Austin Interfaith isn’t the only game in town for politically active
churches. The Capital City Christian Coalition (CCCC) is also working to forge
religious and political unity among some 150 Travis County churches of various
denominations with their “Salt and Light” ministries. The similarity with
Interfaith ends there. While Interfaith is interested in funding for schools,
programs, and health care, the CCCC’s primary political goal is to make certain
that public policy reflects traditional values. That mission is being
accomplished by educating and motivating voters on the political process.
Through precinct convention training seminars, the Christian Coalition offers
training for “non-political types” on how to affect public policy.
“Fifteen years ago, you couldn’t find people who were interested,” says
Kirk Ingels, who until mid-June served as the group’s president. “Today, they
are all over the place and many of them hold positions of leadership.” Ingels
took the political involvement mandate a step further when he relinquished his
position in order to seek the Republican Party nomination for State House,
District 47. That’s the Western Travis County district currently represented by
Republican Rep. Susan Combs, who recently announced that she would not seek a
third term.
Our local capital city group is only a small part of the national Christian
Coalition, which boasts 1.5 million members. Started by evangelist Pat
Robertson and headed by executive director Ralph Reed, the coalition has gained
momentum in local politics by grassroots organizing through churches.
Members of the “Salt and Light” ministries, which are also called Community
Concerns groups, meet on a regular basis to discuss issues and disseminate
information about candidates during election season. Last fall, the CCCC,
which is not affiliated with any political party, distributed 70,000 voters
guides for the November elections. While the group cannot endorse candidates
because of its non-profit tax status, a quick glance at a guide lets the reader
know exactly who has CCCC support: The pamphlets give candidates’ views on 10
issues that concern the Coalition, including abortion, capital punishment,
nationalized health care, and homosexuals in the military.
Elaine Hucklebridge, newly appointed president of CCCC, says the success of
the organization hinges on unification. It is the intent of this grassroots
coalition of Evangelicals, “pro-family” Catholics, and other allies, to set
aside their differences and unite on the fundamental values they share. “But I
can’t say we agree on everything, even the fundamental issues. We try to find
the common belief that can unite us and then we work together in unity,” says
Hucklebridge.
When it comes to schools, where Interfaith talks about money for
after-school programs, the Coalition proselytizes for prayer. Where Interfaith
pushes for health care, the Coalition wants schools to keep out of such
“private” issues. And while Interfaith lines up support for poor schools to get
more money for educational programs, the Coalition is more concerned with just
what those programs could be teaching: creationism, abstinence, and morality.
But, according to Ingels, people are misunderstanding the motives of the
Christian Coalition on some issues, especially prayer. “We don’t want the
government to mandate prayer, but we also don’t want the government to squelch
a display of prayer,” he says.– Donia Caspersen Crouch
This article appears in July 21 • 1995 and July 21 • 1995 (Cover).