The Maryland Avenue Project

Since starting this blog, I’ve been receiving press releases in my e-mail from now three different organizations. I assume that these are being sent to me in hopes that I will write about the releases. Perhaps someone has been spreading advice that to create buzz about your organization you should court bloggers to write about you.

The Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University has been sending me releases about upcoming shows. I haven’t been to any performances at the Lisner, much less blogged about any, but I won’t rule out doing either of those. I also have been receiving releases from DC Vote, an organization I’ve had some involvement with and whose mission I support. I haven’t blogged about them either, but I probably will in the future. Most recently, I’ve begun to receive press releases from the Institute for Religion and Democracy. If IRD is hoping that I’ll blog about them then they are about to get their wish, but they aren’t going to like what I have to say.

In their own words, IRD works “to reform the social and political witness of the American churches, while also promoting democracy and religious freedom at home and abroad.” I’m all for second part of that statement, at least on the face of it, but it is the first part that I have a problem with. IRD has targeted for what they call reform the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

IRD’s stated goal is reform of mainline churches. The policies of the mainline churches are the business of their members and their members alone. What really bothers me about IRD is the presence of outsiders on its board of directors and its use of outside money. At least six of the seventeen board directors are not members of the denominations targeted by IRD. The Rev. Richard J. Neuhaus, Michael Novak, Dr. J. Budziszewski, George Weigel, Mary Ellen Bork, and Dr. Robert P. George are all Roman Catholic, but IRD is not trying to reform the Roman Catholic Church. Its efforts are focused on three protestant denominations plus the National Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches. The Roman Catholic Church isn’t a member of either NCC or WCC.

Others have written about IRD, most notably Leon Howell who authored United Methodism@RISK, A Wake Up Call. Howell documented the network of groups working to drastically change the United Methodist Church. Most of these are groups composed of members of the church. While I disagree with their agenda, I can’t deny that as members of the United Methodist Church, they have every right to pursue it. IRD has connected the money of the political right with the right-wing activists in the denominations it has targeted in order to silence the progressive social advocacy of the mainline denominations.

From Howell’s book, IRD’s agenda is to influence the governing bodies of the mainline denominations to oppose feminism, gay rights, abortion, environmentalism, hate crimes legislation, and the social safety net. IRD also supports the war on terror and the war in Iraq. IRD’s tactics include: sample resolutions to be introduced at annual conferences and General Conference; recruiting and training delegates for annual conferences and General Conference; recruiting and training candidates to run for church leadership positions; provoking church members to bringing charges against clergy on accusations; and using press releases to spread misinformation and smear church leaders.

Howell also details the financial connections between IRD and the philanthropists and foundations that typically fund right-wing secular causes. IRD has received millions of dollars from Richard Mellon Scaife, the John M. Olin Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Castle Rock Foundation, and the Fieldstead Foundation.

As it happens, the three denominations targeted by IRD, and the National Council of Churches, have their public policy and advocacy offices in either 100 or 110 Maryland Avenue Northeast in Washington, D.C. One hundred Maryland Avenue is the United Methodist Building and 110 Maryland Avenue next door is additional real estate also owned by the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, the public witness and advocacy agency of the United Methodist Church. In fact, over 40 denominations have their offices in those two buildings. Just like Tom Delay had his K Street Project to put his loyal associates in positions at lobbying firms located mostly on K Street, IRD appears to be conducting a Maryland Avenue project for the right to neutralize the support for a progressive public policy agenda by mainline churches. Not satisfied to have the support of evangelicals and fundamentalists, the right wants to shut down any opposition on its agenda from the religious mainstream.

So, IRD, thanks for the press releases. Keep them coming. I want to keep tabs on what you’re trying to do to my church.