Evangelical Crackup

This was the title of a New York Times Sunday Magazine piece that chronciled the wanning influence of the Christian conservatives in American politics. Or perhaps its evolving influence into a more moderate constituency no longer obsessed with just abortion and gay marriage. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/magazine/28Evangelicals-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

Fascinating reading for anybody who follows these things. Especially with its focus on Wichita as a microcosism of current trends. Terry Fox, who helped lead the successful marriage amendment in Kansas just two years ago, was pushed out of his church for focusing too much on the culture wars and not enough on basic spiritual growth.

The Eagle, inspired by this piece, ran an editorial today that quoted the ex. director of the Kansas Republican Party as essentially dismissing calls for help from anti-abortion crusaders. http://www.kansas.com/611/story/214409.html

I think this highlights that we are in the middle of a huge realignment in American politics. Some Christians see that clinging so tightly to a politial party (Republican) feels like a deal with the devil. By aligning so closely with Pres. Bush, the evangelical movement was dragged into the failures of Iraq. But I think the most revealing moment of the entire piece was Mike Huckabee, a practicing evangelical running for President who can't get support from top tier evangelical leaders because some of his positions don't align with traditional Republican conservatism.

Here's Huckabee: “Some of them have spent too long in Washington. . . . I think they are going to have a hard time going out into the pews and saying tax policy is what Jesus is about, that he said, ‘Come unto me all you who are overtaxed and I will give you rest.’ ”