An "evangelical manifesto" being released today by a group of Christian scholars and theologians is expected to try to take back the term "evangelical" from politics and return it to its theological roots. "Evangelical" has been widely used to refer to Christians who have conservative political views, but the Evangelical Theological Society requires members to agree on just two points: inerrancy of Scripture, and belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as "separate but equal in attributes and glory" and essential for salvation.
USA TodayIndeed, releasing the document appears to be staking a claim for new leadership with different emphases from the traditional, mainstream evangelical movement; the declaration’s authors appear to be making a power play to launch new public faces for evangelicalism. Perhaps they heard E.J. Dionne, Jr., a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, opine about what he perceives as a “waning influence of the traditional religious right” and hope to move into the perceived vacuum. Likely, they also want to subtly shift the understanding of what it means to be “evangelical.” Several prominent self-identified “evangelical progressives” have written books and launched speaking and media campaigns in order to distance themselves from the issues of the religious right — painting themselves as more sophisticated and nuanced in their understanding of evil in the world. One branch created a “Deep Shift” to describe their “new paradigm” for making Christianity more palatable to the world. Others object to the “very narrow” depiction of evangelicals as conservative; they want the leftist social justice issues to be at the heart of “moral and political decision making.” While they object to the political activism of the religious right, their own “vocation” to use “political involvement as a vehicle for social change” is viewed as a mission and high calling.
Townhall ColumnThe Vallejo City Council voted to declare bankruptcy Tuesday night after months of last-ditch wrangling failed to rescue the city from financial catastrophe. The North Bay city of 117,000 now heads into largely uncharted territory, as no California city of this size has ever opted for this route. Carolyn Jones in the
San Francisco Chronicle Sarah Rohrs in the Oakland TribuneHundreds are expected to descend on San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza today to protest a June ballot measure that would end rent control across the state and, many argue, would push thousands of people from their homes through evictions or rising prices. James Temple in the
San Francisco ChronicleMcClintock's foe making residence an election issue -- During the great gubernatorial recall campaign of 2003, state Sen. Tom McClintock made a statewide name for himself by evoking his nostalgic vision for a return to California's Golden Age. He talked often about the home in Thousand Oaks his parents purchased in 1965. Timm Herdt in the
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