Well, the C-Street house is actually a former convent and now it's registered as a church and it's run by The Family and used by them to provide housing for six to eight congressmen at any given time, and to provide spiritual counseling for these congressmen.

Which all sounds fine so far, but what makes it a little bit different than other Christian conservative organizations, two things, you said that it's secretive. Indeed the leader of the group describes, he says, the more invisible you can make your organization, the more influence it will have. And the other things is the nature of the influence they want to have.

I got to sit in on one of these spiritual counseling sessions b...

Well, the C-Street house is actually a former convent and now it's registered as a church and it's run by The Family and used by them to provide housing for six to eight congressmen at any given time, and to provide spiritual counseling for these congressmen.

Which all sounds fine so far, but what makes it a little bit different than other Christian conservative organizations, two things, you said that it's secretive. Indeed the leader of the group describes, he says, the more invisible you can make your organization, the more influence it will have. And the other things is the nature of the influence they want to have.

I got to sit in on one of these spiritual counseling sessions between the leader of the family and Congressman Todd Tiahrt when I visited the C-Street House, I actually met Sen. Ensign there. As the leader of The Family was counseling Congressman Tiahrt, he had this very standard issue, bill of issues related to the Christian right. He said you've got to have a bigger vision of what we're talking about here. He called it Jesus plus nothing.

From The Rolling Stone interview:

I think one of the main arguments of the book is that we have misunderstood what Evangelicalism and Christian conservatism are in American history. We're familiar with the pulpit pounders — the Jerry Falwells, the guys who are on TV — the guys who want a lot of attention. They're not insiders to power, they're outsiders. And then there's this whole other parallel movement that's been really understudied and I think people are starting to pay attention to them now. I call them the avant-garde of American...

From The Rolling Stone interview:

I think one of the main arguments of the book is that we have misunderstood what Evangelicalism and Christian conservatism are in American history. We're familiar with the pulpit pounders — the Jerry Falwells, the guys who are on TV — the guys who want a lot of attention. They're not insiders to power, they're outsiders. And then there's this whole other parallel movement that's been really understudied and I think people are starting to pay attention to them now. I call them the avant-garde of American fundamentalism. It's a term they use themselves — and they're using it in the sense that Lenin used it. They think that democracy has run its course. They don't need to call attention to themselves partly because they're not trying to gain access. They're not doing this from the outside, they're doing this from the inside. They're not breaking laws, they're making laws.

Bear, I am glad that you are clipping about The Family. I clipped about them when I was reading Jeff Sharlet's book last year. Hilary Clinton is a member of The Family, a reason, along with her yes vote on the Iraq War, that I did not support her candidacy for President. The Family began in Seattle, WA, which is also the home of the anti-Darwin, pro-Creationism, Discovery Institute. Just coincidence?
Related Links:
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Christian_political_organization)

Browse the book and then buy it or borrow it from your local library.
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060559793

Through all of her years in Washington, Clint...

Bear, I am glad that you are clipping about The Family. I clipped about them when I was reading Jeff Sharlet's book last year. Hilary Clinton is a member of The Family, a reason, along with her yes vote on the Iraq War, that I did not support her candidacy for President. The Family began in Seattle, WA, which is also the home of the anti-Darwin, pro-Creationism, Discovery Institute. Just coincidence?
Related Links:
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Christian_political_organization)

Browse the book and then buy it or borrow it from your local library.
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060559793

Through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship [The Family].

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/hillarys-prayer-hillary-clintons-religion-and-politics