Stephen Bainbridge joins the ranks of fiscal conservative bloggers who are concerned about Bush's freespending ways. But he goes the extra mile and argues Bush is also in serious trouble with -- wait for it -- evangelicals, too:
Lately, a lot of those leaders seem pretty unhappy. Check out, for example, Cal Thomas on spending or Phyllis Schlafly on Bush's immigration proposal. Marvin Olasky recently felt compelled to write a column imploring his fellow "Christian conservatives" to "remember that we're better off now than we were four years ago (when Bill Clinton was in office) or than we will be a year from now, if millions of us stay home in November and John Kerry or someone else takes over." Sounds like there's trouble in Paradise to me.
Elections are all about turnout, kids. You've got to energize your base, not alienate it.
Well, I am going to do it. I am a new reader ::: deep breath ::: and an
Evangelical.
Now I know according to some other comment on some other thread, I am not supposed to be reasonable or able to have anyone really truly challenge my *dogma* but let me live in denial for a moment.
I like Bush because he has this ability to make everyone scratch their head from time to time. As and evangelical I think the President represents modern evangelicals a LOT more than the establishement evangelicals would like.
Now I am not dissing Cal Thomas or Mrs. Schlafly, they are smarter than me. I think they have a case. I actually have met Mr. Thomas (no relation) at a fundraiser and have had a few discussions with him. Both these folks are a lot smarter than me. However, I am for the immigration policy, not quite understanding all of the money but then again I am allergic to math. I agree with Bush about marriage but am scared of the future consequences of the Patriot Act as well as he needs to be held accountable to figure out what the heck happened leading up to Iraq. I support the war wholeheartedly but there are serious questions to answer.
And on and on.
There is a book called the Fourth Turning (Strauss & Howe) that says in a secular scholarly way that we are moving from a time of argument by brochure to a time where people are getting tired of the culture wars and immediate dismissal caused by labels.
From what I can tell, this is happening with not only liberatarians and Christians. It is happening in almost every sector. This could be good or bad depending on how or if people can find concensus and have leaders with the integrity to truly lead and not be wishy washy.
OK...so this is too long already but basically the evangelical world is changing in that, younger evangelical boomers, GenX and beyond are tired of arguments by brochure. Yes we have our *convictions* but even there you might be surprised.
It's "new wine for a new wine-skin." Look it up.
TO: Stephen Green
RE: Even Evangelicals?
Maybe it's just me....and all the other Evangelicals I know....
Evangelicals don't sit around on their tail because they don't agree with someone's policy on this or that or the other point. They'll be voting the way the Spirit moves them. One way or the other. But they will be active.
Disagreements over immigration policy or spending or whathaveyou will not cause them to 'sit this one out' because they know that to take no action is also a form of action. They will compare the candidates and vote. For not to vote is allow something worse to happen.
The man giving the message on Sunday morning may be telling them about Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem by all the people who were living there at the time, but they'll recognize the correlation with current events and that they must do their part to rebuild the 'wall' here, just as those people did there. And they, unlike all too many others, recognize there will be an accounting....
Regards,
Chuck(le)
