Evangelical left

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Main articles: Evangelicalism and Christian left

Evangelical left or Progressive Evangelicals are Christians aligned with Evangelicalism in the United States who generally function on the left wing of the movement, either politically or theologically or both. While the evangelical left is related to the wider Christian left, those who are part of the latter category are not always viewed as evangelical.

Typically, members of the evangelical left affirm the primary tenets of evangelical theology, such as the doctrines of the Incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, and also see the Bible as a primary authority for the Church. Unlike many evangelicals, however, those on the evangelical left support what are often considered progressive or left wing political policies. They are often, for example, opposed to capital punishment and supportive of gun control and welfare programs. In many cases, they are also pacifists. Theologically they also often support and utilize modern biblical criticism, whereas more conservative evangelicals reject it.

While members of the evangelical left chiefly reside in mainline denominations, they are often heavily influenced by the Anabaptist social tradition.

See also

People

Groups and publications

Footnotes

    Further reading

    • Edwards, Mark Thomas, The Right of the Protestant Left: God's Totalitarianism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
    • Hauerwas, Stanley & William Willimon, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (ISBN 0-687-36159-1)
    • MacGregor, Kirk, A Molinist-Anabaptist Systematic Theology (ISBN 0-7618-3851-1)
    • Swartz, David R., Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
    • Wallis, Jim, God's Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (ISBN 0-06-055828-8)
    • Young, Shawn David. "From Hippies to Jesus Freaks: Christian Radicalism in Chicago’s Inner-City." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Vol 22(2) Summer 2010.

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