There’s the “that’s not news” category: “Episcopal Church faces divisions over gay issues” (Reuters)
Then there’s the misplaced metaphor/cliche/exaggeration: “Christian Press Take Colorado Springs By Storm” (Christian Post)
And then there’s someone feeling superior: “Evangelicals See an Evolution of Their Own | Movement Seen as Distancing From GOP, Homosexuality, Taking up Global Warming” (ABC News)
Whatever your stance on global warming and what the government should do about it, or really whatever your politics is, I think we can agree that “evolving” is incredibly loaded in this context. Yes, I get the intended humor and irony: Those crazy evangelicals that don’t believe in evolution are evolving politically. Ha ha. But precisely because evolution suggests a change from a lower form to a higher form, the word in this context means “evangelicals are finally recognizing that they’ve been wrong in disagreeing with me.”
CT readers will know that it’s questionable to assert that evangelicals are changing their political beliefs, attitudes, and voting behavior. But even if that’s your argument, say “change.” That won’t suggest that Republican evangelicals who oppose homosexual sex and don’t make global warming a priority are a bunch of monkeys.
