To me, movement away from the radical religious fringe and towards a humble, moral center is a great thing. And somehow, the fact that it’s happening in Texas makes it even better.
COVINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Pastor and politician Kerry Horn has been called an agent of Satan. He has faced country farmers trembling with rage. And his faith has been questioned by members of his own congregation. And that’s just the reaction of his “Christianâ€? constituents.
“People find it interesting,” Horn said. “I just live with it.â€?
Horn’s situation is interesting, to say the least. Horn, 48, is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in the fall 2006 election. The fact he also is pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington, Texas, makes potential voters perk up their ears. The fact he is running as a Democrat in the deeply Republican region leaves some voters confused and others downright distressed.
More on why Kerry shifted towards the middle:
Many of Horn’s advocates — some of whom are Baptist pastors themselves — have supported Republican candidates in the past but have become sour to what they call the latest attitude change in Austin. Others have decided to vote for Horn because they trust him, no matter what political party he represents.
Joe Williams, a pipeline inspector, often eats at a diner inside Covington’s busy Shell gas station. Leaning back in his overalls after lunch on a bright spring day, Williams said he’s not too picky when it comes to choosing who gets his vote.
“The number one thing people around here want is honesty,� Williams said. “If we can get a good, honest person in office, we’ll do all right.�
And last, Horn calls out the religious right on their wrongs.
He has little patience for Christians whose political opinions are focused on certain hot-button moral issues. “Here you get enraged about abortion and homosexual action, but you wink and nod at adultery,� Horn said. “Don’t give me this holier-than-thou business when you dismiss other sins.�
Right on.