Five Current U.S. Protestant Political Outlooks

There are currently five major streams of Protestant political outlook and activism.

The first, in terms of age, is the old Religious Left. It’s comprised chiefly of clergy from what’s left of Mainline Protestantism. It has little political influence but sometimes gets attention because it can stage rallies with berobed clergy in clerical collars. And it still has historic institutional affiliations. It rejects or minimizes historical Christian ethical teachings about human sexuality and the human body and endorses identity politics. It largely equates God’s Kingdom with an ever-expanding federal entitlement and welfare state. For the old Religious Left, virtually every human need and desire should be met by government. Most of its denominational members do not support its political activism. So, its political influence has always been limited. But the membership collapse of its denominations makes it now very marginal.  The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society is one still surviving representative. Rev. William Barber of “Moral Mondays” is maybe its best-known current personality.

Read Full Article »


Comment
Show comments Hide Comments


Related Articles