The Fifth Q'ing of Evangelicals

About 700 mostly young evangelicals convened this week amid the soaring Doric columns of the august Andrew Mellon Auditorium in the Federal Triangle of Washington, D.C. It was the fifth convocation of "Q," which aims to provoke cultural and political conversation among Christians. President Obama sent greetings by video. New York Times columnist David Brooks discussed humility, while his fellow Times columnist Ross Douthat talked politics. Conservative philanthropist Roberta Ahmanson discussed art. Southern Baptist leader Richard Land conversed with Evangelical Left activist Jim Wallis. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty peered into the future of religion and the media. American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks defended capitalism, almost provoking an approving smile from the dour portrait of former Treasury Secretary and financier Andrew Mellon that graced the auditorium's entrance.

Immersed in slickly produced sound and light, amid the performance of stirring old hymns, "Q" founder and leader Gabe Lyons presided from the stage in a fashionably tight jacket, his bare ankles showing no socks, and a shock of blonde hair cascading over one eye. Other speakers replicated his mode look, and hipster Christianity was definitely de rigueur. An after party appropriately convened in the esoteric D.C. office space of Google. A temporary coffee house, always bustling, serviced "Q" across 3 days.

Ostensibly young evangelicals, discomfited by the culture wars of their conservative grandparents and leaders like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, are shifting somewhat left. A poll of "Q" participants showed not quite 60 percent opposing Obama's reelection, and just over 40 percent supporting. This result almost mirrors how young evangelicals voted in 2008, even while white evangelicals as a whole favored Republicans by over 70 percent. But even among young conservative evangelicals, or at least the activist elites, there is often a preference for non-controversial humanitarian causes over hot buttons like abortion and homosexuality. About 60 percent of "Q" reportedly professed no allegiance to a political party.

Continue reading at spectator.org

« Previous Article

Posting Policy

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse. Read more.

Evermyrtlelinder

Christianity shall survive and work for HIM until HE returns. It will get rocky for HIS people, actually has already done that . Here in America where the last strong for GOD is being persecuted today and in my opinion there is worse to come. HIS soldiers will continue their aim to bring others to HIM, just as the anti-CHRIST will continue to fight it. BUT I KNOW WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT CHRIST WITH HIS SOLDIERS WILL WIN THE BATTLE.

Isaiah 3: 1-3
1. But now, thus said the LORD, that created thee, O Jacob and HE that formed the, O Israel, Fear Not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow the: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3. For I am THE LORD THY GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL,THY SAVIOR: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4. Since thou was precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
- daves
  
  This is a nice story. It shows that we can put our politics aside and put God first when we need to.
Kalev

These people aren't real Christians, they may be into churchianity but they are not following in the steps of the Messiah. They are walking in the ways if the world and make a mockery of the LORD and Redeemer of Israel. Shame on them, in the Name of Messiah Yeshua may they be rebuked
- daves
  
  What makes you say they are not real Christians?
  - Bobseeks
    
    Daves: Because they sound like you, a faux Christian.
    - daves
      
      Really? You think I sound like conservative philanthropist Roberta Ahmanson?
Bobseeks

Shifting to the left means they are shifting towards satan. These "Q"s may well be counterfeit Christians.
aceituna

Sounds as if they expect the govt. to do our charity work, rather than individual Christians.
- Bobseeks
  
  Yes, as do all of the self-righteous lieberals who believe that by taxing others they have discharged their duties as "Christians".
  - Deep_Thinker
    
    Taxing is sin. As Jefferson said "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. " This includes both taxing from liberals and conservatives. So don't think you are Mr. righteous because you can point out something bad about a liberal… I believe its hypocrisy to do so…
    - aceituna
      
      Jesus commanded "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caeser's and unto God the things that are God's" I don't think Jesus would be happy about tax money being used as our country uses it today. Building roads and infrastructure is good, but ursurping the power to make charitable contributions and then distributing it according to ungodly standards is an abuse of the power of taxation. We have too much power in Washington and if that is not corrected we will continue "to go down the drain". The list of bad uses of our tax dollars is endless!!!
Robert De Leon

The more I learn about the poorness and emptiness of Protestantism the more I learn about the richness and fullness of Catholicism.
The more I know about the fallacies of Protestantism the more I know that Catholicism is the True.
Catholicism is eminently a Biblical belief system.
Until Protestantism goes back to Christian roots Catholicism still will be 15 centuries ahead.
Robert
- Kalev
  
  Read "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop and you will see the Roman Catholic Church took all of their traditions and rituals from the Babylonian system of Nimrod and Semiarimis, and the Protestants retained some 90% of the RCC system they claim to have left behind. Both systems are NOT the "faith once delivered".
  - Robert De Leon
    
    Sure.
    Read Karl Marx' "The Capital" and youll find something abourtan economic plan directed to Socialism. Everything depends about the writer's perspective, as same as in the book you mentioned.
    So what?
    Robert.
    - Robert De Leon
      
      Just because I am a Catholic?
      Robert.
      - http://youtu.be/zjgBhpanOfQ Despeville
        
        Watch your Roman Catholic Cardinal Pell from Australia interacting with Dawkins athiest/pagan… Whatever your Cardinal says it is not a Crhistian faith. He denies Biblical account of creation. Affirms that monkeys are his cousins and more like:
        
        Atheist asks Cardinal Pell (around 41 minutes in) what will happen to him when he dies, he says
        
        (Cardinal) Well, I know from the Christian point of view, God loves everybody. But every genuine motion towards the truth is a motion towards God. And when an atheist dies, like everybody else, they'll be judged on the extent to which they have moved towards goodness and truth and beauty. But in the Christian view, God loves everyone except those who turn their back on him through evil acts.
        (Moderator): Oh, so atheism – not an evil act.
        (Cardinal): No, not a – well, no I don't – in most cases its not.
        …
        (Moderator): Is it possible for an atheist to go to heaven?
        (Cardinal): Well, it's not my business.
        (Moderator): No, but well, you're the only authority we have here.
        (Cardinal): I would say 'certainly, certainly!'
        
        Around 49 minutes in, the Cardinal shares his views on hell and salvation from it:
        (Moderator) Where do you draw the line? Do unbelievers go to hell?
        (Cardinal) No, no, no. The only people – Well, (1) I hope nobody's in hell. We Catholics generally believe that there is a hell. I hope nobody is there. I certainly believe in a place of purification. I think it will be like getting up in the morning and you throw the curtains back and the light is just too much. God's light would be too much for us. But I believe on behalf of the innocent victims in history, that the scales of justice should work out and if they don't, life is radically unjust: the law of the jungle prevails.
        
        VIDEO: http://youtu.be/tD1QHO_AVZA
      - http://youtu.be/zjgBhpanOfQ Despeville
        
        Yes, you are Roman Catholic and a member of apostate religion which claims salvific unity with Muslims (Catechism 841) and also with pagans as Roman Catholic Cardinal Pell affirms here in around 41 minutes:
        
        VIDEO: http://youtu.be/tD1QHO_AVZA
SemperFi1976

Evidently the virus of "liberalism" is creeping into Christianity. The God fearing culture of the USA is sitting at 60-40. As it drifts more to the left, you will see more degradation of this society. Sin appears to be more acceptable to the younger "christians" since homosexualism and abortion aren't all that important to them. It's sad. The apostate emergent church movement and the prosperity "feel good" preachers like Joel Osteen are dragging the name of CHRIST down into the sewers and leading many astray. This is a sad state of affairs, but it must be this way for the end times to happen. Prepare for the return of CHRIST.
Steve

IMO- the most important part of Christianity is understanding and accepting the gift that was given to all of us. That the Word of God allowed Itself to become human and forsaking all of the power at Its disposal, allowed by the Father to die an awful death. And why? Because of Love folks… Not politics, not economy, not any of the reasons that people make up to justify their or their cause's actions. What God wants – again, IMO – is a personal and intimate relationship with each of us. He wants worship and our love. If we choose to go another way, then God allows us to live with our choices. It's all about Love and the Freedom that we wanted back in the Garden so long ago.
Winston

Simply saying that you are a evangelical Christian doesn't make you one. I sincerely doubt that many, if any, of those are committed Fully-Orbed Bible believing Christians. Test the spirit in them.