The line dividing evangelicals from progressives blurred Wednesday as members from both parties joined in a new mission to erase long-held stereotypes of one another and seek commonality on polarizing issues such as abortion, gay rights, and the role of religion in public life.
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Evangelicals, Progressives Seek to End Culture Wars
Leaders unite to find common ground on divisive issues
By
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Oct. 11 2007 08:22 AM EDT
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Comments
Conservative people are labeled as people who do nothing about poverty and the widow. this is simply not true. Just because we don't want to throw more government money or government programs at these issues is not because we don't care. We just think that government programs have not worked in addressing the problems and the true needs of the people. Outreach programs that are lead by churches and organizations do more good for the people then the government. Thats why Bush's faith based initiaive was created. Its funny when I hear that churches and conservatives aren't helping. Is that why the biggest food and homeless shelters are ran by churches or faith based organizations. Its just a misconception that people have that the media tries hard to portray. Another one is that liberals are all about the poor and minority which is another false statement. There is a great divide in America and the truth is that God is Holy! And his character cannot be changed by some churches who believe in dancing with the enemy. Homosexuality will always be a sin because its destructive lifestyle. You can call me a hater or another label but thats the truth. The bible is not some book that can be changed by the culture of today.
Sorry, Eric, but gays don't have the right to marry in any state except Massachusetts. And every religion has the right to say whatever they like about homosexuality on Sunday. It doesn't help to constantly play the victim card when in fact you are not the victim.
The culture war on gays will not end simply because it is so profitable. Whenever an evangelist needs money, he just has to say that the homos are coming for your children, and the money flows like the river Jordan.
When the congregants realize they are played like violins and stop the flow of money, then they will stop the war on gays. Until then, I not holding out much hope.
"Come and let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow". How sad that we have leaned upon our own human understanding and forgotten the rest of this verse, which told of the then coming new covenant of trust in the mercy, righteousness, power and especially the love of God, displayed by His own scarlet blood, shed for our sins. "Evangelical" has become a very ambiguous term in the last ten or fifteen years. Sorry, I don't buy such dialectic diaglogs.
"As a result, all humans deserve respect regardless of what they do and believe."
I doubt that a single one of them (on either side) truly believes this statement.
And history seeks to repeat itself as the comprising complacent church gets lulled back to sleep as a worst than Hitler arises out of the dunghill of humanities god-hatred and rebellion.
http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com/
I have come to bring a sword, I will divide not unite. The people of faith will walk in faith.
The is no turning back and no compromise, no question. Love those that hate you, and go the extra mile, but forget the illusion that they will convert.
"The movement’s representatives assured skeptics that neither side had to compromise their beliefs, but that there was plenty of room for consensus even on tough issues like gay rights and abortion."
The above statement is an oxymoron; consensus is a Marxist (dialectical) process that results in compromise. Progressives are of the devil's religion known as Secular or Marxist Humanism. If a self proclaiming Christian were true to scripture he could not reach consensus with a Progressive; rather he would be solidly anchored to truth. Jesus came into the world to bifurcate those of the truth from those of the world's lies.
both sides in this issue are missing the mark.being progressive or liberal does not disqualify one from being evangelical,nor does labeling one self evangelical mean that you have to be consertive.there is not liberal or consertive theology,it is either correct or incorrect theology.while while abortion and homosexuality are sins so are ignoring the poor and widows,and abiding injustice.all of these sins are equal in the eyes of the Lord,and seperate the sinner from His presence.if we as christians insist on being political we need to learn to let our faith rule our politics not our politics ruling our faith.
Christ said "How can two walk together unless they agree?" Orthodox Christianity is based on Divine revelation. The progressive movement has a different intellectual foundation. Some progressives may be Christians, but not all are; the ideas or values which unify them are then necessarily based on something other than Scripture. Orthodox Christianity requires rejection of homosexual acts, abortion, embryonic stem cell research and other items on the preogressive's wish list. Progressives seem to want to give others what they believe is "fair", yet this sense of justice often gives disproportionate claims to one party over the other: the mother has all rights and the unborn child no right to live; two gays who wish to be married have the right to do so while kids in public schools have no right to learn homosexual acts are immoral; the scientist and the ill have the right to seek cures from embryonic stem cell research but the embryo has no right to live. Christianity has a different sense of justice from progressivism. We can talk, but when "finding a way forward" becomes more important to Christians than Divine Revelation, that Christian has at best compromised his faith to accomodate the world. Our first loyalty should be to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. We're called to be salt and light, not to reach a consensus. Reaching an agreement where we can without compromising our beliefs is good, but I wonder if something more than that isn't going on here.
Another thing: it's odd to me that conservative evangelicals are the ones painted in a negative light by some of those in this article. Anyone who watches or reads the news or sees much entertainment these days will quickly get the sense that progressives do a great deal to marginalize and isolate conservative Christians and all others who disagree with them. We are made to feel distanced and increasingly ex-communicated from society. Have progressives considered their own contributions to the culture wars and the deep rifts in society? Or is this something conservative Christians are going to be scape-goated for?
I agree that we can come together when the common good calls for that, but the problem is that just because you work with a man does not mean you have converted him. A basic aim of Christianity is to further the gospel and freeing man from the clutches of the Evil one and from the chains of sin, not making this world a "better" place.
"Lliberal" philosophy is steeped in the Marxist pardigm - that goal is to attain power and to make everyone equal (accept those in power will be more equal). Therefore, any means justify the ends, even if truth, facts and reality stand in stark opposition to their position. (I know because I was a liberal activist and heard such speeches and read such diatribes).
We need to be wary of lions in sheep's clothing. The attempt here is not to further God's kingdom, to bring more people with us to heaven, but to further the "liberal" agenda of creating a utopian world. This was not what God calls us to.
I believe the issue here is not about compromising what we say but how we say it. "A gentle answer turns away wrath,But a harsh word stirs up anger." ~Proverbs 15:1
Christians spend too much time rebuking non-believers for their sin, when non-believers are simply doing what they do naturally, sin. We have deservedly earned the reputation for having a "holier than thou" attitude. Yes, Jesus did delineate sin from righteousness, but He didn't rebuke the unGodly for their sin. He rebuked the "religious" for their attitude. We speak the truth of Scripture without compromise, but we don't try to argue them into submission. We let the truth stand.
If we want to reach the lost, we must develop a relationship with them. This means listening to them and finding common goals with them and agreeing to disagree when we must for the sake of truth. We keep the lines of communication open while we pray for them, allowing the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin, so that when that time comes, they will come to us for the answers.
Can you say "One World Religion"? Yikes!!
They're trying to make the world grey. Jesus saw everything pretty black and white. He said we would be hated because of His name. There isn't always going to be peace and unity with those who fundamentally disagree with us. Jesus called the leaders of His day "spades" and He didn't hate them. On the contrary, I think everytime He challenged them He hoped they would see the truth and turn from their ways because He loved them. They still killed Him.
This is a well worded article on the parts of the progressives and the "christians". I don't see what common ground that these alleged evangelicals are going to find with progressives anymore than is already there? Of course it's a basic understanding that Christians should treat everyone with respect. Now barring that, what possible common ground are they going to have with progressives, who think that gay marriage is o.k. or not harmful? They won't and if they think they do, then they are lying to themselves.
On issues of abortion, the example here of "Well the demonstrators made up my mind to go through with it" is a lie that woman made up to justify what she did. She had every intent of getting an abortion before she got there, hence why she went there in the first place. The demonstrators didn't push her over the edge, she pushed herself. When we sin, it's not someone else that made us do it, or the devil, it's ourselves and Christ and the Apostles say as much and more!
To me, this "alliance" reeks of compromise. Let's hope not.