JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- They call themselves religious Americans who want to close what they refer to as the "God gap" in politics. The Christian Alliance for Progress announced in a news conference Thursday its movement to counter the power of the religious right in the shadow of Jacksonville's politically powerful First Baptist Church.

"As everyone in the city of Jacksonville knows, the First Baptist Church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and as everybody in the country knows, the Southern Baptist Convention is right now calling many of the shots as part of the religious right in the Republican Party," said Tim Simpson, director of religious affairs. "So, we as citizens of Jacksonville and this organization thought that there would be no more symbolic venue than to come to the heart of what we consider to be the religious right in the city of Jacksonville and to make our case that gospel values once again need to be articulated in the public sphere from a different perspective than they have been in the past."

The grassroots progressive organization's mission statement was prominently displayed on every placard promoting the new group: "Take Back Our Faith."

"For the average American Jill or Joe, when it comes to politics, being a Christian has come to mean being a so-called values voter, and it almost always means voting Republican," said Patrick Mrotek, a local businessman and founder of the Alliance. "In fact, leaders of the religious right widely use the language of Christianity to promote only one political viewpoint."

The belief is that there are millions of swing voters who believe in God, but distrust the religious right's power. Alliance leaders want politicians to reflect more progressive values that mirror the gospels.

"This organization has been formed to mobilize and give voice to Christians who have been alienated by the extreme political agenda of certain elements of the religious right," Mrotek said. "The mission of the Christian Alliance for Progress is to reclaim Christianity and transform American politics through action based on our values."

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Christian Alliance Aims To 'Take Back Our Faith'

Alliance members believe extremists on both sides of the political track are turning off voters by pushing their agendas too hard. They believe these same politicians are implying that the Bible sanctions their agendas.

"We're here because we can no longer stand by and watch people speak hatred, division, war and greed in the name of our faith," Mrotek said. "We're here because Christianity is being used by radical leaders of the religious right as they seek to marginalize gay and lesbian people; to criminalize desperate, pregnant women; to suppress scientific information and honest information about human reproduction and replace them with ignorance."

On Wednesday, Simpson, a Presbyterian minister from Tallahassee, Fla., formally introduced the local group to the national media in Washington.

"Over the last four months, a small staff and many volunteers have worked endlessly to define our message, design our Web site, and reach out to one person at a time in homes and in churches across Northeast Florida," said Kathleen Leroy, vice president of operations. "In recent weeks, only turning on the Web site, preparing for this launch and with no promotion, our message has found its way across the nation, and thousands of members have joined."

Leroy concluded Thursday's news conference with a summation of people who make up the Alliance.

"We are ordinary Americans," Leroy said. "We are clergy, laypersons active in the church. We are disaffected Christians no longer active in churches, and some of us are even non-Christians who may be drawn to the gospel message."

For more information on the Chrisitian Alliance for Progress, click on ChristianAlliance.org.