Religion, politics and money can form an intriguing triangle of elements for a fictional story. However, when the same combination converges in a real life exposé that confirms the aggressive, left-leaning agenda of a venerable Christian organization, churches are wise to take the facts seriously.

Such is the revelation of Strange Yokefellows: The National Council of Churches (NCC) and Its Growing Non-Church Constituency, published by The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) based in Washington, D.C.

“This carefully researched study shows how the NCC has watered the wine of the Gospel with alien ideas,” writes Rev. Parker T. Williamson on the book’s back cover. “Examining the financial record, IRD analysts reveal where the NCC’s treasures – and therefore its heart – actually reside.” Williamson is editor emeritus of the The Presbyterian Layman.

Researched and written by Alan F. H. Wisdom, IRD vice president, and John S. A. Lomperis, research assistant, Strange Yokefellows is the result of two years of research and writing. The 90-page policy publication documents that in recent years non-church foundations with leftist political agendas have surpassed member churches as NCC’s major financial contributors. Based on that shift and the NCC’s long history of left-leaning political sympathies, the authors question the legitimacy of the NCC’s claim to speak for the 45 million people in its 35 member denominations, as well as its ability to fulfill its original mission of church unity.

Wisdom spoke to the AFA Journal about issues raised in Strange Yokefellows. The publication is available for a $35 donation at www.ird-renew.

AFA Journal: Explain the title of the publication.
Alan Wisdom: The title is a mixed allusion to two things. First, the old saying “politics makes strange bedfellows” and clearly politics is what drives the NCC and has caused it to wake up with some strange bedfellows who don’t seem to comport with its mission of Christian unity. Secondly, the title is a reference to the Scriptural passage about not being unequally yoked with unbelievers.

AFAJ: Why should Christians inside and outside mainline churches be interested in this issue?
AW: Because the NCC claims to speak for 45 million Christians and that is a sizable minority of the U. S. Christian community. And in speaking for those 45 million Christians, the NCC implicitly and explicitly attacks and tries to discredit the Christianity of many others. It regularly attacks the so-called “religious right.” And implies that the council is a more authentic voice of American Christians, when in fact the council’s positions do not represent its own claimed constituency much less mainstream Christianity in the U.S. The council is very far to the left and so essentially it is giving a false witness.

AFAJ: In the theology of the NCC, what allows for such an apparent conflict between its stated mission and actual practice?
AW: The NCC tends to go on the assumption that the most important thing about the Christian faith is transforming society, rather than telling the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Regarding society, they tend to think that the bottom line is politics. The way to change society is advocating for government action.

In the process, they forget that their original objective is to pursue Christian unity. And Christian unity is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, we do not have unity. We are not the same racially, ethnically, economically or politically. And so, by prioritizing politics the NCC drives a wedge of disunity into the Christian community by anointing certain positions – they are against the war in Iraq, in favor of strict regulations to stop global warming, opposing conservative judges and so forth. These issues are identified by the NCC with the Gospel. Therefore church members who happen to disagree on those issues are labeled as being outside the fold of Christian unity.

AFAJ: Can the NCC reform itself and once again function as a Christian organization whose practice is consistent with its stated mission?
AW: Frankly we have concluded that the reform of the NCC is unlikely. At this point it is so committed to groups who have a left wing political agenda and its basic church support is shrinking so rapidly, I don’t see how it could reconstitute itself back to what it was intended to be. For those of us who deeply desire Christian unity, we have to look to some other organization.

I would hope that at some point,  NCC leaders who do care about Christian unity would allow the organization to simply die a dignified death and get out of the way to allow other ecumenical ventures to go forward unimpeded.