Various Christian fundies #fundie contracostatimes.com

By the tens of thousands, Christian teenagers poured into proudly liberal San Francisco on Friday for a two-day evangelical extravaganza at which they would rock, pray and provoke progressives, who accused the movement of working toward a theocracy endangering "San Francisco values."

BattleCry, a cross between a rock concert and a war rally, began with a showdown on the steps of San Francisco City Hall as Christians and progressives judged one another while accusing each side of intolerance.

Eden West, a 16-year-old Christian, said of a man holding a sign proclaiming he was both gay and Christian, "If he really loved God, he wouldn't be gay."

"We only get this welcome in San Francisco," said Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania, the evangelical ministry that hosts BattleCry events across the country. "It makes the culture war clear: There are different sets of values in America."

"Why do secularists and humanists who have an agenda promote it and not get called intolerant?" Pastor Keivan Tehrani asked earlier this week. He brought about 25 children from his Iranian Christian Church in Sunnyvale to the musical event. "We need our voice."

Christians are finally speaking up, which may be making people anxious, said David Hasz, director of Teen Mania's Honor Academy, which offers training in leadership and character building. "For too long, the church has sat with their mouths duct-taped, in the closet. We've allowed Christianity to become a private, personal value. We don't believe it's private. We believe it's a worldview."

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