c. 2006 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ More than 1,000 conservative Christians gathered for a “Values Voter Summit” Friday (Sept. 22), hearing Republican members of Congress and evangelical leaders calling on pastors to preserve their traditional values without fear of criticism from church-state separationists or the Internal Revenue Service.

Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins rallied like-minded Christians in a panel discussion in which they addressed their legal right to be vocal on the political scene. Perkins announced that his organization and the Alliance Defense Fund will work to defend those who challenge pastors who preach on election-related issues.

“I want some of our friends on the left to hear this,” Perkins said. “No longer in America when a pastor stands up will that pastor stand alone. We will stand with him.”

His proclamation drew a standing ovation and cheers from the audience in a hotel ballroom decorated in red, white and blue with splashes of stars on the walls. The three-day summit ends Sunday.

Following the influence of “values voters” in the 2004 elections, speaker after speaker prayed for a continuing effect in the ballot box by those known most for their opposition to homosexuality and abortion.

“Father, today we resolve that as we speak up, we will be more afraid of offending you by our silence then we will be afraid of offending the IRS by our speech,” said the Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, in an invocation that also spoke of supporting “righteous candidates.”

Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., was among many at the podium who encouraged the crowd to maintain its fight against same-sex marriage and its support for a federal amendment declaring marriage as between one man and one woman.

“Dear friends, until Moses comes down with two stone tablets from Brokeback Mountain saying we’ve changed the rules, let’s keep it like it is,” he said, gaining loud cheers from those in attendance.

Members of Congress and leaders of conservative Christian groups addressed other issues _ such as immigration and terrorism _ that have prompted debate on Capitol Hill and could drive people the polls.

“I believe we must reject amnesty in any form and reassert the principles that the only way into the United States is by applying outside the United States for the legal right to be here,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., said “We must say no to amnesty.”

He also challenged the audience “to labor in the weeks ahead” to maintain a Republican majority on Capitol Hill.

Dobson, speaking of terrorism, cited statistics on the percentage of Muslims with extremist leanings and said that even if one-tenth of 1 percent of the world’s Muslims “want to kill us” that would amount to 12 million people.

“We’re in a war and it’s time that we recognized it,” said the leader of the Colorado-based Focus on the Family.

The summit was co-sponsored by legislative action groups of Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and the American Family Association as well as Americans United to Preserve Marriage, led by former presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

Prior to the summit, several new progressive groups held events to demonstrate that they, too, vote with their values.

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, issued a statement Friday criticizing the “supposedly nonpartisan event” for featuring a lineup of Republicans.

“Dobson and his friends are desperately trying to lead the evangelical flock into the Republican fold in November,” he said. “They know that their power in Washington depends on maintaining GOP control of Congress.”

Perkins said in an interview prior to the summit that Democratic leaders, including Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, were invited but declined to attend.

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