BrazenMuse
03-15-2008, 09:47 AM
I've often wondered why we never hear "evangelical" points of view that aren't waaaay over on the far right...and this is an interesting article...part of it is here...the rest is linked...
In 1973, 40 evangelical leaders gathered at a YMCA in Chicago to call for a movement against poverty, racism, sexism and violence. Their declaration was drafted by a young urban ministry activist, Jim Wallis, and signed by such evangelical pillars as theologian Carl Henry, a close ally of Billy Graham.
Time Magazine and the Washington Post described it as the social awakening of evangelical America. But a few years later, the Rev. Jerry Falwell's conservative lobby, the Moral Majority, had taken over as the political voice of evangelicals.
"We certainly didn't have Jerry in mind when we called for evangelicals to become more socially engaged," said Ronald Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, which grew out of that 1973 Chicago Declaration.
Now his wing of evangelicalism is emerging from 30 years in the political wilderness. Mr. Wallis is writing bestsellers, and prominent evangelical pastors are calling for "creation care" on global warming and galvanizing church members to address Third World poverty and disease.
Few agree on what to call this movement, which echoes Catholic social thought in its opposition to abortion, its call to alleviate poverty and its skepticism about military solutions to world problems. Dr. Sider opts for "evangelical center."
"Today there is a strong evangelical center emerging that agrees that a biblically balanced agenda has to include pro-life, pro-family, pro-poor, pro-racial justice, pro-creation care and pro-peacemaking," he said.
To pollsters, "evangelical" means "white evangelical." Black Protestants hold similar beliefs, but vote more monolithically Democratic than white evangelicals. That disguises the diversity of both communities, said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Policy.
"White born-again Protestants may have liberal views on the economy, but vote on abortion. Black born-again Protestants may oppose abortion, but vote on the economy," he said.
For 30 years, "people like Jim Wallis and Ron Sider may have influenced people's ideas and positions, but it didn't influence their voting behavior. Now things have changed," he said.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863710-103.stm#
In 1973, 40 evangelical leaders gathered at a YMCA in Chicago to call for a movement against poverty, racism, sexism and violence. Their declaration was drafted by a young urban ministry activist, Jim Wallis, and signed by such evangelical pillars as theologian Carl Henry, a close ally of Billy Graham.
Time Magazine and the Washington Post described it as the social awakening of evangelical America. But a few years later, the Rev. Jerry Falwell's conservative lobby, the Moral Majority, had taken over as the political voice of evangelicals.
"We certainly didn't have Jerry in mind when we called for evangelicals to become more socially engaged," said Ronald Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, which grew out of that 1973 Chicago Declaration.
Now his wing of evangelicalism is emerging from 30 years in the political wilderness. Mr. Wallis is writing bestsellers, and prominent evangelical pastors are calling for "creation care" on global warming and galvanizing church members to address Third World poverty and disease.
Few agree on what to call this movement, which echoes Catholic social thought in its opposition to abortion, its call to alleviate poverty and its skepticism about military solutions to world problems. Dr. Sider opts for "evangelical center."
"Today there is a strong evangelical center emerging that agrees that a biblically balanced agenda has to include pro-life, pro-family, pro-poor, pro-racial justice, pro-creation care and pro-peacemaking," he said.
To pollsters, "evangelical" means "white evangelical." Black Protestants hold similar beliefs, but vote more monolithically Democratic than white evangelicals. That disguises the diversity of both communities, said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Policy.
"White born-again Protestants may have liberal views on the economy, but vote on abortion. Black born-again Protestants may oppose abortion, but vote on the economy," he said.
For 30 years, "people like Jim Wallis and Ron Sider may have influenced people's ideas and positions, but it didn't influence their voting behavior. Now things have changed," he said.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863710-103.stm#