Your assignment for today: take ten minutes, click on the picture and watch this interview on the New Face of American Evangelicalism on ABC News.
I am not suggesting you embrace everything that is being said, nor do I fully endorse every panel member (they are mostly new names and faces for me). Nor in ten minutes can this be a complete statement of what Christians should be doing in the world. But I do like the perspective they are speaking from, the broadening of issues and the more complete picture of what it means to follow Jesus than we usually receive in the public square, and in most of our churches for that matter. This is closer to how I believe Christians should be thinking than what is more commonly put forth in the media, both Christian and secular.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the absence of judgment and/or cynicism about “right wing Christianity.” The interviewer baited the panel members several times if they had wanted to critique the current climate. Instead, they simply said that discussion wasn’t important. They were too busy trying to find out what it means to follow Jesus in the world they live in today, than to bother critiquing what anybody else might be doing.
John Fischer The Catch 
It seems that the farther christians move to the left the more political they become. A lot of the issues they were talking about are more in the realm of politics rather than God.
It’s also true, the farther right Christians moved, the more political they become. That’s why the truth lies in the middle. I also don’t see these panelists as “political.” I see them as concerned citizens of the planet–something it would be great for more Christians to adopt.
God is in every realm, and he is very much involved with the poor, the oppressed, the abused , the disadvantaged – just read Mary’s song!
I truly appreciate the fact that these young Christians are working, as they put it, to “make the world a better place because Christians are in it.” It would be wonderful if that would become the normal perception , as compared to the current right-wing fundamentalists, as being the only face of Christianity. Issues of poverty, education, the environment, health care, are all part of alleviating suffering in the world, which is what Jesus did and called us to do.
I agree that the political realm is not where Christians should place thier faith or direct the majority of their efforts. One of the problems is that in some ways they are not a new face of Evangelicalism as much the voice of some different areas of passion that have been unfortunately neglected in the Christian community. There have always been Christians who are passionate about what they believe and willing to work for it. The issues of abortion and others illustrated in the discussion are very important; they are just not the only ones. By getting too deep in the political world we have fallen into the trap of sound bites and simple solutions. I know that Jesus was talking about religious rules and tithing in Mt 23:23 below, but admonition to practice the latter without neglecting the former should be applied. At some level it comes across as them saying that their passions or ideals have merit, but others do not.
Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
I would have liked to have heard them include the breakdown of the family as one of the top issues we are facing in today’s society. Many issues, such as divorce, teen pregnancy, abortion, absent fathers, education, crime, the environment, poverty, social justice, and perhaps even gay marriage, can be affected if we start with a society that is not hostile to the traditional family. Children who are raised in stable homes and taught to love God, respect themselves, each other, and their elders, respect the law, work hard, and care about others will produce more people who can affect the world in the positive ways discussed in the video.
John – thanks again for sharing current, relevant information on issues facing Christians today. I am so so encouraged by these young people who appear to be focused on seeing the world through the eyes of the Spirit and “partnering with God” to make it a better place. I yearn to find a church led by this type of vision.
I like it. Humility, addressing the needs of those around them, moving away from the political nonsense Christianity has gravitated toward.
I like the questions they pose, is the world better because I am in it and I call myself a Christian?… Do I look for those to condemn or do I look to find solutions for those in need?
Do I want to scream about abortion? Or do I want to help those that find themselves desperate to step out of what has brought them to this point before they get there? Are we here to rebuke what we don’t like or touch lives with Gods love?
We as Christians have been pointing and yelling so much we are ineffective in our culture.
TV is full of superstitious preachers with promise of health and prosperity for those that order a prayer cloth or send them money. We are bombarded with tea parties and moralists that have lost touch with reality all in the name of God.
Meanwhile the world is full of genocide, starvation, war and broken people that see no hope.
What does the American Christian fight against? Homosexuality, Creation “science” taught in school.
Let’s spend our time on equality in education, having safe institutions for learning for all our kids, providing health care for everyone. Real needs that touch real lives.
Jesus didn’t come to set up a perfect political situation. That angered many followers 2,000 tears ago. God wants us to touch hearts and lives, one person at a time. To live within our culture and make the lives around us better. To speak up for the least of those among us.
Good questions!
Tim,
Good to hear a balanced response. I am British and compared to much of what we hear from the USA your response is compassionate and intelligent. I have worked for years with un-churched young people and more than anything else they want to be loved and not lectured. I particularly enjoyed “Do I want to scream about abortion? Or do I want to help those that find themselves desperate to step out of what has brought them to this point before they get there?”. It takes five minutes to make a cardboard sign, half a day to join a protest, but it can take twenty years of love to convince a young woman that she is worth more than what is in her pants. It takes a lifetime to bring up an unwanted child.
I’d like to encourage you that you are not the only one with these opinions.
God Bless You
Ralph
In reference to Corey’s comment…..conservative political action is ok, but liberal political action is out of God’s realm? I don’t think God works that way. He calls Christians to be the salt of the earth, seasoning it with love and life and compassion.
Many years ago, there was a worship/praise song with the chorus “They will know we are Christians by our love” and I am now ashamed to realize that as I first sang that song, my vision was that of love manifest between believers, with those “others” looking in, longingly. I realize now that God’s intent is for the love to manifest outwardly, to those “others” because that’s the kind of difficult love He expects us to mirror, the same sort of difficult love He gave to us, giving us grace and mercy instead of judgement.
I’m thankful for this younger generation that is looking at the bigger picture neither politically or “religiously” but as Christ himself would want us to be in the world! Are we making the world, our small part of the world a better place for all people not just those that look good, smell good, or believe exactly the same way we do? Hopefully we can be this non-judgmental or learn better how to do that.
This was thought provking for me to the point that I’m not sure what to say or think. The question it brings to mind for me is about belief system. The things we do and the way we think I believe grow out of our deepest beliefs and values whether or not we even understand what those are.
Question for the blog readers: If this is the new evangelicalism are there any basic underlying beliefs and values that these folks in the video have that are different from those put forward over the last 20-30 years in the church. What do they believe about heaven, hell, the purpose of the cross, how we view the Bible. I’m really interested to see how this generation plays out. Thanks for posting this John.
An interesting article in USA Today Thursday. How we view God has a big impact on how we view issues like these folks talked about. Here’s an excerpt:
“Surveys say about nine out of 10 Americans believe in God, but the way we picture that God reveals our attitudes on economics, justice, social morality, war, natural disasters, science, politics, love and more, say Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, sociologists at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Their new book, America’s Four Gods: What We Say About God — And What That Says About Us, examines our diverse visions of the Almighty and why they matter.”
The rest of the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-07-1Agod07_CV_N.htm