Kristoff notices the “crazy Christians” February 3, 2008
Posted by Zack in New York , trackbackNew York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff has been reading Jim Wallis’ new book and is impressed.
Tags: Jim Wallis, New York Times, Nicholas ChristoffBleeding-heart liberals could accomplish far more if they reached out to build common cause with bleeding-heart conservatives. And the Democratic presidential candidate (particularly if it’s Mr. Obama, to whom evangelicals have been startlingly receptive) has a real chance this year of winning large numbers of evangelical voters.
“Evangelicals are going to vote this year in part on climate change, on Darfur, on poverty,” said Jim Wallis, the author of a new book, “The Great Awakening,” which argues that the age of the religious right has passed and that issues of social justice are rising to the top of the agenda. Mr. Wallis says that about half of white evangelical votes will be in play this year.
A recent CBS News poll found that the single issue that white evangelicals most believed they should be involved in was fighting poverty…
In parts of Africa where bandits and warlords shoot or rape anything that moves, you often find that the only groups still operating are Doctors Without Borders and religious aid workers: crazy doctors and crazy Christians.
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I enjoyed the column, but found it a little sad to see by noon EST over 200 comments about it on his blog, many of which were justifying the very prejudices he wrote the column to educate readers away from, with comparisons to the Taliban and so on. There are several more thoughtful comments as well, but some of the ones that are there so far certainly bear witness to how entrenched the mythos of “evangelical = uneducated Christianist hater theocrat” is.
[…] (h/t to Zack Exley at Revolution in Jesusland) […]
It’s already underway, and it’s good. I posted yesterday at Open Left on the Rankism piece noting that the issue would be a natural fit for Evangelicals. The following comment jumped on the idea enthusiastically and linked to this site. I immediately followed it and I’m’ delighted and encouraged to see what you’re doing.
Beth, those negative perceptions are familiar and expected but a new and blessedly redemptive perception is taking hold and we have reason to be excited. We’re going to need new strength for the looming tidal wave of change, to work against fear and for connection and reverent regard for God’s creation and humanity as it’s stewards and inheritors.
Reverent critical regard is certainly due to Jim Wallis and the Sojourners. I met him here in Toronto in 1972 during his continental tour to begin building a network or radical Christians; red hair down to his shoulders, big beard. To have worked so tirelessly with such integrity and judgment for so long through such times is clearly extraordinary. Now to have nailed the moment in a way that commands respect on the NYT editorial page is beyond extraordinary.
Silly typos. as its stewards network of radical. Thanks
thanks for sharing that, it was quite interesting
felixculpa,
I’m the person who responded to your comment at Open Left. I consider myself part of the “spiritual but not religious” category Jim Wallis refers to, and am always excited and inspired by any heartfelt connections that can occur among what Zack and others call “secular progressives” (including “spiritual but not religious”) and evangelicals who look to the words and life of Jesus as a guide for their own.
Though I’m not a “believer” in the sense commonly used, I am an “admirer” of Jesus, and one who believes that, underneath the various differences in “belief” lie common experiences, feelings, values and aspirations that are what Jesus was addressing when he spoke to his followers.
My hope is that these deeply human commonalities can become the connecting tissue of new alliances in the civic space of our society, and that those alliances can serve the spiritual growth of all who participate in them, as well as the physical and spiritual needs of those whose suffering these alliances aim to alleviate.