But, the evangelicals' hesitation is based on the undeniable New Testament assumption that the first and indispensable step is personal repentance and faith in Christ.
If that step is skipped or neglected or marginalized in the midst of some sort of "culture war", then you may be doing your own definition of good works, but it is not what Jesus enjoined on the church.
A "culture war", if that means legal or political action, is NOT WHAT JESUS TOLD THE CHURCH TO DO.
If you dispute this, you simply haven't read the gospels.
A faith that dangles in space by itself, in isolation from the rest of life, is gnostic, not Christian. See Eph. 2:10 for the why of our salvation.
Talk about not reading the gospels! I suppose you're going to pull out some unrevealed manuscript citing Jesus' rebuke of his cousin, John the Baptist, after John engaged in direct lobbying:
"But when John rebuked Herod the tetrach because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison." (Luke 3:19-20)
Poor John. He hadn't read Taliesan's Commentary on the Gospels. Maybe if he had that opportunity, he would have stuck to "doin' what cuz Jesus told him to do" and he wouldn't have lost his head.
The first and indispensable step is one you or any other evangelical had no part of initiating...Hence, he gets all the glory for it! (See 1 Cor. 12:3; John 6:28-29; John 15:16).
And by the time we get around to responding in faith triggered by His love, mercy, compassion, and grace, He doesn't try to compartmentalize acts prompted by the grace of His faith like so many evangelicals do. Otherwise, the sheeps and goats would be separated according to your standard of "repentance and faith" and not how our faith bleeds over into the public square (Matthew 25:36-45).
It's easy to label our sins of omission in the public square as "political." That way, every face behind every abstract "social issue" can be excused away as to why we didn't act on their behalf.
Certainly the Church-at-large misses out on following the heartbeat of Jesus' agenda. But Jesus wasn't as quick to squash zealousness in the public square as you might think.
Nowhere is Simon referred to as "Simon the ex-Zealot." Nowhere is there a hint of the elitist attitude within Jesus that we find among many evangelicals who would not ever want to be caught in the same picture or the same heaven with a Jerry Falwell type. No, Jesus didn't stay at arms' length from Simon the Zealot. Rather, He picked him as a disciple.
A "culture war", if that means legal or political action, is NOT WHAT JESUS TOLD THE CHURCH TO DO.
You're dead on. Certainly on can participate in politics, but, ultimately what will change the hearts and minds of people is Christ, and Christ alone.
Uh, and just how do you spin what Jesus did to the money changers? Walk in your own shadow and you will never see the light.