The Activist Impulse: Erdel on Christian Public Witness

The first three parts of The Activist Impulse describe the historical intersections of evangelicalism and Anabaptism. In the fourth and final part of the book, each chapter describes a potential trajectory for an emerging evangelical Anabaptism. Since some of the most foundational conversations between evangelicals and Anabaptists have involved questions of ethics and politics within the public arena, Bethel College Philosophy Professor Timothy Paul Erdel, in his article, "'Go Tell that Fox!' Evangelical Anabaptist Reflections on Religion in the Public Square," begins this section where the third section left off: with a discussion of church-state issues in the context of America’s ongoing "culture wars." Some evangelicals have jumped at the possibility of exercising moral authority within American society, but Erdel argues that while Christians may have the legal right to try to “legislate morality,” it may be impossible to do so without becoming entangled in the state’s coercive power, which would be unacceptable for Anabaptists. Erdel thus explores the possibility of a non-coercive Christian witness in the public square, which might integrate evangelical social concerns with Anabaptist political sensibilities. Along the way, Erdel offers some interesting anecdotes and provocative case studies about the ways evangelicals and Anabaptists approach issues of public morality, such as abortion, gay marriage, and war.*

*This paragraph is slightly adapted from The Activist Impulse, 323.