By Barbara French

Stsff writer

The Rev. Chades Crabtree of San Jose's Be-

"' thel ChErcn-rdmrrilt oppobes mixing polities
and religion.

But in recent months, Crebtree was inyolved
in the suceessf0! campaign to defeat proposed
gay rights ordinances in $an Jose and $anta
Clara County and uried his 2,500u'member congregation to join his causc.
His involvement rtemrired from his beltef that
Christians are obligrted to provide leaderrhip
when the political system falters. "And in this
case, the political leaders of our crmmunity did
not asgume the proper respolrsibility," Crabtree
said.

Crabtree is one of an increasing number of
Christians - both here and across the nation who arc getting involved in politics.
The emergence locally of this new politieal

group is eausing Eome eoneern among the area's
liberal Christian leaderl, as rell as among liber-

ffi::'ft'3"lji?lI:
al political aetiVists.

of Christian political ictivisb has split the vqlley's religious community.

who oversees ss.BaPtist
trlillpfi.ffi
coneFgamns in the San Joee area and is geeretafy/treasurer of Conuerded Citizens Against the
$exual Odientation Ordinances, said the split has
existed for ygars. It worsened a fey yearc ago,
he said, when the Council of Churehes accepted
the membership Of the gay Metropolitan, Community Church.
Johnie Staggs, a lesbien who directed the
campaign supporting the so-called gay rights
rneasures, is concerned that conservative Christians want a theocratic dictatorship
w
head of Moral
said his group merely
office people of "like
[lind" and restore morality to government,

aims to elect to

fl

lThe issue of sex education (in the
public schools) will cause bigger waved
in this coinmunity than the homosexual
issue ever did.'

- I

ClifIord Harcis

athacting attention because its membens nepns'
sent the coriservative, evangelical arm of organized religion - a segment which in recent
years has shied away
from politics.

"For a
pfay, go

once rn a
I Ef

Majority.

rI.]glItIl,lEIIr! !{..lfrf-t

s

But those tacties obviously haven't been sufficient, said Jay Grimstead, another Moral MajorrlJ UUar u .,

"Ever5rthing we believe in is beini de$troyed,"
he said, pointing to society's attitudec on abortion,, homosexuality, pornography and the
"Pladned Parenthood trip."
Wycoff said society's liberal stands on those
issues are a "direct frontal attack on the ehurch
and the family unit."

That leaves conservative Christians little

choiee but to "come out of the closet,"

J

Christians generally are regarded as @nseryif their relig'ious beliefs are based on a
La
of the Bible,

ative
strict

San

termed liberal, he said.
The emergenee of the county's new Christian
political.movement'dates to last year when the
so-called gay,rights ordinance was being considered by the county board of supervisors and the
San.fose City Council.
That was the last straw for Chrlstians, Wycoff

said. They responded by packing the supervisors'
chambers and City Hall to oppose the proposed

The results? The gay rights measures were
overwhclmingly defeated, Dan O'Keefe - the
"Cbristian candidate," es one minister called
him - beat Rod Diridon ln the l2th Senatc Dis"
tfiet, four of the seven council eandidates, onc of
the two supervisorial eandidates and the judicial
candidate are headed for November runoff elections.

laws. lilhen the governing bodies adopted the
measures, Concerned Citizens rallied the Christian community behind a signature-gathering
campaign that forced the ordinances onto Tuesday's ballot.
Concerned Citizens and Moral Majority waged
the campaign to defeat the measures, collecting
much of their campaign war chest from Chris-

,ln

,,c\\[?
Copyrighted material reprinted with permission. For educational use only.

Conser-'ative Chri^tians

tians.
. In a recent letter addressed "Dear Pastor and
Christian Friends," Conccrned Citizens thanked
those who assisted in a drive to raise $15,000.

tc+2

ex their political muscl ES
tion and sex education, movement leaders have

said.

"The issue of sex edueation (in the public
will cause bigger waves in this commu-

schools)

nity than the homosexual issue ever did," Harris
predicted.

'fA person has a right to

to,tt

wantS

agreed, but said they disagreed with

the tacties employed by the new Christian
groups.

group
"I'm concerned because I think they ard-prq
' moting
a distortion of the E:riptures,'? said the
of Graee Baptist Church'
,,They have'yet to prove they can pull votes on
-&S-.Sille
groupsco-nsiiG
quch. ap the Moral Ma']
anvtrr-in!-ilui1fi"-gay is8ue," said one ube;;id
jority
in Christian politics.". '
a
litical attivist.
-KiU" i{glgglqus'lrend
sees otherw-F
is

The future of this rtew special interest

unceitain

Kintner of the Santa Clara County Councll

of

Crabtree

Churches believes the movement has potential.
"I believe heavily in the separation of churcti
and
state . . . that's wh-y th_e-lninute taxpayers'
(evangelical)
probably
thti
chUrches
are
"The
most raiidly lrowiig churches in ttre area-," he money- is gOing to lbqr!io.1t.I.'ll gg_t up on my pulpit and preach agarngt i!" !e said. "I know when
said.
issuet The Scriptures are very cleai
in

There are an estimated 600 churches
the it-tt:l-h"l
county ana Conc""n.o Ciiirens claims to have on tnat"'
the support of 325 of them, and up to 100,000 r
Christians.

Copyrighted material reprinted with permission. For educational use only.

7B

Msnday. June.9, 1980

Qa+^