G. Frink's

Although the N.C. Council of Churches does not endorse candidates for public office, it could not silently abide Republican Liddy Dole's defamation of fellow Christian Kay Hagan.

The Council sent Dole a blistering (and well-deserved) reprimand.

The letter was signed by Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, president of the council and an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and by Rev. J. George Reed,
executive director of the council. It said:

We are writing to deplore as strongly as possible your recent thirty-second television advertisement and the extended but similar piece from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, suggesting that your opponent is "godless" and concluding with the words "There is no God," which the viewer could easily believe are being spoken by Sen. Hagan. As you no doubt know, Sen. Hagan is a faithful and active member and leader in the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro. To say or even to suggest that that outstanding congregation has chosen a lay leader who doesn't believe in God is appalling and should be offensive to churches and church leaders throughout the state. And, as we learned from this morning's News & Observer, other participants at the "godless" fundraiser in question included Sen. John Kerry, whose membership in the Roman Catholic Church is pretty well known, and Ambassador Swanee Hunt, who began her theological studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and graduated from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, a United Methodist seminary.

The North Carolina Council of Churches does not endorse or oppose candidates for political office, and neither you nor Sen. Hagan should construe this letter as taking a position about the outcome of your race. The Council has, however, called for greater civility in political discourse, and we cannot remain silent when you challenge the beliefs of faithful fellow Christians and suggest that a leader in one of the state's oldest and largest denominations doesn't believe in God.

Amen.

James Dobson's fear mongering letter and false vision were put in their place this week by the editor of Sojourners.

Jim Wallis demanded Dobson apologize for a letter which fails to live up to either Biblical standards or those of decent public discourse. The televangelist's failure, through his Focus on the Family Action organization, to live up to Biblical standards is especially telling. Willis handles it in clear, concise detail:

"Bearing false witness" is exactly what I believe incumbent Republican Sen. Liddy Dole is doing in her "there is no God" attack on Democratic senatorial candidate Kay Hagan.

Last-gasp gutter dives, sometimes resulting in lawsuits with sealed settlements, are a standby of North Carolina politics because those willing to dive deepest win if those besmirched, despite having the facts on their side, are unable to respond effectively.

Below you can see that Hagan responds with appropriate force and dignity -- exactly what Democrat Tony Rand was unable to do when Republican Jim Gardner mounted a similarly sleazy attack during the 1988 race for N.C. lieutenant governor: