MANY politically conservative evangelical Christians have been not too subtly transforming God into a transcendental member of the right wing of the Republican Party. It is not just a matter of their making a biblical case for their political agenda; they seem to be going further than that. They are giving the impression that anyone who disagrees with their agenda is outside the will of God. These people have been so effective in associating evangelical Christianity with right-wing Republicanism that to the secular press the word “evangelical” has come to mean the Christian Coalition.
This recent development has generated great consternation among many of us who, over the last few decades, have used the word “evangelical” to establish our own religious identity. We now have to ask, Can we continue to use that title? We hold to the orthodox theology of evangelicalism, but we are not about to buy into all the values and programs espoused by the Religious Right. ...
I am convinced that there are many who have called themselves evangelicals, both inside and outside of mainline denominations, who ... are looking for a clear-cut alternative. They want a vision for the church that combines theologically sound evangelism with a bold and dynamic social initiative. They want a Christianity that is viable for the 21st century.
This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared in the March-April 1995 issue of Sojourners. Read the full article here.
Tony Campolo is founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) and professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University.
This appears in the March 2018 issue of Sojourners
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