The Best and Worst of Evangelical Voices in the Public Square

I mentioned in an earlier post that evangelicals in America, despite what we sometimes hear, are a very diverse crowd. Sometimes that diversity is evident in the degree of sophistication that evangelicals bring to the public sphere. I was reminded of this fact this morning during media coverage of the battle for the GOP nomination. Just after introducing Rick Perry to a gathering of Christian conservatives, Southern Baptist Convention pastor Robert Jeffress weighed in on Mitt Romney’s LDS faith, using the label of “cult” to refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jeffress’ comment is typical of the right wing of the evangelical political spectrum, where such loaded and simplistic generalizations are routine. In contrast to Jeffress, we find Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, articulately countering the accuracy of Jeffress’ labeling. In this case, the diversity is not over specific issues, theology, or even who evangelicals should vote for. Rather it can be seen in the manner in which these two individuals engage in the public square. When so many evangelicals seem inclined toward Jeffress’ predictable caricatures, Mouw’s example of civil and intelligent discourse is certainly refreshing.