Evangelicals on a Quest for a New Identity

on April 22, 2013
(Gabe Lyons interviews USA Today writer Tom Krattenmaker. Source: IRD)
(Gabe Lyons interviews USA Today writer Tom Krattenmaker. Source: IRD)

By Kristin Rudolph (@Kristin_Rudolph)

Evangelicals are in the midst of an identity crisis. Insecurity about their “culture warrior” image in recent decades has prompted some Evangelicals to question their role in the public square and reconsider evangelism in a post-Christian culture. Q Ideas, an evangelical organization founded by Gabe Lyons to pursue “Ideas for the Common Good” grappled with these questions at the seventh annual Q Conference in downtown Los Angeles, April 15-17. Several hundred mostly middle age Evangelicals gathered at the Nokia Theater for two and a half intense days of discussion about how to engage and transform culture.

Most attendees were pastors or leaders of nonprofits and businesses. Using eighteen, nine, and three minute time slots, over thirty artists, pastors, activists, entrepreneurs, writers, and others shared their insights for “the common good.”

Examining the Past

Although the views represented were diverse, there seemed to be agreement that Evangelicals need a new image that talks less (or at least differently) about “culture war” issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, and focuses instead on a broader scope of issues. Lyons brought in Tom Krattenmaker, a USA Today writer and self-described secular progressive to discuss “the media’s new perception of Christians.”

Krattenmaker, whose book The Evangelicals You Don’t Know: Introducing the Next Generation of Christians came out this week, said Evangelicals are moving in a more open direction and the media is noticing. In the past, he asserted, Evangelicals have been unwilling to engage those who disagree with them, but he sees that changing in recent years. Because publicly visible Evangelicals are speaking on issues with broad appeal like immigration and sex-trafficking, and are “open to two way communication, mutual listening and learning,” Krattenmaker said the public perception of Evangelicals is shifting away from the “culture wars” narrative.

Lyons asked Krattenmaker, “What are some more lessons we need to learn? Report back to us on a few things that we still need to work on.” He answered: “If [Evangelicals] want to have influence … you have to be willing to be influenced.” In a Q&A session, Krattenmaker suggested Evangelicals continue this trend by welcoming “dialogue [and] doing really cool things rather than arguing.”

Echoing this sentiment, Richard Stearns, president of World Vision urged attendees to stop “shaking our fist at the culture” and begin offering “a big and attractive Gospel.” He asserted ‘we haven’t offered people something to believe in,” and wondered why Christianity has become “so toxic” to our culture. “Just three weeks ago this was the scene in front of the Supreme Court as angry Christians protested against gay marriage,” Stearns said, pointing to a photo of the infamous Westboro Baptist protesters holding a sign with incendiary language.

Even most non-Christians would admit Westboro does not represent the average Evangelical. Further, posters stating “Every Child Deserves a Mom and a Dad” at the March for Marriage vastly outnumbered the nasty Westboro signs Stearns implied were representative of Christians.

He admonished American Christians for not being more outraged about child starvation and mortality around the world, stating “no one ever died from gay marriage.” If only we focused more on solving poverty worldwide and talked less about pesky moral matters, “our young people would come back” to church, according to Stearns.

The Future of Evangelical Activism

Speakers discussed the most horrifying and burdening tragedies of our day, interspersed with reminders that our world is broken, awaiting complete restoration through Christ. Hannah Song told “the story of the North Korean people” and urged a new focus on the oppressed people rather than stagnant headline politics. An immigration attorney urged attendees to join the Evangelical Immigration Table and lobby for policies that “protect the sanctity of the family.” Father Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Christian and the Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Israel requested support for the Christians in his homeland. A screening of State 194, a documentary about Palestine’s bid for statehood followed a Q&A session with Fr. Chacour.

Jason Russell, the founder of Invisible Children discussed the importance of raising “awareness” to end Joseph Kony’s abduction of children in Central Africa, and two presenters discussed domestic and international poverty. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson of the Two Futures Project advised Christian activists to be wary of utopianism.

Relationships and Beauty

Alongside this strong activist strain, other talks addressed the importance of story, art, and beauty in shaping the Christian imagination and communicating with our secular neighbors.

Mark Burnett, producer of Survivor and other popular shows reported “thousands have come to Christ” through The Bible series he and his wife Roma Downey produced. He emphasized the importance of unity in the Church, reminding attendees that Christians are the “most persecuted people on the planet.” “What would the government say if 200 million American Christians said … do something about [persecution]?” Burnett urged Q attendees to use The Bible as a “conversation starter” for sharing the Gospel in their communities.

Elaborating on new approaches to evangelism, Jon Tyson, pastor of Trinity Grace Church in New York City said the “secular story is not working,” giving Christians a prime opportunity to present the true story of Christ that fulfills all human longings. “False worldviews don’t lead to false stories, they lead to wrong eternities,” he warned. Because people generally do not jump from atheism to faith in Christ instantly upon hearing John 3:16, “most of our job is building credible plausibility structures” to help people take the next step toward Jesus as the Holy Spirit prepares their hearts.

Building relationships was a recurring theme through Q talks. In addition to Tyson’s insistence that trusting relationships offer the best opportunity to share the Gospel, Dale Kuehne, a professor at St. Anselm College said today’s licentious sexual culture is a symptom of hyper-individualism. In contrast to the culture, the Church must emphasize relationships, as God designed human beings to live closely with each other and derive ultimate fulfillment from communion with Him, Kuehne explained.

A pastor from Portland, Oregon told about the fruitful partnership his church has built with a local impoverished public high school and encouraged other churches to do the same in their communities. The president of the Orange County Rescue Mission described his organization’s relational approach that uses “beauty [to] restore lives,” as opposed to our common tendency “to warehouse the homeless.” A youth ministry veteran advised a posture of vigilance toward technology and its ever present emails, texts, and social networks. When left unchecked, near addictive use of this technology can wreak havoc on relationships, she said.

With its top down approach to influence, Q may offer a preview of the next generation of American Evangelicals. Although the past decades have seen many mistakes from prominent individuals and groups, the new Evangelicals would do well to make necessary amends and move forward rather than dwell incessantly on the past. Further, rebranding should not mean silencing their witness on inherently unpopular, but important issues like abortion and marriage. Habitual practice of this year’s emphasis on relationships and sharing the Gospel through beauty and story would enrich Evangelicals, the broader Church, and our culture. Our world needs love that runs deeper than simply being nice, and Evangelicals are poised to provide it.

  1. Comment by Garland H. Honeycutt on April 22, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    Wow, who would have thought that issues like the sanctity of marriage and human life were “pesky, moral matters.” Thank you Richard Stearns for that insight…..

  2. Comment by fairfaxian on April 22, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    Garland, I agree, that was a most unfortunate statement. Especially since he had mentioned that “no one died from gay marriage” before mentioning “pesky moral matters”. C’mon Richard, finish the thought, how many died from abortion and do they matter?

    On the other hand, it sounds like some of the other speakers had some cool stories about ways for churches to make a difference in their communities and to present the Gospel to folks. From what I can tell from reading his book Unchristian and his Q conferences, Gabe Lyons does a pretty good job of presenting a biblical Christianity with both truth and grace. I hope that he continues to drive the conversation in Biblical directions.

  3. Comment by Ben Welliver on April 22, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    I guess he burned his New Testament, given its frequent attention to “pesky moral matters.” I always had a pretty high opinion of World Vision, but not any more.

  4. Comment by Noel Weymouth on April 22, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Stearns says he favors a “big and attractive gospel.” The problem is, that “attractive” gospel just doesn’t attract people, as evidenced by the liberal churches and their dwindling numbers. The ultimate in preaching the big and attractive gospel are the Unitarian Universalists, who teach that everyone will be saved, and their numbers indicate that a heaven that includes both Hitler and Mother Teresa isn’t really something worth believing in. So-called “evangelicals” who favor a gospel that is “attractive” may claim to be concerned about numbers (as evangelicals should, and rightly so), but I think their real concern is not enlarging their churches but hoping that the liberals in the media will pat them on the head – or, at least, not regard them as being anything like those vile “fundamentalists.”

  5. Comment by clementw2012 on April 23, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    Many evangelicals, I have noticed, have focused on the Ten Commandments without emphasizing the the New Covenant that Jesus Christ brought to us with the New Commandment ” Thou shalt love the Lord, the God with all you heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind AND love your neighbor as yourself.”

    Let us consider what the Apostle Paul meant when he talked about advancing to eat meat from having been on a diet of milk. The Old Testament was the milk for babes, infants, toddlers and children who needed the boundaries set for them with what they should NOT do. If you notice, there are only 3 of the 10, the “I am the Lord thy God”; “Remember the Sabbath Day” and “Honor thy father and mother” which do not have a negative command in them – The Milk. The New Commandment/s do not have a SINGLE negative command, all positive things for those who have been weaned and can eat solid food. After all, the human opposition which is a constant of teenage brings to mind my own teenage which Psalm 119:134 134 “Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.” brings to mind.

    I cannot recall a single public display on a plaque or monument displaying the New Commandment. Perhaps, the search for a new identity for evangelicals can be found in plaques and monuments of the New Commandment as in Luke side by side with all the Old Testament ones.

  6. Comment by jazzcochran on April 23, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    This article is insightful. Of course not every person referenced to is on point, but the overarching theme is worth considering. The gospel is hard and gruesome, but people were attracted to Jesus because he loved. I think we should spend time loving people and less time fighting. Say your piece, let it be, move on; stop fighting and start loving.

  7. Comment by btay1 on April 23, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    Comments like, “He admonished American Christians for not being more outraged about child starvation and mortality around the world, stating “no one ever died from gay marriage.” miss the point of God’s saving grace.

    The sad truth is a child that dies here of starvation shall live forever in heaven. Most the people out their fighting for gay marriage will not. Fixing both problems is doing God’s work here on earth, not just the former. Who is he to say that one is more valuable or important?

  8. Pingback by Quest on April 24, 2013 at 9:25 am

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  9. Comment by Noel Weymouth on April 25, 2013 at 7:13 am

    “No one ever died from gay marriage” neatly sidesteps the less pleasant issue: people have died from male-male sex.

    It’s a pretty sad state of things when we judge social harm by whether or not someone dies from a particular habit. back in the 1850s, no white person died because black slaves were held in bondage, but people of conscience still opposed slavery for the obvious reason that it was WRONG. Opening up marriage to any gender or number or age is going to do immeasurable harm to society, so let’s not let up in this campaign.

  10. Pingback by Sex, Individualism, and the End of Civilization | Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog on April 26, 2013 at 9:07 am

    […] purpose in life is. Dale Kuehne, author of Sex and the iWorld discussed these issues at the recent Q Conference in Los Angeles on April 16, stating: “We were made to love God, self, and others,” not to […]

  11. Pingback by CONNECTIONS News – 04/28/2013 | CONNECTIONS on April 28, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    […] Most attendees were pastors or leaders of nonprofits and businesses. Using eighteen, nine, and three minute time slots, over thirty artists, pastors, activists, entrepreneurs, writers, and others shared their insights for “the common good.” …. Read this in full at http://juicyecumenism.com/2013/04/22/evangelicals-on-a-quest-for-a-new-identity/ […]

  12. Comment by gregpaley on April 30, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    This Krattenmaker character is really a deep thinker, telling evangelicals we ought to be “doing really cool things rather than arguing.” If this is the mentality of the “new” evangelicals he writes about, woe to the evangelical movement, and allow me to go ahead and label myself “paleo-evangelical,” because I don’t hear Christ calling me to do “really cool things,” given that our current president seems to embody “coolness” and opposes everything Christ stood for. Christ didn’t call me to be a glob of Play-Doh that the godless world could shape as it pleases.

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