Carmen Fowler LaBerge has her hands full.
She advocates on social issues from a Christian conservative position.
She leads the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a group of conservative congregations that broke away from the increasingly liberal Presbyterian Church.
But the 46-year-old Tennessean has achieved broader notice as an advocate for religious liberty.
This has put her on the front line of cultural and political battles.
She has fought against Obamacare‘s birth control mandate and worked to stop the spread of legalized gay marriage. Speaking to the Washington Examiner from her home outside Nashville, LaBerge offered a candid assessment of where the culture war stands and of the biggest challenge facing Christians in the year ahead.
The interview was edited for length and clarity.
Examiner: What are the main issues driving the religious liberty discussion?
Fowler LaBerge: There’s a growing consensus that — wow, if I say this out loud and you print it, I’ll probably get myself in trouble — but I’m going to do it anyway: I think there’s a growing consensus that the culture war on marriage has been lost. And so, when you start talking about where are we going to invest our energy — everybody’s resources are limited — religious liberty rises to the top of every conversation.
Examiner: You’ve concluded that the marriage battle has been won by the supporters of legalized same-sex unions?
Fowler LaBerge: Correct. We are beginning to make a more clear distinction between the cultural view of same-sex marriage and what a specific church continues to be free to do or not do. When I say that the battle’s been lost culturally, I think that what we’re recognizing is we have a to do a better job inside the church before the church starts trying to speak again to the culture at large on this issue.
Examiner: Is same-sex marriage going to become increasingly popular with candidates and elected officials?
Fowler LaBerge: It’s almost certainly the space that politicians are going to want to inhabit, and I think that the challenge for Christian politicians or other politicians with religious convictions that would prohibit their support of same-sex marriage — because that’s certainly not just a Christian conviction — I think it’s going to mean that they are going to have to learn how to communicate with their constituency. If through the Supreme Court, and through, frankly, democratic public opinion, it is in evidence that we as a nation are at a different place than the Bible is on this, as a Christian I can say: “This is the document that governs my life and governs my church, but I recognize I don’t live in a country that’s governed by that document; I live in a country that’s governed by the Constitution.”
Examiner: Should the evangelical community drop its public opposition to same-sex marriage?
Fowler LaBerge: I don’t think you’re going to see very many, if any, evangelicals come and say: “Hey, we’re giving that up, we’re not going to work on that anymore.” However, I do think that if you look at where they’re actually spending their time, their energy, their resources and their words, you’re going to see across the board, a shift to things upon which everyone agrees. Religious liberty would be one of those.
Examiner: How big an assault on religious liberty is Obamacare’s birth control mandate?
Fowler LaBerge: I view it as a clear assault on religious freedom. I think that the attempt was to put in a part of the plan that would naturally have women on one side of the conversation and therefore make it very, very difficult for people to see the real issue — which is not an issue of women’s health. This is an issue of life; this is a life issue. But when you try to pit those two constituencies against each other, which one actually has a voice in the culture? Well, the women do. The unborn don’t.
Examiner: The Obama administration recently announced new protections for those who believe Obamacare’s birth control mandate infringes upon their religious liberty. What was your reaction?
Fowler LaBerge: Any protection that is added in is helpful.
Examiner: Are you winning on this issue?
Fowler LaBerge: There’s still the opportunity, particularly depending on this next election cycle. There’s certainly the opportunity for this law to be made worse. I wouldn’t say it’s a win yet.
Examiner: What issue related to religious liberty will we all be talking about a year from now?
Fowler LaBerge: We are going to be talking about [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria]. We’re going to be talking about a whole new landscape geopolitically that is produced by violent religious fanaticism. And, I think that’s going to affect our internal national conversation about people with faith of any kind and whether or not the society at large is going to put up with people who have sincerely held religious convictions, particularly those religious convictions that are “exclusive” because they so fear one brand of religious fanaticism.
Examiner: “Exclusive” meaning?
Fowler LaBerge: Jesus is the only way to salvation.
Examiner: How does renewed attention on Islamic extremism, via Islamic State, hurt Americans with religious convictions? Will committed Christians in the U.S. be conflated with Muslim extremists?
Fowler LaBerge: That’s exactly right. There won’t be a distinction between which kind of fundamentalist you are. It will just be that you are a religious fundamentalist. I absolutely think that’s the conversation we’re going to be having a year from now, and I expect there to be places in this country where, quote-unquote, religious fundamentalists lose some of their rights.
