Group Formed As ‘Alternative Voice’

Sat., July 13, 1996

Associated Press

Clergy from across the state have formed the Texas Faith Network to respond to the Christian Coalition, which the pastors say doesn’t represent all religious views.

“We are not here to widen the chasm. We are here to deepen the dialogue between us and the religious right,” said the Rev. Joe Phelps of Church of the Savior, a Baptist congregation in Austin.

The Texas Faith Network, an offshoot of the 3,000-member Texas Freedom Network, is bringing together clergy members “to provide an alternative faith voice to that of the religious right,” Phelps said.

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson founded the Christian Coalition in 1989 to give its members a political voice. It now claims 1.7 million members and supporters.

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