David Lane

David Lane (born c. 1955) is an American political activist who works to increase the political strength of religious groups on the Christian right, to promote social conservative values in the United States. Funded largely by the American Family Association (AFA), Lane has organized political briefings with appearances by fundamentalist pastors such as David Barton and politicians such as Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Haley Barbour. In his behind-the-scenes work for right-wing politics, Lane has been described by The New York Times as "something of a stealth weapon for the right". Activism Pastor meetings In the 1990s Lane organized his first pastor meetings in California, where he lives, and in Texas. In the 2000s, the effort was greatly expanded, with funding from the AFA. Each meeting, which is nearly free to participants, costs the AFA "many tens of thousands of dollars". AFA spokesman Bryan Fischer said that, as co-sponsor of the pastor meetings, the AFA maintained an expanding email list of some 40,000–60,000 pastors across the U.S.