"We've got to get there and grab this technology because it's one of our essential tools to spread this message. That's particularly valuable to me as a political organizer."
Stereotypes of evangelical Christians often portray them as backward, but they have always been at the forefront of communication. Ralph Reed, the executive director of the Christian Coalition, believes that harnessing the media has been the key to the success of his movement. "It's huge, the atomization of American society, reflected by the fact that our pastor is not the person on the pulpit but the person on the TV or the radio . . . it has totally transformed the way we organize our community of faith," Reed told TIME.
The Internet is the next technological frontier, says Reed. "We believe that as the Web continues to explode that we could be reaching a point, within five years, where we are reaching more people on a weekly basis on the Internet than we do by mail." At the moment, the Christian Coalition's direct mailings go out to nearly a million people a month.
The Christian Coalition web page averages 450,000 hits a month, or something approximating 150,000 to 200,000 visits, including 10,000 to 20,000 e-mail inquiries. Visitors to the site can shop for family-friendly items like interactive bible tales, read voter guides or scorecards, and contact their representatives in Congress.
-- Reported by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum