More than Barry Lynn

A hearty "amen" to this post from Amy Sullivan, who writes of her:

… continuing frustration with reporters who have very thin Rolodexes when it comes to writing about religion. Barry Lynn can certainly be considered an expert on most religious matters and I'm sure he's a fine person. But when he is the only source ever quoted to represent a very broad array of opinion, public debate suffers. So, once again, religion/politics reporters: Pull out a few extra cards for your Rolodex and write down these names under "Faith-based Initiative, Con" — Congressman Chet Edwards, Congressman Bobby Scott, anyone at the Baptist Joint Committee.

I often, if not always, agree with the Rev. Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, but his media saturation may be reaching the point of diminishing returns. By making him so consistently the "go-to guy" on church/state issues, reporters risk making it look like there are two sides to the debate: Barry Lynn's, and everyone else's.

I particularly want to second Amy's recommendation of the Baptist Joint Committee. They bring a refreshing religious zeal to the separation of church and state. The long-time director of the BJC, James Dunn, put it this way:

This Baptist belief in religious liberty is not just “‘doctrine,” or the First Amendment, or a political elective. It is, rather, the Baptist basic: soul freedom. Each individual comes immediately to God. All vital religion is voluntary. Even God Almighty will not trample an individual’s freedom to say “yes" or “no" to God.

Since, like Dunn, I am a Baptist, I have an ulterior motive in wanting to see this eminently Baptist concern for the separation of church and state given a wider hearing. The increasingly hierarchical Southern Baptist Convention has become the dominant voice and face of this feistily non-hierarchical tradition. (Some day soon, the SBC will elect a pope. They've already got, in function if not in name, a college of cardinals, so this won't be that big a leap.) It would be nice to see equal time for Baptists who still believe in our distinctives like soul freedom.

The rest of Amy Sullivan's post — a plea for clearer terms and clearer thinking about "faith-based initiatives" — is also worth checking out. I look forward to reading the study from Prof. Kennedy this week.