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The NAE, which represents 60 denominations, has not taken the public stand on global warming that Cizik has. While Cizik should practice discretion in his private remarks (as should any public figure), confusion over whom Cizik is representing on this issue is inevitable, no matter how many times he tells reporters he speaks only for himself.

And yes, as the letter notes, evangelicals have not reached a consensus on the magnitude of global warming, its causes, or the remedy. So? Evangelicals don't agree about the Iraq War or the formula for immigration reform or even the best strategy to halt abortion. No evangelical group—Right or Left—can claim to represent all evangelicals. Even the NAE, while formally representing 45,000 churches, does not imagine that all those churches have bent the knee to every item in its "Call to Civic Responsibility." Every evangelical social-political ministry has a unique constituency and a unique calling. Add to this the ambiguous nature of social reform, and it's easy to understand why evangelicals sometimes find themselves in political disagreement.

This diversity—even if it risks misunderstanding in the media—is something we should celebrate. That a wide spectrum of evangelicals feel called to engage in social justice is good for evangelicalism, the nation, and the world. But determining priorities and strategies is a matter of prudential judgment, and anyone who thinks they have the very mind of God on any matter should take heed.

Evangelicals from the Left, Right, and center are wise to heed Paul's words: "If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?" (1 Cor. 12:17).

So let's stop questioning each other's evangelical credentials and just do the work we believe God has called us to.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today reported on evangelicals' views on global warming and the letter calling for Cizik's resignation in "Climate Change Is Here to Stay"

Recent Christianity Today articles about Dobson, Cizik, and the NAE include, 'NAE Endorses Statement Against Torture' and 'Dobson, Others Seek Ouster of NAE Vice President'.

"Enough Bullying," a 2002 editorial, also talks about conflating politics with Christianity.

Recent Christianity Today editorials include:

Abortion Overreach | Today's Supreme Court decision again shows that the all-or-nothing strategy is not the way to go. (April 18, 2007)

'Safe Sex' for the Whole Nation | Why mandating the HPV vaccine is not a good idea. (March 22, 2007)

Love Your Muslim as Yourself | We remain woefully ignorant about the world's second-largest religion. (March 16, 2007)

The Slope Really Is Slippery | Why we struggle to gain our moral footing in bioethics. (March 1, 2007)

What Would Wilberforce Do? | The 19th-century abolitionists have much to teach us about politics today. (February 19, 2007)

The New Intolerance | Fear mongering among elite atheists is not a pretty sight. (January 25, 2007)

What Iraq's Christians Need | Two strategies to build up the church in the war-weary nation. (January 22, 2007)

Go Gently into That Good Night | Fear of mortality lies at the root of our bioethics confusion. (January 2, 2007)

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May 2007, Vol. 51, No. 5