Perry’s So-Called Conversion of Convenience

Peter, here’s the link for the The New Republic piece on Perry’s “convenient conversion to radical evangelicalism.”

What the conversion amounts to, outside of political moves, is this:

“ . . . growing up Methodist, [Perry] belonged to the mainline tradition that counts both George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton among its members. For years, starting in the 1990s, Perry and his family attended the same affluent Austin-area United Methodist church that Bush 43 did. He has spoken fondly of the denomination, of which he’s still a member, with its liturgy, and its “comfort in tradition and stability.” And yet, in recent years, Perry has chosen to spend most Sundays attending services at an evangelical megachurch . . . ”

Gee, that sounds like a common pattern for not a few American evangelicals with Methodist backgrounds, don’t it?  The cynical conversion here, the sort of denominational and theological change for political purposes is . . . where exactly?

And yes, the writer, one Tiffany Stanley, managing editor of the new journal called Religion and Politics, ties several of the pastors Perry’s been doing political events with to Dominionism, and something called the NAR, the New Apostolic Reformation. These folks don’t agree (gasp!) with the idea that the Bible accepts homosexual practice, some of them have been gay-marriage opponents, and they (and Perry, perhaps in imitation) are ham-handed about mixing political and religious appeals together. Perry may well pay for that ham-handedness, but our religion expert wants to connect the dots, to warn us that Dominionism is the belief that “Christians should dominate every facet of life, from government to the arts.”

Look, there’s very legitimate criticism to be made of Perry for politically allying with these folks, given their proclivity for mixing prayer meeting and political rallies, given the Hagee connection, and some other stuff.  But really, Dominionism? Again? After all the articles in First Things and elsewhere that showed how miniscule a portion of evangelicalism, or of evangelical social conservatism, these folks are?  That most American evangelicals have never even heard of them?

Psst . . . ”religion experts,” to evangelicals or those familiar with them, Dwelling upon Dominionism = Dumb about Evangelicalism. Really Dumb.