Are “conservative Christians” responsible for the cultural divide? According to Kentucky Democratic State Senate Candidate Teresa Barton the answer is yes. She referred to conservative evangelicals as “fringe” and “extreme” for only caring about certain issues. “They don’t care how much we pay in taxes. They don’t care if their children are educated.” “Those things don’t seem to matter,” she said in a recent interview. Of course, Barton has a right to her own opinion. But ridiculing conservative Christians for the issues they care about isn’t the way to bridge our cultural divide. If Barton wants to represent the 20th Senate District in the Kentucky legislature, she should practice tolerance toward her constituency and respect the ideas and values of those she disagrees with.