Evangelical Manifesto

Newsweek had an interesting article about the deafening silence that has accompanied the release of the Evangelical Manifesto, which is an attempt to reinvigorate the ranks of the Evangelicals and move beyond the bad name they acquired in the minds of some during the last several elections. Basically, it was an attempt to find common ground, but apparently not much common ground was found, and plenty of Evangelical leaders found it not to their tastes. "Called to an allegiance higher than party, ideology and nationality, we Evangelicals see it our duty to engage with politics, but our equal duty never to be completely equated with any party, partisan ideology, economic system, or nationality," the document says. It addresses the issue that I think is far too prevalent among Evangelicals, and that is the tendency to conflate the platform of the Republican Party with biblical doctrine. It therefore is not surprising that it hasn't been well-received among major Evangelical leaders. I haven't read it but based on what I've heard it seems a shame that it's not given more thoughtful consideration.