As far as advocacy goes, HRC has few worries. Its two bills - the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity - have legislative support and President Obama's backing. Should these, as expected, be successfully passed, HRC's long-range goals of extended partnership benefits to federal employees, repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, and revocation of the military's "don't ask; don't tell' policy are probably assured.

No, the problem isn't legislative; it's social. Despite a landslide victory for political progressives this past election - and all the political benefits that signifies - a majority of American still hold fairly traditional values, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, expecting clergy to be protected when speaking from the pulpit, and assuring freedom of religion, speech, and association.

To address this social "conservativism," HRC developed a Religion and Faith Program "as a way to use the language of faith to push gay-rights issues."

"Clergy Call" is a piece of that program, which includes publications, a bibliography, various reports and studies, audio files of dramatic readings, liturgies, tons of sample sermons, and "For The Bible Tells Me So: A Study Guide and Advocacy Training Curriculum" that comes with a film by the same title. So there are plenty of resources for a progressive pastor to take into his congregation and begin the work of "social change."

There's also a perspective. Social conservatives, for openly holding the values they do, are guilty of speaking "hate." While trying to reassure "Christian conservatives" that hate-crime legislation won't be applied to Scripture teaching, the HRC website carries a "story" written by Reverend Elisheva C. Clegg, "A Most Lethal Weapon - Words."

Clegg writes:

Falwell's shadows still darken countless pulpits with this message, and the listeners are still soaking in the "words of hate." Have no illusion that the frustrated man who shot indiscriminately into the Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxvillle, TN on July 27th listened carefully to such lunacy from a diverse network, including countless pulpits. Have no doubt that this murderer is not the only time bomb conditioned by years or vicious, repetitious programmed learning by a fundamentalist church or mosque near you. LISTEN CAREFULLY. The "Words" matter.

..We often refuse to compare the lethality of words with a gun, a knife, a bomb, a torch, a bat, a poison . the weapons are many. Those who use hate speech and allow it to find its way into the texture of their speeches know the damage they are inflicting.

..The potential for massive distribution of lethally hateful words for selective destruction, which is the preferred weapon of hate mongers such as the homophobic, has increased tremendously. In so many instances, the perpetrators are still wearing white robes, and standing in elevated positions, cleverly smiling down upon captivated masses. the masses who willingly believe this clergy of anger are conduits of righteous guidance.

This goes on for quite a while, including naming the "hateful" who believe homosexual behavior is "sinful" or "disgusting." The list is mostly culled from among "conservative" Protestants circles but includes the Catholic organization NARTH (National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality), Alveda King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who objects to homosexual activists comparing their work to the civil rights movement), and Catholic diplomat Alan Keyes.

Meanwhile, Faith in Public Life's progressive think tank (OK, they only founded the thing, which doesn't mean it's still theirs), Third Way, sent out a memo to various faith-based organizations assuring them that their clergy could not be prosecuted for preaching against homosexuality from the pulpit under the bill. Oh, and Rev. Harry Knox, who is the director of HRC's Religion and Faith Program, is also one of the appointees to the President's Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

So, to recapitulate, there will be no prosecutions for preaching against homosexuality from the pulpit. Your "lethal words" are not - probably not - covered under new hate-crimes law. Now, just step quietly away from the microphone and no one will get hurt.

---Stephanie Block edits the New Mexico-based Los Pequenos newspaper and is a founder of the Catholic Media Coalition.