New evangelicals search for faith, not lip service
by Patrick O'Neill
Independent Weekly
The Barack Obama campaign opened its downtown Raleigh headquarters July 22 to much fanfare, but just around the corner the same night, the Obama celebration was outdrawn almost 3-to-1 by Jesus.
A "campaign stop" of the Jesus for President book tour was led by evangelical progressives Shane Claiborne, 33, and Chris Haw, 26, whose book, Jesus For President, was published this spring by Zondervan. The new movement represents one of the most exciting shifts among Christian evangelicals.
The Raleigh gathering at First Baptist Church on Wilmington Street, the 19th stop on a 21-city, 10,000-mile veggie-fueled bus tour, drew a crowd of mostly 20-somethings. Mixed in were old-guard progressive Christians, many affiliated with the N.C. Council of Churches.
Claiborne said he offers "a refreshing message for post-Religious Right America," adding some young evangelicals are turning away from the often harsh and unloving messages—such as gay-bashing and immigrant-bashing—that fuel the Religious Right.
"We really believe there's a lot of people that are hungry for a new conversation and a reshaping of what it means to be political, and we're glad to be a part of that," Claiborne said. "One of the ways that the Religious Right went wrong was by telling people what to do rather than inviting people to think for themselves."
full article
Independent Weekly
The Barack Obama campaign opened its downtown Raleigh headquarters July 22 to much fanfare, but just around the corner the same night, the Obama celebration was outdrawn almost 3-to-1 by Jesus.
A "campaign stop" of the Jesus for President book tour was led by evangelical progressives Shane Claiborne, 33, and Chris Haw, 26, whose book, Jesus For President, was published this spring by Zondervan. The new movement represents one of the most exciting shifts among Christian evangelicals.
The Raleigh gathering at First Baptist Church on Wilmington Street, the 19th stop on a 21-city, 10,000-mile veggie-fueled bus tour, drew a crowd of mostly 20-somethings. Mixed in were old-guard progressive Christians, many affiliated with the N.C. Council of Churches.
Claiborne said he offers "a refreshing message for post-Religious Right America," adding some young evangelicals are turning away from the often harsh and unloving messages—such as gay-bashing and immigrant-bashing—that fuel the Religious Right.
"We really believe there's a lot of people that are hungry for a new conversation and a reshaping of what it means to be political, and we're glad to be a part of that," Claiborne said. "One of the ways that the Religious Right went wrong was by telling people what to do rather than inviting people to think for themselves."
full article
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