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Christianity Today, February, 2008 |

No Utter Collapse

Recent reports of our demise betray the media's ignorance about who we are.

Charles Colson with Anne Morse | posted 2/29/2008 09:05AM

Evangelicals find themselves in an unaccustomed role this marathon election season. Since evangelicals came out of fundamentalist isolation and hit the political scene in 1976, mobilizing behind the first ...

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Adalton Nascimento

Posted: March 10, 2008 1:36 AM

I am not american. I am brazilian. I am evangelical. The way I see evangelicals in US still have a lot of work to do. I can not understand how americans ( and evangelical included) supports a war in Iraque and Afheganistan. How come this beautiful part of christian body that gave birth to organizations like YWAM and World Vision on the 60's and 50's, now looks so afraid. And because of this fear decides to give their leaders support to make wars. The way I see evangelical americans now is changing: not as a good people full of love and compassion, but as frighted folks who wants revenge and protection done by their leaders and soldiers. I hope american evangelicals remember that Jesus is the prince of peace.

frank

Posted: March 08, 2008 4:10 PM


Colson is on to something I hope he is right.

Rick Nowlin

Posted: March 05, 2008 7:52 AM

Sorry, but "blaming the secular media" doesn't fly here. If there's anyone to blame for the reputation that evangelical Christians are, as a rule, ideologically conservative, it's conservative Christians themselves, aided and abetted by conservative and Christian media and insulting anyone who doesn't think the way they do. Sider and Wallis, whose work predated the the "religious right" by over a decade, STILL undergo withering attacks from conservatives; indeed, a couple of years ago Colson himself went after Wallis. As an evangelical Christian who works in the secular media, I was actually offended because Colson subscribes to the false stereotype that reporters are specifically hostile to faith; rather, if Christians would engage us in a humble way perhaps we would be more understanding and sympathetic.

Gregory Peterson

Posted: March 04, 2008 2:51 PM


Here revanche, revisionist Colson goes again, claiming exclusive and overblown successes for evangelicals for things that a wide spectrum of people have worked on...Apparently so that anti-civil rights activists working to keep gay people barely tolerated, repressed, second class citizens can feel all warm, virtuous and full of themselves. Really...how can you sleep at night?

Fred Wachtman

Posted: March 02, 2008 10:26 AM

Very encouraging article for me. The worlds ways are more and more inevidence. I am so discouraged by Schwartsenagles bold move to makeit manditory in every public school for every teacher to teach homosexualitythat I felt I needed encouragement. Battles lost do not mean war lost. Yes, this fits the subject, especially the "poor and disadvantaged," who are not financially able to pay to get their children into a Christuian school.Please keep giving such encouraging articles. As "the day" nears we need it more. Five stars

H. D. Schmidt

Posted: March 01, 2008 6:08 PM

If I am personally sure that I am doing so well, the best way to continue to do so well, is not to waste precious time to analyse what someone may say or think about me. Now to Mr. Colson, whom I greately admire, in my book has actually done damage rather than good to what he claims the Christians are doing so well. America in general fighting for human rights while its borders really do not exist anymore while its guns roar all ove the world in pursuit really of oil, if that is fighting for human rights, God help America. Yes, while America is actually the shameful mass grave of 50+ millions of unborn babies, with the butchers shops still in business plus now homosexual marriage and now with American women living alone without a man outnumbering that of women with a man around and most certainly America the number one nation as to jail population with females increasing faster than that of man, it that is doing well, again I say God hel America, especially the Christians in America!

richard e mizer

Posted: March 01, 2008 7:38 AM

Scott, I encourage you to read Mr. Colson's books. I think you will find much truth and insight therein. Diane, I think Mr. Colson was generalizing amongst all of the people he knows. I dont think he meant that every organization prioritizes all of those issues specifically, but rather, each person would support personally, or, within thier respective oraganizations, the advance of the "God View" on those issues.

Greg Chase

Posted: February 29, 2008 5:04 PM

I really think that it is the media whose Armaggedon seems to be well on the way. They seem to be self-destructing before our very eyes. They have destroyed their own integrity and no one believes them any more, particularly those with a liberal bias. I have no fear for evangelicals. Seeing that we are part of the church, Jesus, Himself, said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. Do we Christians flex and change? Yes, we do as the Holy Spirit shows us bringing down the strongholds of the enemy. All the areas Chuck Colson mentioned are striving against the gates of Hell. We have Jesus word that we will win.

Patrick Gann

Posted: February 29, 2008 5:02 PM


I don't care how the media defines Evangelicals. They're generally wrong anyway. They were wrong in 2004, and they're wrong now.

Fran Vansyoc

Posted: February 29, 2008 4:40 PM


Thanks! As always, Mr. Colson is able to discuss Christianity in our culture in way that is easy to understand. Naturally, our faith impacts the way we choose to vote, but that is only a small part of our commission. We are to express our love of God by our love of and to our neighbors.

Daniel Cheung

Posted: February 29, 2008 2:50 PM


It's just conceptual confusion. What Colson set out to argue against is the claim that Evangelicals can no longer rally behind any candidate, let alone Republican candidate. But what he did argue is to agree with it and then said something else - that Evangelicals can advance the kingdom of God by other means.

Leroy

Posted: February 29, 2008 1:18 PM

Colson doesn't seem to understand is the ONLY reason the media is (if it really is) attempting to define evangelicals is because over the last 30 + year they have sought access to places of power via the political process, attempted to be power brokers, voting blocks, political action groups, and just about everything but the sort of people Colson claims evangelicals are, who the world then finds necessary to define. Evangelicals need to face the fact that their support of an immoral war in Iraq, their America first attitude, their obcessive concern with the sex lives of consenting adults, etc. are what makes journalists like Rich write what he wrote. While Colson may be comfortable with not asking what motivates someone like Rich, other than to arrogantly assume that his experience is reflective of all media, all journalists, evangelicals need to ask with humility what lies at the core of Rich's commentary, and how can we change the face of evangelicalism in the 21st Century.

JanB	Posted: February 29, 2008 12:58 PM


As usual, Chuck Colson hits the nail on the head. Thank you for what you've said. I hope the world is listening and that the media might at least engage its intellectual curiosity to dig deeper and discover the truth in your words. I also hope that as Evangelicals, we will not splinter our impact by emphasizing our differences rather than broadcasting our solidarity. Amen!

Scott Lenger

Posted: February 29, 2008 12:50 PM


Wow, I was a little surprised to find Colson writing such a thoughtful article. In particular I share the spirit of the last sentence. At the same time I still think that as a whole Evangelicals are still to too dependent on American democratic politics.

Paul Goddard

Posted: February 29, 2008 11:51 AM


Thanks. I needed that.

backpackerbill

Posted: February 29, 2008 11:42 AM


Great article. True beyond whatever the Fran Rich's say. We are on both sides of the aisle, not just the "religious right" which the press loves to claim. And even if one Christian organization is focusing only on two issues, we are far broader than one organization. Thank you, Chuck Colson.

Matt K

Posted: February 29, 2008 10:50 AM


I often take issue with Mr. Colson's theology and politics, but this article is an excellently written rebuke of the media's one-dimensional portrayal of American evangelicalism. Here's hoping all of us can continue to work for Christ's mission in the world in all spheres of life, with all sisters and brothers in God's kingdom!

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