Learning to Love Evangelicals

Do you think "Evangelical" is a scary word? It actually means a person who finds salvation through the teachings of Jesus, i. e., giving ones self to Christ rather than, or in addition to, just taking the sacraments and doing good works.

The word "evangelical" is NOT synonymous with the "Religious Right."

According to polls taken in the past four years, more than half of all evangelicals have substantial differences with the Religious Right.

A whole new group of evangelical leaders is emerging. One of them is a man from my neighborhood, Joel Hunter. He heads up a remarkable church called Northland and each week preaches to 10,000 people.

Hunter came on the national scene when he was asked to be president of the Christian Coalition. But they soon parted ways citing differences in philosophy and vision.

Since then he's worked with a group of evangelicals and and others to try to establish common ground on polarizing issues such as the role of religion in public life.

He has condemned Bush Administration policies permitting torture and the inhumane treatment of detainees. He's attended the U.S.-Islamic World Forum.

He opposes government coercion on issues of private morality. He has a Biblically consistent pro-life agenda, i.e., one that includes war, poverty and human rights.

Another of the new evangelicals is Rick Warren. In '05 he called upon his huge congregation to support an effort in Rwanda to alleviate hunger, teach literacy and slow the spread of AIDS. His ultimate goal is to enlist Christians worldwide in the struggle against poverty, illiteracy and disease.

Bill Hybels, another evangelical and pastor of the mega church Willow Creek, is fighting AIDs and poverty worldwide.

Warren's been harshly criticized for inviting Barack Obama to an AIDs conference, and Bill Hybels was attacked for asking Jimmy Carter to speak at a conference on leadership.

(By the way, Jimmy Carter IS an evangelical.)

Most evangelicals are willing to work side by side with those of other faiths to do what the Gospel calls them to do.

Most evangelicals are expressing alarm about man-made global warming.

These evangelical leaders haven't endorsed a candidate or a political party. Parishioners are encouraged to make their own decisions.

In a paper called "For the Health of the Nation," they state that evangelicals see it as their duty "never to be completely equated with any party, partisan ideology, economic system or nationality," because that way faith loses its independence.


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