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5. Editor of Christianity calls for end of evangelical
Our last Weblog posting had many (too many) article links, but no commentary to tease out some of the more interesting articles. Pity: There's a lot of interesting items in there. Among them: an editorial in the evangelical magazine Christianity—somewhat akin to a British version of Christianity Today—suggesting an end to the word evangelical. Editor John Buckeridge writes,

In the past evangelical stood for four key values:

• a commitment to the authority and centrality of scripture,

• a call to personal faith and repentance,

• the centrality of Christ's death as our substitute,

• putting faith into action through evangelism and social action.

Now to the unchurched and people of other faiths—evangelical is increasingly shorthand for: right-wing US politics, an arrogant loud mouth who refuses to listen to other people's opinions, men in grey suits who attempt to crowbar authorised version scripture verses into every situation, or 'happy-clappy' simpletons who gullibly swallow whatever their tub thumping minister tells them to believe. … Isn't it time to choose a new word that sums up our e-identity and commitment to following Jesus but puts distance between us and the damaging negatives?

Buckeridge notes that Evangelical Alliance head Joel Edwards "argues that we need to rehabilitate the word, that evangelical is too rich and precious a word to drop." But he worries "that the tide has gone out." A New York Times article earlier this month hinted that some evangelical leaders have been whispering these concerns in private rooms, but Buckeridge seems to be among the first proclaiming them from the housetops.

Quote of the day:
"In an overwhelmingly Christian country, it may seem strange that Christian rock even exists as a niche genre; if rock better reflected American demographics, then secular rock would be the niche."

New York Times pop music critic Kelefa Sanneh, discussing MercyMe's success.

Education | Sexual ethics | Life ethics | Sudan | Politics | Immigration | Missions & ministry | Missions & ministry in Africa | Church life | Pentecostalism at 100 | Interfaith relations | Crime and abuse | Arts and entertainment | Books | Orlando's Holy Land Experience

Education:

1. Highway crash kills 5 from Taylor University | A week of celebrations turned to mourning on a university campus Thursday after a highway crash killed five students and staff as they headed home after setting up for a scholarship banquet (Associated Press)
   
   
2. Also: Students, staff involved in fatal crash (Taylor University)
   
   
3. School voucher limits upheld | The Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld a controversial state law Wednesday that prohibits parents from using publicly funded tuition vouchers for religious schools (Portland Press Herald, Me.)
   
   
4. Also: Maine high court reaffirms ban of state funds for parochial schools | One justice dissents, saying 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidates state voucher law (Associated Press)
   
   
5. Images stir up Catholic anger | A campus controversy over anti-Christian cartoons published in The Insurgent student newspaper at the University of Oregon has spilled over to include the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.)
   
   

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April (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50