More on Authority

Laura Olson, of Clemson University's political science department, made some notable observations about religious liberals in Newsday:

... there are practical reasons to believe that religious progressives on the ground are not well connected either with each other or with the elite-level organizations that share their policy agenda. The religious Left may also be stymied by its diversity and the fact that many of its leaders endorse what might be termed "scriptural relativism." Unlike evangelicals, religious progressives encourage a wide range of scriptural interpretations. Thus it becomes challenging for clergy and other elites on the left to be viewed as authoritative speakers on other subjects. As a result, it can be difficult for religious progressive leaders to mobilize anyone for political action.

                   (emphasis in excerpt is mine)

This professor gets it. I said it here the other day. People want absolutes and they want to hear leaders who speak authoritatively, not subjectively. That's why most liberal churches aren't growing and why liberal authors and speakers rarely amass the following of their conservative counterparts.