Product Description

David Gushee argues convincingly that there is in U.S. politics an evangelical center of voters who do not identify with the politics and religion of either the right or the left. Although evangelical Christians are portrayed by the media as conservatives, Gushee claims that the evangelical movement includes nearly even numbers of voters on the right, in the center, and on the left of the political spectrum. He provides portraits of the major figures in each of the three camps, outlines the core convictions of the adherents, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each group's positions. He suggests that the evangelical center is poised for growth; this book could be its manifesto.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #599180 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 275 pages

Review
In this important book David Gushee gives the lie to the sorry myth that Evangelicals are all right-wing extremists. Not only does he show that many are politically progressive, but also that most of them are actually or potentially political moderates with a strong biblical conscience. --George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

In this important book David Gushee gives the lie to the sorry myth that Evangelicals are all right-wing extremists. Not only does he show that many are politically progressive, but also that most of them are actually or potentially political moderates with a strong biblical conscience.
--George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

In an election year, we badly need this careful, reasoned reflection on how Christians should confront the pressing moral issues of our time. Gushee offers a refreshingly balanced point of view.
--Philip Yancey, Author and editor-at-large of Christianity Today

The Future of Faith in American Politics offers a cogent review of contemporary political engagement among evangelical Protestants. David Gushee s description of an;emerging evangelical center; displays the diversity of this engagement, while his advocacy for such a center reveals its vitality. This book deserves to be taken seriously by evangelicals and non-evangelicals alike.
--John C. Green, Senior Fellow in Religion and American Politics, PEW Forum

The Future of Faith in American Politics challenges Jim Hightower's famous maxim that the only things in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos. Gushee offers here a cogent and balanced agenda for evangelical activism, a most welcome addition to this important conversation.
--Randall Balmer, Professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University

Gushee offers a valuable survey of Evangelical subgroups and their varied responses to some of the most significant and divisive ethical issues of our time. It is a timely response to questions that demand informed and immediate attention in the academy and the pulpit.
--Bill J. Leonard, Dean and Professor of Church History, Wake Forest University Divinity School

Will there be a kinder, gentler, wiser Evangelical ethos in the future - less strident, rigid, politically entrenched, and reactive, and more thoughtful, robust, politically independent, and constructive? If so, I believe it will develop in large part because of David Gushee and the new/renewing identity articulated in this important book.
--Brian D. McLaren, Author(brianmclaren.net)

Excellent. Carefully researched, lucidly argued, urgently important. A must read; for anyone interested in American evangelical political engagement today.
--Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action

Gushee makes a strong case for an emerging evangelical middle; in American politics. For that middle to become more than an occasional, aggregate voice, however, its constituents will have to take more seriously than they do now the responsibilities of citizenship and government. Today, that middle lacks leaders in government and the political process with the comprehensive agenda Gushee advocates.
--Jim Skillen, President, The Center for Public Justice

You must read this book. Why? It not only explains who the players are in an evolving religious and political awakening occurring within the evangelical world, but it also explains the ideas, conflicts, and controversies that are making news. ----Richard Cizik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals

The Future of Faith in American Politics offers a cogent review of contemporary political engagement among evangelical Protestants. David Gushee's description of an emerging evangelical center displays the diversity of this engagement, while his advocacy for such a center reveals its vitality. This book deserves to be taken seriously by evangelicals and non-evangelicals alike. --John C. Green, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Akron

About the Author
David P. Gushee (Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary) is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University.

Customer Reviews

A feast for the mind and heart
What comes to mind when you think of the relationship between evangelicals and American politics? Fervent opposition to abortion and gay marriage? The convolution of God and Country? Culture wars and single-issue litmus tests? Whatever the prevailing image, it can probably be characterized more by partisan reaction than carefully nuanced, non-partisan reflection.

Piggybacking on the groundswell of opposition to George W. Bush's policies on issues like torture, climate change and the Iraq War, numerous books in recent years have critiqued the strong ties between evangelical Christianity and the Republican Party. Among the most influential of these bestsellers has been God's Politics by Jim Wallis, which captured this wave of frustration and energized a younger generation of Christians (myself included) to pursue social justice and fight global poverty. Wallis has often proclaimed the decline of hard-line social conservatism with phrases like, "the monologue of the Religious Right is over." But with 74% of evangelicals voting for John McCain in 2008, is American Christianity really shifting from right to left or is something more subtle and less reactionary taking place?

Evangelical scholar David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, argues for the latter in The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center (Baylor Press, 2008). He begins with a thoughtful and dispassionate survey of the political spectrum within evangelicalism: right, left and center. With surgical precision and refreshingly independent sensitivity, Gushee dissects and examines the strengths, flaws, key figures and organizations comprising each perspective. Based on his analysis of the evangelical right (including James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention among others) and evangelical left (Wallis, and influential author/speakers Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren), Gushee observes that both camps lack the independence to offer a biblically consistent approach to political engagement.

Gushee concludes most evangelicals do not identify with the either partisan extreme. As such, they increasingly seek to think holistically about a broader range of issues, transcending the polarizing dichotomies expressed on cable news and talk radio. While the vast majority of evangelicals still take conservative positions on gay marriage and abortion rights, traditionally "liberal" concerns like reducing poverty, defending human rights, fighting HIV/AIDS, expanding health care access and promoting environmental responsibility have become important factors in the discussion. Pointing to the work of "centrists" like Ron Sider of Evangelicals for Social Action, Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission, Rich Stearns of World Vision and Joel Hunter of Northland Church, Gushee makes a strong case that the moderate middle is the most fertile place for biblical reflection, inclusive dialogue and critical thinking to occur in the coming years.

What makes this book stand out from other works of its genre is a steadfast commitment to both political independence and Christian civility. Although Gushee and Wallis voice many of the same critiques of the evangelical right, Gushee is not preoccupied with vilifying Dobson and Pat Robertson or stirring up anti-Republican umbrage. The solution to a conservative imbalance is not a counter flood of liberal talking points, but a fiercely consistent allegiance to a different Kingdom altogether. For those who buy into the caricature that all evangelicals take their political marching orders from right-wing extremists, televangelists and Republican political operatives, the book reveals persuasive evidence to the contrary. Others may dismiss the concept of evangelical balance and moderation as the height of oximoronic naivete, but Gushee contends that loud voices on the extremes have actually deepened the movement toward a more thoughtful and deliberately independent centrism.

If you are hoping to be told (directly or indirectly) who Jesus would vote for, Gushee will disappoint you. If you want partisan ideology cloaked in religious language or political strategies for how to attract evangelical voters, this book is not for you. But if you're looking for tools and principles to biblically grapple with the thorniest public policy issues of our time, The Future of Faith in American Politics is a must-read. Even if you only read the sub-chapter addressing the tangled moral and ethical web created by the debate over gay marriage, those insights alone are worth the cost of the book. Those looking for a sober and reasonable introduction to the world of faith and politics will be inspired by Gushee's Christ-centered passion for justice and truth.

Simply stated, this is the best book I've read on the relationship between evangelical Christianity and American politics; a feast for the mind and heart. Gushee is a master at synthesizing scholarly observation with passionate biblical conviction and reflective humility in a way that is engaging, persuasive and leaves you hungering for a better world. Christians of all stripes: right and left, young and old, hopeful and cynical, engaged and apathetic, have something to learn from this groundbreaking work. Those seeking to understand the full spectrum of evangelical politics, including both the truth and hyperbole behind the stereotypes, will value this insightful and compelling look at the way forward.

Future of Faith in American Politics
Dr. David Gushee has made an immense contribution to the world of Evangelical politics with the publication of his most recent book, The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center. Gushee not only provides an in-depth look at the current Evangelical political spectrum, but he also clearly articulates a vision for an emerging "Evangelical Center," a moderate approach to politics that more fully embraces the whole of biblical counsel, not merely a partisan outlook on political life.

In the first half of his work, Gushee details the major players, organizations and worldviews that constitute what he sees as a distinct Evangelical Right, Left and Center. On the Right he chronicles the rise of such influential organizations as Focus on the Family and the American Family Association, among others. Gushee agrees with the way in which the Right is able to speak out on abortion and the sanctity of marriage, but faults them for at times having too narrow of an issue base, and at other times for merely adopting the Republican Party platform wholeheartedly.

The Evangelical Left consists mainly of the personalities of Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo and the organizations that they have built around them, but there are many other organizations that embody a liberal approach to politics as well. While the Left, and especially Wallis, tend to view themselves as a mediator between the Secular Left and the Evangelical Right, Gushee rightly points out that most of the ire of those on the Left is directed at the Right. As is to be expected, Gushee praises the Left for being able to widen the agenda of the Evangelical world, especially in the realm of social justice and their reliance on Jesus and His message in the Sermon on the Mount. However, they can fall vulnerable to losing their self-proclaimed prophetic roll when they refuse to speak out on issues that make them feel uncomfortable, most notably homosexuality and abortion.

The thrust of Gushee's argument comes in his description and advocacy for the Evangelical Center. He notes the many different venues from which the Center is emerging, the more prominent of which would be the National Association of Evangelicals, Christianity Today, activist Ron Sider, and mega-church pastors such as Rick Warren and Joel Hunter. The hallmark of the Center is their ability to hold to the traditional Evangelical stances on the issues of abortion and protecting marriage, but also being able to include a broader scope of concerns that includes poverty, the environment, torture, and racism just to name a few.

Gushee takes a much different approach in the second half of his book, using it to articulate the centrist position on a few key issues, including: torture, the environment, marriage and war. While at times it could be argued that Gushee is approaching the subject with a more leftward leaning stance than centrist, all in all he does a good job of promoting both a biblical argument and innovative solutions. At the very least, Gushee should be respected for attempting to strike the delicate balance that the Center should hold, even if at times he comes across as a little more liberal than centrist.

The Future of Faith in American Politics is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand the current state of Evangelical politics, but more importantly, Gushee does a wonderful job of showing what the future of Evangelical political engagement will be. Even if one does not agree with all the conclusions Gushee comes to, it is important to make the same efforts he does, putting the Word of God at the forefront of our political positions and attempting to break free of the partisan structure that so often captivates our political ideologies.

-Kolburt Schultz
faithfulwithpolitics.blogspot.com

Important book for understanding the evangelical landscape
If you only have time to read one book, and you want to get caught up on what's been going on with evangelicals who are politically engaged, then choose this one. It's very easy to read. Though it isn't comprehensive with regard to every issue, it does give a glimpse of the big picture. It's detailed, but not tedious. Descriptive, but not polemical--though Gushee is unambiguous about letting the reader know where he personally stands. In fact, I commend the writer for being forthcoming, revealing his personal history and explaining his involvements that have shaped his point of view. He really doesn't try to pull a fast one on anybody. On the contrary, he encourages evangelicals to become more astute and less naive. On another note, I appreciate how consistent Gushee is in exhorting evangelicals to be more protective of children. Overall, I loved this book. I'm not convinced by all of Gushee's arguments for standing in the center as opposed to the right or left, but I am very grateful for his commentary. Moreover, I agree with his thesis that we, as Christians, are called to follow Christ--and that is very differnt from aligning ourselves uncritically with Republicans or Democrats or any political candidate we might vote for.