Thanks to our friends in the blogosphere, we are learning more and more about the Rev. Wiley S. Drake, and it’s far from pretty. The Buena Park, Calif., pastor, who is urging supporters to pray for the demise of Americans United and its staff, is a radical character with alleged ties to some of our nation’s most extreme Religious Right operatives.
Drake called for “imprecatory prayers” (curses) against Americans United after we asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate his misuse of church resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. All nonprofits, including houses of worship, are barred from endorsing candidates for public office. Churches that do wade into electioneering place their tax exemption in jeopardy, subject themselves to fines and frequently invite divisiveness into their pews.
Drake’s outburst, however, has brought some much-deserved scrutiny of the pastor’s associations and work.
In a post on Talk To Action today, veteran student of the Religious Right Frederick Clarkson says, “It is worth noting that Rev. Drake has been associated with the violently anti-abortion Army of God — an association he now denies. However, his name appeared for years on the Army of God web site endorsing James Kopp’s assasination of abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian. (It has since been scrubbed.) Drake also maintained a close relationship with the late Robert Ferguson, whom the Army of God considers to be a ‘Hero of the Faith,’ alongside James Kopp and other convicted criminals.”
Additionally, Brian Kaylor reports for EthicsDaily.com that Drake, who apparently sees God as some sort of heavenly hit man, is defending his calls for curses on Americans United, saying, “God’s Word says if they continue to attack God’s people, God will curse their children to become orphans and their wives to become widows.”
Kaylor also reports that earlier this year, Drake “found himself in the midst of controversy after his name was discovered on a petition supporting the killer of an abortion doctor, although Drake denied he signed it.”
The company Drake has allegedly kept is telling, though not terribly surprising. On his radio show today, Drake repeated his calls for “imprecatory prayer” against AU. He also agreed with guest commentator Bill Wilson who repeatedly dubbed Americans United a “threat to national security,” communists, and subversives that need to be brought down. “Amen, amen,” replied Drake.
Drake, whom the Los Angeles Times today describes as “a long-time Orange County evangelical preacher who frequently captures the spotlight,” has also been nominated for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The Associated Baptist Press reported yesterday that a congregant in Drake’s First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park put his name forth as a nominee.
The SBC has been in the iron grip of a fundamentalist faction since 1979. Someone should ask the current SBC leaders, such as Frank Page, Richard Land and Al Mohler, whether or not the denomination believes praying for the demise of fellow Americans is a noble act. Are Drake’s radical views, such as his belief that God should be called upon to take out enemies, accepted, supported or celebrated by the SBC?
It is likely too much to hope that the SBC will echo the sentiments of Norman Jameson who blogged today on the subject matter for the Biblical Recorder, a North Carolina Baptist publication. Jameson tagged Drake’s actions against Americans United as a “hateful, vindictive, graceless plea” and “an echo from Baghdad.”
“Ironically,” said Jameson, “Drake’s plea for you to join him in cursing our brothers who are trying to keep this nation safe from wannabe Christian imams demonstrates exactly why we need Americans United.”
© 1947 - 2009