"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:35-40

I'm pleased to announce the launch of the first full version of our website - including putawayfalsehood.com, a site designed specifically for people of faith to debunk the rumors they're seeing in their inboxes and hearing from people around them. We took the text from a passage in Ephesians "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are all of the same body."  To remind folks - especially Christians whom from too many of these rumors have started - that we can have sound policy debates, but it wrong and detrimental to spread lies for political gain.  We hope this will be a great resource for folks in pushing back against mis-truths about Sen. Obama.

Also, we're proud to announce that prominent Christian author, speaker, and activist Brian McLaren has done something he's never done before - he's endorsed Barack Obama and encouraged people to join the Network!  Brian is a great person to have on our side - he's one of the most innovative, creative, and captivating speakers in contemporary Christianity.  Here's a highlight from his letter:

Many of us sadly, I include myself here, stood on the sidelines and complained about the wrong being done by the Religious Right. In private, we might say that the major media figures didn't speak for us, but we responded to faith-based misuse of the political process with faith-based disuse. We didnít realize, as we now do, that disuse tends to favor those in power and support the status quo.

As I've watched with sadness what has happened in recent years, I've promised myself again and again that I wouldn't just stand on the sidelines complaining this election season. That's why I'm so thrilled about positive, constructive initiatives like the Matthew 25 Network. Drawing from Jesus powerful parable about his solidarity with the least of these, this network invites us as people of faith to step beyond individual self-interest, and even beyond the interest-group politics of "what's best for us" whether "us" is our denomination, religion, party, or nation. It invites us to consider how to use our vote on behalf of the neediest, the most vulnerable and poverty-stricken so that their concerns are our own when we vote. For us, this is inherent in what it means to be followers of Jesus.

Brian is going to be a great voice in the coming months, and we need more like him to stand up!  So we've set an ambitious goal - 10,000 people on our email list by the Democratic National Convention.  With a network 10,000 strong and growing, we'll be able to make real inroads into the evangelical community and take action all across the country!

Here's what you can do:

1. Check out our new website!  It's got quotes from Sen. Obama, press clippings about Sen. Obama's faith, and, of course, Put Away Falsehood, debunking the rumors we've been hearing about from our fellow evangelicals.

2. Sign up to join the Network!  This is the best way to keep up to date with what we're doing and how we're working with people of faith to help elect Sen. Obama.

3. Tell your friends about the Network.  Got a listserv or a blog?  Help us get the word out!  We can't reach our goal without your help.  Post Brian's Letter on your blog or send it to your friends.

4. If you've got a little extra cash lying around, donate!  Your contributions help us do things like run ads on Christian radio... they are only $35 a spot, so every contribution makes a difference!

I'll be sticking around in the comments for a little while to answer any questions you might have about the new site or about our network.  Please help us out in reclaiming Christianity from the Right!

Grant - M25