In a LifeWay Research survey, slightly more than half of
evangelical pastors saw ISIS as a true indication of what Islamic society looks like.
Not exact matches
Perhaps this attitude is best
seen in the most influential Southern Baptists in America today: Billy Graham, a «prophet with honor» and America's chaplain for more that fifty years; Chuck Colson, evangelist, prison reformer, and cofounder of
Evangelicals and Catholics Together; and Rick Warren, a
pastor whose writings have touched millions of lives.
Maybe these things are common knowledge among those in
Evangelical circles, but for many like me on the outside, when we
see a certain
pastor or denomination singled out in this way, it looks a lot like the same internal striving that's been going on in the Church since Peter and Paul argued over circumcision.
«Once again, expressions of Christian faith that honor the rights of women to choose their own health care options and what happens to their bodies are not
seen or heard,» wrote the Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel, who
pastors the
Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ of Frederick, Maryland, in a message that she circulated via email.
Mainline
pastors, Catholic priests and
evangelical ministers are all improvising, trying new things, risking failure, scattering seed and
seeing what fruit might spring up.
I
saw a post on Facebook the other day from a popular Northeastern
Pastor who basically said, «How can any
evangelical Christian support the racist, bigoted Donald Trump?
Several of those planning to attend the Wheaton gathering said they are tired of
seeing leaders who regularly praise Trump — such as evangelist Franklin Graham, Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. and Texas megachurch
pastor Robert Jeffress — representing all
evangelicals.
All three strategies have
seen success, from the use of media to win a government mandate to call Christians «Masihi» (Jesus is the Messiah) as opposed to «Isai» (which connotes disbelief in the resurrection) in Pakistan to Laotian
pastor Khamphone Pounthapanya, who was imprisoned for his faith before becoming the general secretary of the Lao
Evangelical Church and advocating for protection of Christians.
Scammers rely on unwitting victims to
see the name of a famous
pastor on social media and click «friend» or «like,» said Ed Stetzer the president of LifeWay Research, an
evangelical research group.
And I've
seen his presence in the lives of women I've met — from stay - at - home moms, to the women of Amish country, to an Orthodox Jew, to an
evangelical pastor.
Also, as a lifelong churchgoer who has
seen her fair share of
pastor - centric churches, I like that the lectionary lets Scripture set the agenda for the sermon... which, when you think about it, is a pretty
evangelical way to look at it.
If you go to a recovery group meeting, you would not be surprised to
see a Lutheran in a collar; you'd be very surprised to
see an
evangelical pastor in skinny jeans.
As an
Evangelical pastor, here's how I
see it: Jesus commands His own to love and serve other — .
One need only browse through the site's endorsement section to
see its audience: its proponents include Southern Baptist
pastors, Concerned Women for America, and individuals connected to the
evangelical mega-churches Willow Creek and Saddleback Church.
A former
pastor who
saw his own life turn upside down, Palmer took a roller coaster ride from driven
evangelical pastor to discount store clerk (among other jobs), a process that might seem disastrous in our success - driven...