Evangelical left

The Evangelical left is a Christian left movement in evangelical Christianity that affirms conservative evangelical theology and are politically progressive. 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, and viewing the Bible as the primary authority for the Church.David R. Swartz, Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, University of Pennsylvania Press, USA, 2012, p. 264 Most leaders in the movement hold a traditional view of marriage. However, in the 2010s, some leaders have stated their support for same-sex marriage, citing their biblical studies on the subject and spiritual growth as the primary purpose of marriage. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, From Franklin Graham to Tony Campolo, some evangelical leaders are splitting over gay marriage, washingtonpost.com, June 9, 2015Matthew Avery Sutton, Darren Dochuk, Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Religion and American Politics, Oxford University Press, UK, 2015, p. 207 Unlike other evangelicals, those on the evangelical left often support and utilize modern biblical exegesis. They often support a more progressive 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, 2016Ana 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 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. 18Rosemary 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 Baptist pastor 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

Evangelical left

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