The Evangelical left is a Christian left movement in evangelical Christianity that affirms conservative evangelical theology and are politically Progressivism. It is mainly based in the US, but is also found in Latin America.[ The Gospel Coalition website][ Oxford University Press website]
Doctrine
The movement affirms conservative evangelical theology, such as the doctrines of the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, opposition to gay marriage, and viewing the
Bible as the primary authority for the
Christian Church.
[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 264] Unlike other evangelicals, those on the evangelical left often support and utilize modern biblical exegesis. They often support a more
Progressivism political platform and are concerned about issues of
social justice.
[Timothy J. Williams, Evangelical Christians are on the left too, theconversation.com, USA, October 17, 2016][Ana Ionova, Brazil’s Evangelical Leftist, americasquarterly.org, USA, September 19, 2022] Many, for example, are opposed to capital punishment and are supportive of
gun control,
welfare spending programs and welcoming foreigners.
[Alexis Buisson, Céline Hoyeau, Aux États-Unis, une génération d’évangéliques le cœur à gauche, la-croix.com, 17 June 2019] In many cases, they are also pacifists.
History
The origins of the movement are located in the 16th century in the
Anabaptist movement which fought against The Establishment and campaigned for democracy.
[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 264] Other movements were significant, such as Abolitionism in the United Kingdom of the 18th century and Abolitionism in the United States of the 19th century. Some evangelicals have campaigned for women's rights, such as pastoral ordination and right to vote.
[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 18][Rosemary Skinner Keller, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Marie Cantlon, Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America, Volume 1, Indiana University Press, USA, 2006, p. 294-295]
Due to the fundamentalist controversy of the early 20th century, the movement and social activism lost momentum.[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 18] In the late 1940s, evangelical theologians from Fuller Theological Seminary founded in Pasadena, California, in 1947, championed the Christian importance of social activism. It experienced a new impetus in the 1960s with the foundation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, led by Baptist pastor Martin Luther King Jr.[Timothy J. Williams, Evangelical Christians are on the left too, theconversation.com, USA, October 17, 2016]
During the 1960s and 1970s, the evangelical left stood for antiwar, civil rights, and anti-consumption principles while supporting doctrinal fidelity and conservative sexual morals.[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 3] Sojourners magazine, founded in 1971, has been an important voice of the movement.[Anja-Maria Bassimir, Evangelical News: Politics, Gender, and Bioethics in Conservative Christian Magazines of the 1970s and 1980s, University of Alabama Press, USA, 2022, p. 15] In 1973, 53 evangelical leaders signed The Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern, which contributed to the foundation of Evangelicals for Social Action.[Brantley W. Gasaway, Progressive Evangelicals and the Pursuit of Social Justice, University of North Carolina Press, USA, 2014, p. 20] The evangelical left had influence in electing the first born-again U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, in 1976.[David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 110]
21st century
In 2007, the organization Red-Letter Christians was founded by
Tony Campolo and
Shane Claiborne with the aim of bringing together evangelicals who believe in the importance of insisting on issues of
social justice mentioned by
Jesus (in red in some translations of the
Bible).
[Nick Tabor, Can this preacher's progressive version of evangelical Christianity catch on with a new generation?, washingtonpost.com, USA, January 6, 2020] The election of
Donald Trump in 2016 led to a resurgence of the evangelical left against some of his policies.
[ National Public Radio website, Provoked by Trump, the Religious Left is findings its Voice][ Politico website, Could These Evangelical Democrats Change the Party?][ Five Thirty Eight website, White, Evangelical and Progressive] Some evangelical Christians see the phrase as political and have since changed how they name themselves.
[ The Guardian Newspaper, Exvangelicals][ Red Letter Christians website]
See also
Further reading
External links
