the world can some of these people dare to pray to God for deliverance for the nation while ignoring their own sins?

The freedom to worship – or to not worship – is a bedrock American value. That’s why Texas Gov. Rick Perry has every right to organize and participate in a massive evangelical “prayer rally” in Houston next month.