Do you know any left wing evangelicals?

[Pure]

Just wondered. There used to be some, e.g, Methodists in the anti slavery movement.

"Left wing" defined loosely in terms of 'socially progressive views.'

More specifically in terms of measures, not on the corporate agenda, for enhancing the public interest and general welfare; e.g., favoring unemployment insurance; free schooling with free lunches for the poor kids; tight protection of the environment through gov. agencies. Interest is some measures to allow the less fortunate to improve their lives. Regulation and restriction of corporations' activities with a view to the public interest.

---
For now, I'm leaving aside the issue of 'radical Catholic priests' of whom there are a number, and leftish Catholics, e.g., in the Catholic Workers' movement of Dorothy Day.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Yes.

Over the last several months my activities have involved me with a number of people who attend church regularly, who both believe in, and support, socially progressive causes. That is how I got to meet them.

Like their Right Wing counterparts, they will also take the occasional opportunity to ask about the religious convictions of their friends and associates. Some can actually be a bit of a bore on the subject.

They are happy to state their beliefs, and do so. Some are quite simplistic, or they can be incredibly complex, depending upon the person. What they seem to share is a belief that it is pointless to legislate belief — either to produce it, or to penalize the lack.

One person in particular described his objection to legislating religious belief this way:

It is counterproductive. The most likely effect is that nonbelieiver will accustom himself to presenting a facade of belief. Since the value of the belief is what comes from the inside out, rather than the outside in, this is a false belief. Further, since those believers around that person with the religious facade might fail to see through it, that he has no true belief, they may fail to testify to him.

The best argument I heard (from that same person) was that people who try to legislate religious beliefs are showing a weakness in their own belief, as well as not following biblical instruction.

(I had to Google the chapter and verse, to get the wording right.}

. . . "When you enter each village, be a guest in only one home," he said. "And if a village won't welcome you or listen to you, shake off its dust from your feet as you leave. It is a sign that you have abandoned that village to its fate." — Mark 6:6-11

 

[shereads]

The Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Al Franken.

 

[Weird Harold]

Just wondered.

To be perfectly honest, I simply don't know. I don't ask people about their religion and generally don't share mine.

 

[Guest]

So tell me about Jack.

 

[Pure]

Hi Sher,

I was going to add 'white evangelical', for it did occur to me that Black evangelicals often vote Democratic, favor civil rights etc.

After much googling I found one figure: Rev. Jim Wallis at the

"Sojourners" site

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.home

I learned a bit, in the search with 'evangelical' and 'criticism' and 'Bush' searches, etc. Or 'evangelical' and 'social justice.' There was an occasion disquiet over the idea that God was Republican or favored that party especially.

Also the occasional evangelical gets *nervous* about church state connections, which historically havn't worked out that well for the 'established churches.'

Anyway, by my calculation there must be a couple million democratic (white) or 'progressive' evangelicals out there; you just hear damn little about or from them.

 

[Edward Teach]

Hi Sher,

I was going to add 'white evangelical', for it did occur to me that Black evangelicals often vote Democratic, favor civil rights etc.

After much googling I found one figure: Rev. Jim Wallis at the

"Sojourners" site

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.home

I learned a bit, in the search with 'evangelical' and 'criticism' and 'Bush' searches, etc. Or 'evangelical' and 'social justice.' There was an occasion disquiet over the idea that God was Republican or favored that party especially.

Also the occasional evangelical gets *nervous* about church state connections, which historically havn't worked out that well for the 'established churches.'

Anyway, by my calculation there must be a couple million democratic (white) or 'progressive' evangelicals out there; you just hear damn little about or from them.

In 1996, I ran the reelection campaign for a Superior Cour judge against one of Pat Robertson's men. During the campaign our opponent visited all the fundamentalist churches singing and preaching. I commented at the time that they would soon take that strategy to the balck churches and be effective with it.

In 1998, I got wind of that tactic being planned to try to deplete some of black NC Rep Melvin Watt's support. I talked to Watt's Chief of Staff who said that they had been expecting it but were unconcerned because of Watt's huge popularity.

The Right does have a plan to go after the balck vote through the churches. I think they will have some success.

Ed

 

[shereads]

This topic came up on NPR yesterday. There was a discussion of the "religious left" that took a leading role in protesting the Vietnam war and in the Civil Rights movement. A caller suggested that the potential is still there, but there's no central organization to rally left-and-center churches around a political cause. The right wing began organizing churches in the 1980s under the Christian Coaliton and TV personalities like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

On the left, we have the priest in Doonesbury.



I think evangelicals have a built-in advantage when it comes to politics: they already believe they have an obligation to bring the rest of us to God. Mandating godly behavior through legislation might not save our souls, but it's easier than going door-to-door like the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The problem with us liberals is that we don't care what other consenting adults do. Crusades are about forcing others to adapt our personal choices as their own. Not a liberal concept.

 

[Pure]

Sher: I think evangelicals have a built-in advantage when it comes to politics: they already believe they have an obligation to bring the rest of us to God.

Sounds a little unfair. Surely the question is of the manner in which someone is 'brought to God.'

Mandating godly behavior through legislation might not save our souls, but it's easier than going door-to-door like the Jehovah's Witnesses.

I'm not sure what you're saying. IF it's that evangelicals tend to legislate morals, that's again, unfair, in that *many* stripes of Christians (and a few Muslims and Jews) do so. I would say that now, a 'thinking evangelical' would NOT favor criminal penalties for a range of morals issues, from 'gay' sex, to adultery.

The problem with us liberals is that we don't care what other consenting adults do.

Well, that's why there are so few of you 'secular liberal' types, in office. This is a mantra endorsed by maybe 25% of the population, though somewhat more in the young who don't vote.

[deleted]

Crusades are about forcing others to adapt our personal choices as their own. Not a liberal concept.

Again, unclear. Is this saying every evangelical effort (or political effort) is a 'crusade' in the nasty sense? Is not your effort for upholding reproductive rights or passing the ERA, a 'crusade.'

 

[oggbashan]

Many British evangelicals are left-wing by US standards.

I know too many of them for my own good. They keep trying to convert me to 'the true faith' whatever that is.

They have about as much hope as if they were trying to convert the Pope to their cause. I am too aware of good people in other denominations and other religions (or none) to subscribe to the idea that only one version has the true vision and controls the only gate to salvation.

Og

 

[Xelebes]

Rev. Tommy Douglas
Rev. Al Sharpton

And there are a few others. Most are associated with the Anglican and the United Church of Canada.