“Why Are Evangelicals Losing Influence?”

That evangelical influence is waning is probably an accurate self-observation. Yet the blame for this can hardly be placed at the feet of secularism. If evangelical influence is nose-diving we have no one to blame but ourselves. Evangelicals have lost influence not because the culture has become secularized, but because evangelicals have failed to embody the life and teachings of Jesus. Ronald Sider all but predicted this new reality in his 2005 book “The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.” His argument, based largely on polling data, was that in nearly every appreciable category evangelical Christian reflect the culture at large. The great American theologian Stanley Hauerwas often says the church’s first job is simply to be the church—a teaching that, when ignored, will come back to bite you.

The evangelical church will have its impact on American culture not through political maneuvering, lawsuits, electing evangelical candidates, controlling the arts, or boycotting movies and products, but when evangelicals begin to embody the virtues derived from our faith. Kindness, generosity, peacefulness, hospitality, patience, self-control—these are radical virtues that should define the people called evangelicals. Instead we are largely defined by what we are against (like yoga and evolution).

Popular evangelical leader Rick Warren once noted the church was meant to be the body of Christ, but it seems “The hands and feet have been amputated and we’re just a big mouth.” He’s right. The evangelical church will enjoy great influence on American culture when it once again becomes the hands and feet of Christ, when it begins to act like the church. How this works out is always different in every context, but Jesus taught it always involves two simple things: love God, love your neighbor.

Yep.

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“Ayn Rand Led Me to Christ.” I never thought of atheist Objectivism as praeparatio evangelii, but God works in mysterious ways. Or, as C. S. Lewis put it, he is “unscrupulous” in bring us to himself.

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“Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?” In Allah: A Christian Response, Miroslav Volf says yes. Thabiti Anyabwile begs to differ.

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“The religious fanaticism of Bill Maher”:

Secular fundamentalism fills an important void for those who have rejected religion but nonetheless harbor many of the worst instincts that cause certain people to embrace religion. Secular fundamentalism allows non-believers to experience the thrill of religious bigotry without having to put up with the nuisance of religion.

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“5 Myths Atheists Believe About Religion.” Well, some atheists believe these myths. Others don’t. Then again, Christians have their own myths about atheists. Someone should write an article about them.

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“An Evangelical Guide to the GOP Primary”:

Evangelicals don’t need a political messiah. They may well support someone who does not have the exact same faith as they do. If otherwise qualified, Mormons such as Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman should not be ruled out. A person’s religious beliefs are certainly important in politics, but choosing a president is not fundamentally about doctrine.

Whom should evangelicals support? I’ll leave that for readers to decide, but there’s more to the choice than picking someone who shares your values. It’s about the person with the best qualities and vision for presidential leadership.

When do we get an evangelical guide to the Democratic primary?

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“Unmade in New York”:

Not providing formal governmental recognition of two people’s relationship doesn’t amount to denigrating them. Male-female and same-sex unions may have inherently different structures, norms, and social roles and purposes. Imposing marital norms on same-sex unions, where they make less sense, may well be unfair. There are good reasons to keep marriage separate, in law and culture, from other romantic arrangements.

Yet every one of these points had been made as recently as the day the bill passed. Not in National Review, but in the New York Times. Not by a traditional supporter of marriage, but by a liberal proponent of redefining it. Not by social conservatives—but by Katherine Franke, a lesbian left-winger who is director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School. In other words, these points are agreeable even to some who would trade the 2,300-year-old intellectual tradition originating with Plato and Aristotle for the 60-year-old liberationist ideology descended from Hefner and Kinsey.

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“Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reminds its leadership to steer clear of politics.” Good advice, it seems to me.

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“Can Unitarian Universalists Make It Another 50 Years?” Probably not. But does anyone really care?

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“Faith in God and Science.” Pastor Brady Boyd talks about praying for healing and going under the knife to repair a pulmonary valve in his heart. In my experience, this both/and attitude is typical of Pentecostal and evangelical Christians, not atypical.

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“Sex and the Church: The Conversations We Need to Have.” The most recent issue of my magazine, Enrichment, is online.