The new face of evangelicals

Mark I. Pinsky writing in USA Today

This is more than what Freud called "the narcissism of small differences." The emerging face and voice of American evangelicalism is that of a pragmatic, politically sophisticated, pastor of a middle class megachurch.

The emerging face and voice of American evangelicalism is that of a pragmatic, politically sophisticated, pastor of a middle class megachurch. A younger generation of ministers such as Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life; Bill Hybels, of the pioneering Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago; T.D. Jakes, the African-American pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, as well as a music and movie producer; and Frank Page, the re-elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
...
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.

Emphasis added. Read it all here.

Posted by John B. Chilton on August 8, 2007 7:43 AM | |
Comments (2)

Speaking wearing my political observer hat -- not my believer's hat -- this younger generation of megachurch pastors simply are reflecting the concerns of a new generation of congregants for whom the social wedge issues, abortion excepted, are tired and unappealing. Younger people don't give a hoot about sexuality issues -- this is not where they locate good and evil. Since the megachurches are institutions dependent on quantity, a shift is to be expected. That's not a criticism; it is an observation.

Wearing believer hat: God moves in mysterious ways.

Jan Adams

Posted by janinsanfran [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 8, 2007 11:31 AM

Jan,

Ditto.

John

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 8, 2007 12:24 PM

Add your comments

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Reminder: At Episcopal Café, we hope to establish an ethic of transparency by requiring all contributors and commentators to make submissions under their real names. For more details see our Feedback Policy.

Advertising Space