IN 1991, James Hunter of the University of Virginia wrote a book in which he argued that on the big moral issues of our time, such as abortion and homosexual rights, the nation divides into two groups: “the orthodox” and “the progressive.” The orthodox hold conservative views that are derived from traditional religion, while the progressives embrace distinctly modern perspectives that may or may not be grounded in religion of any kind. In Hunter’s analysis, the two groups are, figuratively speaking, at each other’s throats. Hence, the title of his book, “Culture Wars.” A skirmish in the culture wars, you could say, has occurred over the appointment of Patricia Ireland as the new chief executive officer of the Young Women’s Christian Association.
Ireland, for 10 years the president of the National Organization for Women, is a conspicuous culture warrior of the left. Her views are “progressive,” even radically so, and she has tirelessly battled for them–on talk shows, in speeches and even in the faces of those she opposes. A few years ago, Ireland showed up on the Mall in Washington to harangue some Promise Keepers–“ominous” and “dangerous,” she declared the men as they assembled to pray.
