A new Evangelical Manifesto has just been released. It is an attempt by several American-Evangelical leaders to clarify what the term “Evangelical” actually means.
The Steering Committee comprised:
Timothy George – Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
Os Guinness – Author/Social Critic
John Huffman – Pastor, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA Chair, Christianity Today International
Rich Mouw – President, Fuller Theological Seminary
Jesse Miranda – Founder & Director, Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership, Vanguard University
David Neff – Vice President and Editor in Chief, Christianity Today Media Group
Richard Ohman – Businessman
Larry Ross – President, A. Larry Ross Communications
Dallas Willard – Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California Author
Other signers of the manifesto include Jim Willis of Sojourners.
Not surprisingly, other prominent Evangelicals leaders such as James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Gary Bauer of American Values, and Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, have not signed on. IMHO, these are the Culture War groups of the Religious Right that have by degree moved from being Evangelical to being more Fundamentalist – or at least have been so compromised by seeking after political gain that they truly represent a shrinking, although still active and influential, group of people.