Christian voices leading the discussion
USA Today’s blog is taking this look at the changing face and shape of Christian involvement in American public life. Which, of course, is from the perspective of this particular columnist. But it makes some points important to understand now that politics have embraced religion, politicians are turning up in churches on their campaign trails more often, questions about religion and morals are peppering the presidential debates, and people of faith are more visibly and vocally involved in the great social issues of the day.
The column is about Evangelicals and the emerging younger pastors leading the activism these days.
They want to change the tone of the national political debate, making it less confrontational, and to open the movement to tactical coalitions with mainline Christian denominations, other faiths and even liberal secularists on a broad spectrum of issues.
True, on cultural touchstone issues such as abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research, there is no difference between the Old Guard and the New Guard: All are equally opposed. But the younger pastors want to broaden the evangelical agenda beyond what Hunter calls “below the belt” issues linked to sexuality. For them, people of faith should engage issues such as AIDS, Darfur, economic justice, war and peace, prison reform and human trafficking.
Exactly. From the foundation of defending and preserving the most basic human right and natural law in the moral order, the rest of these issues absolutely have to be engaged in the culture, around the globe. That’s what Catholic Social Justice has always called for, but more imporantly, worked for all along. Power struggles within groups, or between groups, that hold the same fundamental beliefs for humans on the planet just dilute their work. And weaken the overall body that believers actually are, if only they realize it.
