David Lane (activist)
Encyclopedia
David Lane is an American political activist
who works to increase the political strength of religious groups on the Christian right
, to promote social conservative
values in the United States.
Funded largely by the American Family Association
(AFA), Lane has organized political briefings with appearances by conservative pastors such as David Barton and politicians such as Mike Huckabee
, Newt Gingrich
, Michele Bachmann
and Haley Barbour
. In his behind-the-scenes work for right-wing politics
, Lane has been described by The New York Times
as "something of a stealth weapon for the right".
said that, as co-sponsor of the pastor meetings, the AFA maintained an expanding email list of some 40,000–60,000 pastors across the U.S.
From 2005, Lane served as the executive director of The Texas Restoration Project, a program founded by Barton and the AFA to help conservative religious leaders in Texas become more politically aware and active. The Texas Restoration Project spent $1.26 million on six pastor briefing meetings in 2005 in support of Governor Rick Perry
, and "Judeo-Christian values". A nonprofit group, the Niemoller Foundation, using money from wealthy Texans such as businessman James R. Leininger
, and money from the AFA, paid for Lane's salary and for the pastor briefings through 2007. Liberal watchdog Texas Freedom Network
(TFN) called for an investigation of the Niemoller Foundation's tax-free nonprofit status in early 2008, but in May 2009 the Internal Revenue Service
sent a letter to the Niemoller Foundation ruling that they did not violate their tax-exempt status, and that ministers and pastors may advocate political action on behalf of moral values in their congregations without risk to their tax-exempt status, as long as they do not endorse a specific candidate or spend substantial funds on political issues. Dan Quinn of the TFN said, "this ruling is disappointing because it will embolden wealthy special interests who want to funnel money into nonprofits as a backdoor way to drag churches into partisan campaigns." Lane said in response, "What we're doing is the mobilization of pastors and pews to restore America to her Judeo-Christian heritage. That's our goal."
In 2010 Lane coordinated politically oriented pastor meetings in Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Iowa; several of these considered "important battlegrounds in presidential politics." Mark DeMoss, a former aide to Reverend Jerry Falwell
, said that such mobilizing of pastors for political action is important work, with "people out there like David Lane, whose names we may not know, who are contributing to a large fabric of involvement." In March 2011, Lane said of a two-day, 400-person meeting of Iowa pastors and spouses, "What we're doing with the pastor meetings is spiritual, but the end result is political. ... From my perspective, our country is going to hell because pastors won't lead from the pulpits." Huckabee addressed the pastors in praise of Lane, saying he was "bringing pastors together so they go back to their pulpits and light them on fire with enthusiasm, to make America once again the greatest country on earth under God."
, helping place California Proposition 22
on the ballot in 2000. In this effort, Lane worked with the California Restoration Project, founded by Edward Atsinger of Salem Communications
, one of the largest Christian broadcast companies. The proposition passed, restricting California marriages to being only between one man and one woman. It was soon challenged, and overturned in 2008 by the California Supreme Court.
Lane worked with Houston-based Lutheran pastor Laurence White to pass opposite-sex-only marriage amendments to the state constitutions of Ohio (in 2004), Texas (in 2005), and Florida (in 2006). The Texas campaign for Proposition 2
passed overwhelmingly. The Florida measure is known as Amendment 2
, and Ohio's is referred to as State Issue 1
.
justices: David Baker, Michael Streit, and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus. The justices lost their seats primarily because of their liberal stance in a 2009 decision allowing same-sex couples to marry. The New York Times reported that Lane was the "unheralded mastermind" of the campaign against the justices, directing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Gingrich and from the AFA. A pastor from Iowa said, "God used David Lane and his sphere of influence to bring together all the elements" of a broad strategy to unseat the justices.
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
who works to increase the political strength of religious groups on the Christian right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
, to promote social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
values in the United States.
Funded largely by the American Family Association
American Family Association
The American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
(AFA), Lane has organized political briefings with appearances by conservative pastors such as David Barton and politicians such as Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
and Haley Barbour
Haley Barbour
Haley Reeves Barbour is an American Republican politician currently serving as the 63rd Governor of Mississippi. He gained a national spotlight in August 2005 after Mississippi was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Barbour won re-election as Governor in 2007...
. In his behind-the-scenes work for right-wing politics
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
, Lane has been described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "something of a stealth weapon for the right".
Pastor meetings
In the 1990s Lane organized his first pastor meetings in California, where he lives, and in Texas. In the 2000s, the effort was greatly expanded, with funding from the AFA. Each meeting, which is nearly free to participants, costs the AFA "many tens of thousands of dollars". AFA spokesman Bryan FischerBryan Fischer
Bryan Fischer is the Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association . He hosts the talk radio program Focal Point on American Family Radio and posts on the AFA-run blog Rightly Concerned....
said that, as co-sponsor of the pastor meetings, the AFA maintained an expanding email list of some 40,000–60,000 pastors across the U.S.
From 2005, Lane served as the executive director of The Texas Restoration Project, a program founded by Barton and the AFA to help conservative religious leaders in Texas become more politically aware and active. The Texas Restoration Project spent $1.26 million on six pastor briefing meetings in 2005 in support of Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
, and "Judeo-Christian values". A nonprofit group, the Niemoller Foundation, using money from wealthy Texans such as businessman James R. Leininger
James R. Leininger
-Early life:James R. Leininger grew up in Indiana and Florida. He received a B.A. in 1965 and an M.D. in 1969, both from Indiana University. From 1969 to 1971, he did an internship at the University of Miami Medical School...
, and money from the AFA, paid for Lane's salary and for the pastor briefings through 2007. Liberal watchdog Texas Freedom Network
Texas Freedom Network
The Texas Freedom Network is a Texas organization formed to protect religious freedom, defend civil liberties, and strengthen public schools in the State of Texas...
(TFN) called for an investigation of the Niemoller Foundation's tax-free nonprofit status in early 2008, but in May 2009 the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
sent a letter to the Niemoller Foundation ruling that they did not violate their tax-exempt status, and that ministers and pastors may advocate political action on behalf of moral values in their congregations without risk to their tax-exempt status, as long as they do not endorse a specific candidate or spend substantial funds on political issues. Dan Quinn of the TFN said, "this ruling is disappointing because it will embolden wealthy special interests who want to funnel money into nonprofits as a backdoor way to drag churches into partisan campaigns." Lane said in response, "What we're doing is the mobilization of pastors and pews to restore America to her Judeo-Christian heritage. That's our goal."
In 2010 Lane coordinated politically oriented pastor meetings in Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Iowa; several of these considered "important battlegrounds in presidential politics." Mark DeMoss, a former aide to Reverend Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
, said that such mobilizing of pastors for political action is important work, with "people out there like David Lane, whose names we may not know, who are contributing to a large fabric of involvement." In March 2011, Lane said of a two-day, 400-person meeting of Iowa pastors and spouses, "What we're doing with the pastor meetings is spiritual, but the end result is political. ... From my perspective, our country is going to hell because pastors won't lead from the pulpits." Huckabee addressed the pastors in praise of Lane, saying he was "bringing pastors together so they go back to their pulpits and light them on fire with enthusiasm, to make America once again the greatest country on earth under God."
Opposition to same-sex marriage
In the late 1990s, Lane worked against same-sex marriage in CaliforniaSame-sex marriage in California
The status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so...
, helping place California Proposition 22
California Proposition 22 (2000)
Proposition 22 was a law enacted by California voters in March 2000 to restrict marriages to only those between opposite-sex couples. In May 2008 it was struck down by the California Supreme Court as contrary to the state constitution....
on the ballot in 2000. In this effort, Lane worked with the California Restoration Project, founded by Edward Atsinger of Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
, one of the largest Christian broadcast companies. The proposition passed, restricting California marriages to being only between one man and one woman. It was soon challenged, and overturned in 2008 by the California Supreme Court.
Lane worked with Houston-based Lutheran pastor Laurence White to pass opposite-sex-only marriage amendments to the state constitutions of Ohio (in 2004), Texas (in 2005), and Florida (in 2006). The Texas campaign for Proposition 2
Texas proposition 2 (2005)
Texas Proposition 2 of 2005 created an amendment that limits marriage to opposite-sex relationships and prohibits alternative legal arrangements of a similar nature. The bill intended to amend the Texas Constitution to make it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex...
passed overwhelmingly. The Florida measure is known as Amendment 2
Florida Amendment 2
Florida Amendment 2 was an amendment made to the Constitution of Florida in 2008. It added Article I, Section 27 to the constitution, which defines marriage as a union only between one man and one woman, and thus bans the creation of similar unions, such as civil unions or same-sex...
, and Ohio's is referred to as State Issue 1
Ohio State Issue 1 (2004)
Ohio State Issue 1 of 2004, is a ballot measure that amended the Ohio Constitution to make it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions...
.
Iowa Supreme Court justices
In November 2010, voters in Iowa removed three Iowa Supreme CourtIowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. As constitutional head of the Iowa Judicial Branch, the Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices....
justices: David Baker, Michael Streit, and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus. The justices lost their seats primarily because of their liberal stance in a 2009 decision allowing same-sex couples to marry. The New York Times reported that Lane was the "unheralded mastermind" of the campaign against the justices, directing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Gingrich and from the AFA. A pastor from Iowa said, "God used David Lane and his sphere of influence to bring together all the elements" of a broad strategy to unseat the justices.