Is Kennedy really reclaiming America for who he says he is?

Not the Kennedy you're probably thinking of. I'm not talking about John F. or Robert F. or John F. Jr. or Ted or even Patrick.

I'm talking about Dr. D. James Kennedy. Honestly, I probably agree with the guy on a lot of his theology. But that's not my beef.

My problem is with the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, an outreach of Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries.

I've had enough of "Christians," or what is known as the "Christian right," politicizing Christ. Too many people have a skewed view of what it means to "reclaim America for Christ." I've seen little evidence of the Center for Reclaiming America doing more than energizing people to vote a certain way. If that's your goal, start a political party. Call yourselves the "Center for Reclaiming America for Our Values." Because that's what these things are to you; they are your values. They may be Christian values, and they may be your values as a direct result of the fact that you love Christ. But don't tell me that you're reclaiming America for Christ because you've been successful at passing a law.

Let's take gay marriage as an obvious, glaring example. The issue has been brought to the forefront by those of us who are against gay marriage. However, what we've done with the issue is shameful. We seem to think that by banning gay marriage we are somehow more Christian; that our nation is more favorable in the eyes of God because we have passed this law.

As the Catholic church recently put it, gay marriage is "one of the factors threatening the traditional family as never before."

No, gay marriage isn't threatening the traditional family. Whether our courts or our legislators decide gay marriage is okay or not will have little to no bearings on the traditional family. What has been threatening the "traditional family" is the divorce, fornication, unwedded and single mothers, and secularism to which the church has turned a blind eye. What threatens the "traditional family" is sin. When are we going to start caring about those sins? When will the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ get upset over the sins that are rampant in their own churches? When will they start petitioning for an end to no-fault divorces? Or is that something that doesn't necessarily contradict their values?

Go to the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ's News section. Do you see anything about outreach? I sure don't. I see a lot of petitions and legislation. That's about it.

Don't get me wrong. I agree with most of the Center's political positions. However, I disagree that these things will result in America being reclaimed for Christ. America won't turn to Christ because we've outlawed abortion or ensured that gay marriage will never happen. America won't turn to Christ until hearts are softened.

Would I like to see abortion outlawed? Yes. Why? Because I believe it is murder and that's something that I don't believe should be tolerated. However, sin will continue whether abortion continues or not. If we outlaw it, sin will still be evident. That sin will either come in a new form or it will be hidden from the law. But either way, the sin will continue.

The cure for that sin is Christ. It isn't laws and legislation and petitions. I might be okay with the Center for Reclaiming America if it didn't add the "for Christ" part. I do believe that as a Christian, every decision we make - including those that are political - should be made with the conviction that we have as Christians.

However, a center that claims to be working for Christ should be working towards doing just that: bringing people to Christ. I don't see any evidence that the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ is doing that.