A Liberal Evangelical Tony Campolo

Christian Ethics Today A Journal of Christian Ethics Volume 12, Number 4 Aggregate Issue 61 Fall 2006 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23 Being An Oxymoron: A Liberal Evangelical Tony Campolo .................................... 2 EthixBytes ............................................................................................................................................. 3 The Foy Valentine Memorial Fund—Still Growing! ................................................. 4 Foy Valentine: A Friend For The Ages Patrick R. Anderson ......................................... 5 Henlee Barnette: Prophetic Practitioner Larry L. McSwain ...................................... 6 The Path of Most Resistance J. Bradley Creed .................................................................... 8 Can We Just Talk? L. Dianne King ............................................................................................ 11 Religion and Government: A New Model Needed? David A. Sapp ................ 13 Today I Saw A Man Wade McCoy, MD ................................................................................... 18 Faith, Family, and Finances James E. Carter .................................................................... 19 Sunday—Marathon Day Martin E. Marty .......................................................................... 24 Baptizing Illegal Aliens David F. D’Amico .......................................................................... 25 The Real Tradition of Women as Church Leaders Sandra Dufield .................... 26 CHRISTIAN ETHICS AND THE MOVIES David A. Thomas ......................................... 27 Terrorism: Munich (2005) and Syriana (2005) War: Apocalypse Now (1979) POETRY Either Way Nathan Brown ................................................................................................... 30 The Religion Show Al Staggs .......................................................................................... 31 KUDZU by Doug Marlette www.dougmarlette.com Beingxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx An Oxymoron: A Liberal Evangelical Byxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tony Campolo, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Professor Emeritus &BTUFSO6OJWFSTJUZ 4U%BWJET 1" few weeks ago I was a guest on coverage for all of its citizens; fund the ones who obliterated policies that A Steven Colbert’s popular televi- the public schools in poor urban and had allowed for racial discrimination sion show, The Colbert Report . He rural communities at the same level in real estate sales, employment, and introduced me as an Evangelical who as those in rich suburban neighbor- education. In reality, almost all of the is liberal on social issues. Then he hoods; be committed to progressive progressive rulings that decimated Jim added, “He’s a living oxymoron!” environmental policies; give more Crow went well beyond the intensions Sadly, his words reflect the way than four-tenths of one percent of of the framers of the Constitution, Evangelicals are regularly perceived. its federal budget to help the poor of many of whom owned slaves. Oh, Here in the United States, evangelical other countries; and give up its mili- how quickly people forget! Christians have become so married taristic adventurism—then I embrace There are those on the Religious to the Right Wing of the Republican the label with enthusiasm. Right who argue that caring for the Party that it is hard for those outside I’m one of those pro-life Christians poor and needy is solely the respon- our faith community to imagine that who is convinced that the outrageous sibility of the church and should not a significant minority of Evangelicals number of abortions each year are be funded with taxpayers’ money. Yet have socially liberal politics. Yet over more due to right-wing economic it is clear in Scripture that God holds its history, evangelical Christianity has policies than to Roe v. Wade. In a soci- governments responsible for playing a championed some of our country’s ety where many poor women must significant role in providing such care. most progressive social movements. work outside the home at a ridicu- Consider the words of the prophet Charles Finney, the dominant lously low minimum wage just to Isaiah who warned: “Woe to those evangelist of the nineteenth century, survive, yet have no access to daycare who make unjust laws, to those who was a major player in the anti-slavery for their children, we should not be issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the movement, and his revivals provided surprised if they seek abortion when poor of their rights and withhold jus- much of the impetus for the women’s faced with an unplanned pregnan- tice from the oppressed of my people, suffrage movement of that era. Back cy. Yet many of the Religious Right making widows their prey and rob- in those days, Evangelicals pulled their Christians who share my pro-life bing the fatherless” (Isa 10:1-2). churches out of mainline denomina- sentiments tend to oppose enacting Also, Jesus declared that the day tions not because the denominations legislation that would enable poor would come when nations would be were too socially liberal on the race women to give birth and keep their judged by how they cared for the poor: issue, but because they were not lib- children. No wonder one of our crit- “When the Son of Man comes in his eral enough. William Jennings Bryan ics says, “Evangelicals are people who glory, and all the angels with him, he of Scopes Trial fame, the darling of believe that life begins at concep- will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. early twentieth century Evangelicals, tion and ends at birth.” Too often it All the nations will be gathered before was a pacifist who opposed America’s seems like we care about protecting him, and he will separate the people involvement in war. I gladly take my the unborn, but we’re not willing to one from another as a shepherd sepa- place in his train. provide for the born. rates the sheep from the goats” (Mt The word liberal has become a Recently, an African-American 25:31-32). political label of ill-repute among preacher in Philadelphia joined forc- Allow me to add to my advocacy many Evangelicals. But if by social lib- es with the Religious Right and the for certain liberal social policies a com- eral, you mean someone who believes White House when he spoke out mitment to fiscal conservatism. This America should guarantee medical against the nomination of “activ- present government, so supported by ist” judges to the Supreme Court most Evangelicals, has mortgaged the Editor: Joe E. Trull who would interpret the law beyond future of our children and our chil- Publisher: Christian Ethics Today Foundation, what the framers of the Constitution dren’s children. This is a consequence 9608 Parkview Court, Denton, TX 76207 intended. I wondered if this preacher of funding the war in Iraq and giving (940) 262-0450; Cell: (940) 230-6931 thought about all the advances for gigantic tax breaks to the richest peo- CHRISTIAN ETHICS TODAY is produced in the U.S.A. and is published ﬁve times annually and minority peoples that were the fruit of ple in our country, as well as to huge mailed from Dallas, Texas, where third-class postage activist judges. Liberal judges are the corporations such as price-gouging oil is paid. Articles published in CET reﬂect the views ones who integrated public schools companies. Our national debt increas- of the authors and not necessarily the viewpoint of CET or the Editor. Send corrections and change of with their 1954 ruling in Brown v. es by close to $2 billion each week, addresses to P.O. Box 1165, Argyle, Texas 76226. Board of Education. Activist judges are (continued on page 12) r'"--r$)3*45*"/&5)*$450%": EthixBytesxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Axxxxxxxxxxxxx Collection ofxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Quotes Comments, Statistics, and News Items “I pray for a world in which none will eficiaries of an American soldier who Africans living on $1 a day wish they be so poor, they have nothing to give, dies in the line of duty is $400,000, were cows.” and none so rich they have nothing to while a dead Iraqi civilian is worth up Jim Wallis . receive.” to $2500 in condolence payments. Pope John Paul II. For all the talk of Iraq being a sov- “We have just learned from the news ❖ ereign nation, foreign occupiers are media that 50,000 Iraqis have died in “The great contribution of Baptists the ones deciding what an Iraqi life is this war—a fact the Bush administra- has not been by theologians, but by worth.” tion has kept from the public.’ ethicists.” Andrew J. Bacevich, Boston Chris Matthews interview on NBC Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the University. Today (6/27/06). National Council of Churches, U.S.A.. ❖ ❖ “We really need to address the burn- “Today, tobacco accounts for one in five “Will [moral] values be used as wedg- ing of fossil fuels. It is getting hotter, cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths each es and weapons to divide and destroy and the icecaps are melting, and there year. Tobacco alone is predicted to kill a us, or as bridges to bring us together is a buildup of carbon dioxide in the billion people this century, 10 times the to find common ground by moving to air.” toll it took in the 20 th century.” higher ground?” Rev. Pat Robertson, The 700 Club Tobacco Atlas, 2 nd Edition and the Jim Wallis, editor and founder of (Aug. 3). World Health Organization. Sojourners. ❖ ❖ ❖ “Why does the oil industry go back “For every [Iraqi insurgent] that I kill, “Folks tend to forget that during

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