A vision from the past: riding past the followers in one of his 90 Roll-Royces.
Posted on 10/11/2009 6:33:33 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
LANDOVER, Md. – The evangelical movement is at a “head-snapping” generational change with younger evangelicals “revolting” against the tone of the Christian Right, says a prominent religious scholar.
Across the nation, young evangelicals are naming Rick Warren or Bono as their role model for social engagement, rather than a Christian Right leader, says Michael Gerson, senior research fellow in the Center on Faith & International Affairs at the Institute for Global Engagement.
Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forrest, Calif., is known for mobilizing evangelical churches in the battle against HIV/AID in Africa, while U2 frontman Bono is one of the world’s leading anti-poverty activists.
“We are seeing a head-snapping generational change,” contends Gerson, who was a top aide and former speech writer to President George W. Bush. “The model of social engagement of the religious right is increasingly exhausted.”
At the recent biennial Evangelical Leaders Forum, Gerson offered three reasons for the change: a recovery of scriptural emphasis, a revolt against the tone and style of the Religious Right, and the effects of short-term mission trips on young Christians.
According to Gerson, young Americans return from short-term mission trips with a changed worldview. Their exposure to poverty, HIV/AIDS, and economic injustice make them concerned about these issues and want to improve the problems.
But Gerson quickly clarified that the movement to care about a broader set of issues, beyond abortion and family, is not an innovation but an evangelical tradition.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement was an opponent of slavery who had encouraged William Wilberforce to end it, Gerson pointed out. And Wilberforce was motivated by his evangelical conviction to lead the British movement to abolish the slave trade.
Other Christian leaders in history have led movements for women’s suffrage, minimum wage, and opposition to capital punishment.
“This combination of moral conservatism with social activism is the evangelical tradition,” asserted Gerson, who was a biblical studies and theology major at Wheaton College.
“Evangelical social engagement is becoming broader, but this is not an innovation but a revival. Not a fresh track in the snow, but a rugged path of history.”
For those fearing that younger evangelicals are becoming liberal Democrats, Gerson assured that the new evangelicalism is not trading moral conservatism for social justice. He pointed to polls that show younger evangelicals tend to be even more pro-life than their parents.
The new generation of evangelicals is simply returning to the movement’s past tradition and adding social justice to moral conservatism, he concluded.
Gerson spoke on the last day of the two-day, invitation-only Evangelical Leaders Forum organized by the National Association of Evangelicals. Some 200 evangelical leaders attended the Oct. 8-9 event hosted at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Landover, Md. This year’s theme was “Christian Justice in Difficult Times.”
This should be interesting....
Redistribution of wealth is not a goal of Christianity.
If they are following an human leader, rather than reading and following scripture for themselves then they are hardly “Evangelicals” at all, now are they. We are called to be a nation of priests.
Was this written by the Nobel prize committee?
Rick Warren and Bono are who these kids look up to?
Fine, but I don’t think either are actually Christians (accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, excluding all other “god”).
Looks like the kids are practicing a faith other than Christianity
Rick Warren and Bono are who these kids look up to?
Fine, but I don’t think either are actually Christians (accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, excluding all other “god”).
Looks like the kids are practicing a faith other than Christianity
Then true Bible believers need to educate these kids better.
{The new generation of evangelicals is simply returning to the movement’s past tradition and adding social justice to moral conservatism, he concluded.}
That explains why the 18-29 year Evangelicals love Mike Huckabee.
Exactly, you give out of what God gives you, willingly and joyfully. Forcing someone to give, is just like stealing. That breaks the 10th commandment: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. (Exodus 20:17)
And I am barely into my 30s.
“Gerson assured that the new evangelicalism is not trading moral conservatism for social justice”
Since when did moral conservatism and social justice become mutually exclusive? More often than not, they work hand in hand.
What a bunch of balony.
I certainly hope this is not true.
Not the type of social "justice" the liberals want. Jesus tells us (the rich) to sell our possessions and give the money to the poor. He doesn't tell us to pay more money in taxes so that the government can do it.
Marxist infiltration of the Evangelicals, anyone?
The young Christians I know are graduates of Worldview Academy and Summit Ministries who have received training so that they can engage the culture. It remains to be seen how this Joshua generation will turn out. (I hope they're not like many of their parents' generation who for the most part have abandoned the public square to the liberal radicals.)
The apple falls close to th tree: if these kids parents haven't informed them that there is no Sanctifying Grace in government confiscation, their religious upbringing has been pretty awful indeed.
More like Marxist infiltration of all the faiths, as we've seen this coming out of numerous houses of worship. But it is all part of the plan to take over the USA from within, infiltrate the schools and houses of worship and break down the family.
A vision from the past: riding past the followers in one of his 90 Roll-Royces.
I agree. They just need to be kept in balance. The Church has always done good things along with spreading the Gospel. Just make sure the good things are for God and not the govt.
Not the young people I know. Although they tend to look outside the walls of the church more for ministry than their parents, they are absolutely committed to God and Jesus Christ, not social “Christianity.”
This is the infiltration of Liberation Theology.
I am really bad at the “Jesus tells us” stuff. Honestly, this is my loss. Funny but I posted this on another thread the other day though, didn’t Christ say that one should not brag about one’s giving? That anonymous giving is the only way to go? If so, this opens up a whole can of worms during filing time.
You're probably better at it than I am. I totally felt for the guy in the story who cried when Jesus told him to do that.
Social Justice isn't.
Social Studies aren't.
Social Work doesn't.
Warren/Huckabee? Perhaps, two overweight lightweights. We need another Reagan.
JMO but I think that morals are timeless and unchangable so those that support moral conservativism are trying to conserve morals. Now I am ok with those who ponder what is moral and immoral and how to live a virtuous life. Moral conservatives have been doing that thoughout the ages. What concerns me are those that think that morals are man made. And because they are man made, no man should sit in judgement of another. That god’s law doesnt exist. That its better to allow for someone else’s immorality as you may define it than it is to stand up and say they are wrong. As for social justice, justice theory and all that? Justice is justice.
Redistribution of wealth is not a goal of Christianity.
Apparently neither is passing on your faith to the next generation.
How come? Me, I think Jesus gave the desciples a tough roe to hoe. They had hard lives. Forget crying. Did any of those guys die of old age?
Because I think like the rich man in the story. That's why.
Jesus and his disciples suffered greatly for the faith. I know I am weak for crying over possessions like the rich man did.
Pnh, I seriously cant see you crying over possessions. Me, I cry only over the loss of the things I love like my family and an Eagles loss to a NFC East contender.
Well, that is my problem. It depends on what I were to lose. A lot of things which I can easily replace I do not care too much for... but the expensive stuff... oy.
I know it is a weakness, and as we've all lost family at some point in our lives and we cry over a true, genuine loss like that, losing a dinky possession and crying over that looks cheap and weak.
I feel better now knowing that I have judged myself in accordance with the same standards I judge others. :)
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Pnh I am a guy. When we lose stuff we cuss. This sinner even uses the Lord’s name in vain. I pray often that my kids arent in earshot. ;)
What ever happened to the Apostle Paul type preaching...
“I am determined to know nothing among you, save Christ and Him crucified.”
You want to snap some heads, that will do it, because most of ‘em have never heard it before.
Translation: Pro-life communist!
The young Evangelicals are about to turn hard left.
And yes, that means socially also.
You can’t found a religious movement that has staying power with emotion and without doctrine. The retread Evangelical movement has very shallow doctrine.
They will go the way of the Progressives, into the left and gradually reject God.
Those were VOLUNTARY sacrifices which Jesus asked of his followers not as a prescription for others. Throughout the New Testament, he promoted free choice. There is not one example of where he demanded that government forcibly redistribute wealth through taxes.
No one today knows for sure, but early church history records that only the apostle John, who was inspired to write down the book of Revelations while exiled on Patmos, lived to an old age -- the others died violent deaths.
Two questions :
1) How does one interpret Jesus' command to the Rich Young ruler to sell all of his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him ? 2) Should the church follow the model of the early church of the book of Acts where they shared each other's possessions ? (Acts 2:45)
The goal of Christianity is to spread the Good News of salvation throughout the world, not to redistribute wealth. However, A hungry man isn't as likely to sit still and listen to the Gospel as one whose immediate needs are met. Remember too the scripture that those who won't work shouldn't eat.
1) Jesus' command to the rich young ruler (who had observed all the laws) was intended to be the defining test of his faith, not necessarily a general command for us.
2) Life in Judea was probably hard even in the best of times. The earliest church members were often ostracized from their families and had to depend on each other to survive. As the story of Ananias and Saphira shows, they were punished for deception, not because they did not give up everything. The amount to be given was a matter of conscience.
forced redistribution of wealth is unChristian.
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