Barak Obama continued his dramatic attempt to redraw America's political map yesterday when he met with a group of influential Evangelical Christian leaders in Chicago. According to an Associated Press story, the meeting actually has some of the Who's Who list of long-time Conservatives making some surprising, perhaps shocking, choices.
As Charisma Magazine publisher Steve Strang asserted, "Here is a liberal--Barak Obama--reaching out to the Christian community at a time when the conservative-- John McCain--seems to be distancing himself from the so-called Christian Right. I think McCain has a lot of work to do to get the support of the Christian community. Obama seemed to have the support of at least half of the 43 leaders who attended the Chicago meeting. And in my opinion, he made points with the rest."
We may very well be witnessing a sea change as Obama secures his right flank--a feat that would have been unthinkable even four years ago for a radical pro-abortion, pro-gay rights, pro-government schools, secularist Liberal.
I am sensing from reading internet comments and other such reliable sources that there is, indeed, a major shift in the evangelical world about.
ReplyDeleteI think some of it relates to the failure of conservative politicians to deliver on their promises to the religious right. Maybe a part is because Obaba claims to be a devout Christian.
As long as Christians are content to be bamfoozled by either the right or the left, we won't see much change for the good. Bummer.
ofs
Apparently these conservative Evangelicals are not thinking conservative Evangelicals, and subject to various shifting tides and winds . . . just as long as they sound pretty. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon in many arenas.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason for this is that many evangelicals are broadening their definition of "moral values" beyond just the hot-button issues of abortion and gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, Evangelicals are broadening their definition of moral values. And well they should. Indeed, they should have done that long, long ago--after all, the Lordship of Christ is not limited to a few hot button issues. At the same time, as the Evangelicals get broader they should not simultaneously get shallower. I fear that this is what is happening now.
ReplyDeleteTo say that economic justice, concern for the environment, and a commitment to progressive values is all well and good--but, is it really necessary to abandon the sanctity of life, the integrity of the institution of marriage, and the necessity for promoting covenantal succession in order to do so? I think not. I pray not.
Conservatism has certainly failed us--just as Liberalism failed us in the previous generation. So, why do we continue to run from the pillar to the post?
This is the classic mistake described by Hilaire Belloc in The Servile State--we abandon the insanity of one position only to embrace the insanity of its opposite.
Yeah & Amen to all comments above –
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has concerned me for sometime now on the conservative side is the promoting of "American-ism" or "American-itus”. This seems to be particularly exemplified in the conservative talk radio world. There is much bravado about freedom, democracy and the American way of life. It is long on sentiment and short on substance. You typically hear little about where these virtues arise from, but simply the need to perpetuate them here, and around the world. Or as someone else once said, “They want the fruit without the root”. There is certainly a wink & nod to the One who "holds the world together by the Word of His power", but only in so far as HE serves the greater purpose of Truth, Justice & and THE AMERICAN WAY.
It reminds me of one of the Screwtape Letters when the senior demon named Screwtape is instructing his nephew, a young demon named Wormwood regarding the “patients” religious fervor and how it must be turned into either nationalism or pacifism and thus render his religion merely a means to an end.
God forbid, may it never be!
Uhh.... it would be nice to actually try conservatism before we conclude that it has 'failed us.' Even Ronald Reagan, who talked a good game, hardly walked as a conservative.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the context of the conversation is so far left that no conservatism on a large scale really exists. The conservatism that has failed is just the less leftist version of the radical left.
And commitment to 'economic justice' when it comes to Democrats is just code language for 'make the State bigger.' Evangelicals who support that are not Evangelicals.
Beware Belloc's distributionism. It looks an awful lot like socialism when a church smiley face.