'Left Behind' author breaks the evangelical stereotype according the Brian Mclaren

This interesting post comes from 'God and politics'. It is by Brian Mclaren. I found it quite interesting...

In light of Pat Robertson's and Bob Jones III's recent presidential endorsements - shocking or predictable, depending on your cynicism factor ? and in light of the recent New York Times article on the fragmentation of evangelicalism, I'm sure we'll be seeing a growing number of assessments regarding the status and future of the evangelical Christian community in the U.S. Those interested in the subject shouldn't miss the conversation that's been going on over at the Beliefnet roundtable on evangelicals in power. Beliefnet's Patton Dodd got things rolling, and was joined by writers Hannah Rosin and Jeff Sharlet, Left Behind novelist Jerry Jenkins, sociologist Michael Lindsay, and former Bush aide David Kuo.

All participants agreed on the need for civil and substantive discourse on the relation between faith and public life. Not only did they agree on the need for it, but they practiced it. Stark disagreement didn't give way to name-calling or vilification; civility didn't generate into a surfacey niceness that fogs up disagreement. I can only hope that future conversations on this topic will follow the civil and substantive tone of this one.

I especially appreciated the fresh tone struck by evangelicals David Kuo and Jerry Jenkins. Jenkins, in particular, shatters stereotypes by what he says and how he says it; one can only hope that those who loved his novels will follow his lead when he says things like this:

The true evangelical leaders, to me, are those serving Jesus (for He said that if you feed the hungry, help the poor, etc., doing this "unto the least of these," you're doing it unto Me) behind the scenes. Fortunately, I know many such servants - sadly, or perhaps encouragingly, most of them are young people. My son and his wife (in their early thirties with three young children) have helped started a church in Venice Beach, California, that largely serves minorities and the homeless. Just a few dozen gather Sunday mornings for a joyous celebration, but during the week they are also ministered to in concrete ways. My son and daughter-in-law, despite the fact that he's a movie director and she's a full-time mom, are in the process of adopting another child (and possibly two), believing that this is another way to put their faith into action.

One feels the center of gravity shifting in a statement like this from an evangelical leader like this. I share Jerry's hope when I look at many younger leaders in what is often called "the emerging church." Guided by "true evangelical leaders" like Karen Ward, Shane Claiborne, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, Danielle Shroyer, Adam Taylor, Gabriel Salguero, and others, this new generation of Christian adults will not be driving their parents' generation's evangelical Buick. They'll be serving the least of these - planting churches in inner cities, adopting forgotten children, and working for justice.

Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is board chair of Sojourners, and his most recent book is Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope.

Filed Under: Jerry Jenkins,

PS. I agree with what Gus had to say about the term 'evangelical' - I too regard myself as evangelical (i.e., passionately committed to the Gospel of Christ). Some people call my manner of commitment liberal - I guess that's because they may be conservative. I think my commitment to a Gospel of salvation from personal and structural sin, from individual addiction and social enslavement, is the core of the Gospel, not a liberal leftest agenda....

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