Barney Frank to Synod luncheon: ?Stand for morality? Written by J. Bennett Guess June 25, 2007
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) wasn't all that surprised in 1981 when a right-wing Christian group graded him a "zero" for his "Christian" voting record.
"I'm Jewish," quipped Frank, who is repeatedly recognized by his congressional colleagues as one of their most humorous and intellectual members.
But when the late Rev. Robert F. Drinan, a Jesuit priest who also represented Massachusetts in Congress, received the same zero rating, Frank took notice.
"I object to conceding to them the great values of Christian morality," said Frank, who delivered the Valerie E. Russell Memorial Lecture at the UCC's Christians for Justice Action luncheon on Monday.
Frank said some cultural forces have attempted to "kidnap Christianity" in order to tell others how and when to pray, how to express intimacy, what women should do with their bodies during difficult circumstances, what to read, and what scientists should teach.
"They want the coercive mechanisms of government to compel others to be religious in the way they define religion," he told a sold-out group of 250 attendees. "They want to take personal choices and impose them on others."
For decades, Frank said, people of faith have been confronting racism, poverty and the environment. "We, on the liberal side, have insisted on the moral approach. In every fight we have had during the past 60 or 70 years, the right-wing has perpetuated racism or fought every attempt to get rid of it. ? We are the one who stand for morality and they are the ones who would abandon it. There's a long history of this."
The economy is growing, concedes Frank, who chairs the House Banking Committee. "But the average individual has gotten no benefit from it."
He said he has no use for economic metaphors, such as "a rising tide lifts all boats."
"People aren't boats and the economy isn't an ocean," he said. "And if you can't afford a boat, the rising tide goes up your nose."
Frank asked advocates to refocus on getting health care out of the employment system, because the rising costs of health care are forcing employers to suppress wages. He also urged stronger support for labor unions, along with a renewed trust in government as a means to solve communal problems.
"When we step in together, that's what we call government," he said.