"What Being Evangelical Means to Me" (by a retired bishop of the ELCA Lutherans) [View All]

[Lydia Leftcoast]

(snip)
So why am I so emphatic in saying that I am not an "Evangelical Christian"? It's because I now find myself living in a culture where some folks who call themselves "Evangelical Christians" are putting a very different twist on that old and revered term. They have sullied and secularized it by tacking on a political agenda. They tend to identify themselves not simply by what they believe, but by the stance they take on controversial issues. The majority of them are anti-abortion, pro-death penalty, anti-gay rights, pro-preemptive war, anti-immigration, pro-home schooling, anti-Palestinian rights, pro-Republican party, anti-Democratic party, pro-literal reading of the Bible, anti-higher taxes, and so on.
(snip)
In this election year I will be evaluating candidates, whether they are seeking local office or the presidency of the United States, on the basis of their qualifications as wise and reasonable women and men.

• Do they have compassion for the poor and vulnerable?

• Do they understand that politics at its best is practicing the art of the possible?

• Do they have the capacity to work for compromise on difficult issues?

• Do they have the intelligence to see all sides of a complex question?...

More at http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/13543751.html