Come Let Us Reason Together: A New Path Forward for Evangelicals and Progressives?
Third Way, a progressive strategy center in D.C., and a group of evangelical leaders held a press conference today to announce the release of “Come Let Us Reason Together,” a new paper that “charts a path forward to unite progressives and evangelicals on the most polarizing cultural issues of the day.”
The paper outlines “new, common ground approaches to issues such as reducing the need for abortion, affirming the human dignity of gay and lesbian people, working for responsible progress in the treatment of human embryos, and respecting the role of religion in the public square.”
One of the paper’s key findings appears to be that, while evangelicals are more conservative than the general population, they are not “monolithic” in their political and cultural views. In fact, Dr. Robert P. Jones, co-author of the paper and religion scholar, notes, “Evangelicals are roughly one-fifth progressive, one-third moderate, and one-half conservative, and this formula holds true across a number of different political and cultural measures.” Nearly half of all evangelicals have views that “can coexist comfortably with progressive ideas.”
Speaking at today’s press conference, Dr. David Gushee, a Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University and a columnist for Christianity Today, said: “Third Way’s excellent paper confirms the emergence of a strong evangelical center that cares about transforming hearts and institutions, that supports a broad policy agenda, and that is committed to building bridges with others of good will—something my own work has also found.”
Download “Come Let Us Reason Together” (PDF)
Read the press release about this paper
Watch video of today’s press conference
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Joe,
I think that many in Emergent are sympathetic to your anabaptist theology of strict separation from government, but a vast number feel that Christian witness needs to be involved in politics (but not in the same way that the Religious Right has been involved in it).
FYI.
Hijacked? I fear the goodnews has been hijacked since Constantine followed his “vision”.
from where i come from david, i can agree with that. that is probably very true. i should step back and taker a longer look at history. has the gospel ever existed fre of mans presuppositions and ideologies after the time of christ? good thought david.
Some thoughts—i def. believe that as Christians, we should never allow our “spirituality” to disconnect us from the world around us—we are “in the world”. however, i proceed very cautiously before aligning myself with any particular ideology in the world. i also find it necessary to lament the compromise of Kingdom living within a given cultural context. Perhaps our spiritualities can only be embodied and produce fruit as signs in culture, but this does not license the Christian to get caught in the waves of cultural, ethical, or political undertow in the name of Jesus: “not of the world.” Instead, these convictions ought to flow out of our love for the person of Jesus Christ.
Finding oneself pregnant and in poverty, abandoned by the man who swore marriage, leaves a person with few options. What is left of our “reformed” welfare is a tangle of very punitive measures with temporary subpoverty level aid, and mandatory work placements in dead-end, often temporary, jobs that pay minimum wage or less. It is a guarantee of a hellish future for both mother and child.
Turning to a welfare office today is a matter of “jumping from the frying pan into the fire”. Unless this changes, abortion will continue to be viewed as the most reasonable and compassionate option by many in this position. And let’s be honest—-can a nation that turns its back on the poor, including babies, have any credibility when arguing against abortion?
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ok. just asking. are parts of the emergent church being hijacked by socialists (progressives)?
before you yell at me. i dont believe the church should be hijacked by any form of government. just expressing a concern, that’s all. we need the church to stand apart from govt and other ideologies. that’s what got us in trouble in the first place.