Posted on 02/15/2005 1:43:21 PM PST by Juan Medén
The media have been trotting out Jim Wallis as their alternative for values-oriented voters. He is consistently described as an evangelical Christian but many of his views (pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality, pro-Islam) are clearly not Christian.
Very interesting.
I heard this turkey on the Sean Hannity Show yesterday and he is your typical question-dodging liberal.
Yep!
I'm not willing to let this thread die, yet. BUMP.
Who's who in the Religious Left? http://www.beliefnet.com/story/159/story_15998_1.html
Good link, thanks.
Being one myself, let me assure you, nothing could be further from the truth.
Just about anyone who USED to be PB left because we're too conservative and too "fundamentalist."
Indeed - and I'm not a huge Falwell fan, but he Falwell really got him when he asked what church he went to and when the Sunday services were (they don't have Sunday services!).
You guys are funny. Why does it matter which church Wallis attends or how often he attends it? Does it make him any less of a christian? Why are we judging his relationship with Christ by what church he attends or how often he attends it? Are there such things as grey areas in the bible? Why do we try to make everything black and white?
How would Christ react to this conversation. Would he join in and bash Wallis as well because of his church membership?
Look, its time to examine ourselves. What are we more concerned with? Actual issues - or trying to bash Wallis because he doesn't believe exactly as Falwell does?
Someone said, "God is too holy and too big to be a Republican. However, the values of the Democrat party truly sadden Him...". And the values of the Republican party don't sadden God at all? Both parties have their faults. And God isn't truly represented by either party.
I don't think God cares if you go to a Baptist church or Plymouth Brethern. Why do we? And honestly, I see more of Christ in Jim Wallis than anyone here. That man shows more love and compassion when under attack by the christian right than anyone I have seen in a long time.
Its time to stop this non-sense.
Evangelical Covenant, most likely. That or UCC. Perhaps PCUSA. Those three seem to be getting really close in association... they seem to interchange pastors and ordinations quite easily.
See www.covchurch.org and search for his name in the news there to see how much the Covenant adores him. There are more than a few stories about him. In particular note the one "Wallis Praises Palmberg's Passion." Apparently his family attends Covenant churches and one family member (sister? I can't recall) is helping plant an Evangelical Covenant church in Canton, MI.
Look at his friend Glenn Palmberg, president of the Covenant. The E Covenant needs to be exposed for the cowardly liberal denomination it is. Many conservatives are being placated in the grassroots into believing it is not liberal, while people like Palmberg and his consorts Wallis and Tony Campolo (practically a pantheist, calling for things like ''animal blessing'' services and such. He's utterly wacked. But apparently it's OK for the Covenant to be yoked together with these heretics.
I also find it interesting to read the point of view of the ''young pietists'' - www.pietisten.org an organisation of young church leaders in the Covenant, who are lamenting the tough job it is to move the Covenant toward a more open stance regarding homosexuality and abortion. (e.g. they call it 'freedom in Christ' - equating it with issues which truly are adiaphora.)
See this story of his in The Call magazine from Call to Renewal, Sojourners' sister organization:
http://www.calltorenewal.org/resources/e_Infoletter_Archive/February2005/feb2005_current.htm
"In Chicago, I spoke to 1,000 pastors from the Evangelical Covenant Church. My good friend and Call to Renewal Board member, Glenn Palmberg, is President of the Covenant, which I find to be one of the most interesting denominations in America - genuinely evangelical and with a genuine social conscience, something that should be natural but is all too rare. I spoke about how ideology is one of the "principalities and powers" (from Ephesians 6, their conference text.) It has polarized and paralyzed politics in America which now fails to solve our most pressing social crisis. Bitterly dividing us into left and right, ideology prevents us from finding solutions."
Also see this in his travel journal speaking of the same event:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=special.display&item=050124_JWblog
scroll down to Feb 4, 2005
"February 4 - Chicago"
"This morning I spoke to 1,000 pastors from the Evangelical Covenant Church, and it turned into one of the real highlights of this tour so far. My good friend, Glen Palmberg, is the President of the Covenant, which I find to be one of the most interesting denominations in America - genuinely evangelical and with a genuine social conscience, something that should be natural but has been all too rare. Like Glen himself, the denomination serves as an important bridge between the conservative and liberal sides of the American church. I spoke about how ideology is one of the "principalities and powers" (from Ephesians chapter 6, the text of their conference). Ideology has polarized and paralyzed politics in America which now fail to ever solve our most pressing social crisis. Bitterly dividing us into left and right, ideology actually prevents us from finding solutions. But ideology has not only crippled our political discourse, it has also seduced religion."
"By squeezing it into narrow political categories it has created ideological religion and deprived us of prophetic faith. And a more prophetic faith could actually help the nation to find paths to the common good - a conversation and commitment almost entirely missing in Washington."
"I was unprepared for the response. I appreciated the enthusiastic standing ovation, but the talk at the book signing table afterward convinced me that something new was happening. I suppose I was hoping that this book and book tour would help to mobilize and energize the "non-Religious Right" in America. But I didn't expect several Covenant pastors to tell me with great feeling things like:"
"You talked about your conversion, but I had my conversion this morning. I have been a member of the Religious Right and I see now how my religion has become so ideological. I don't want to do that anymore"
"I have been on the Religious Right in this denomination, but understood this morning how I have narrowed by concerns to only one or two issues. That's not right or biblical and I want to change my whole approach."
"Glen told me that one of the most conservative members of the denomination told him "I almost stood up in the middle of Jim's talk and said to the whole denomination, 'I repent.'" Glen also reported another pastor's reaction from the left side of the church. He said he had been so frustrated with the church's timidity on social justice that he was close to leaving, but after the morning talk was sure that this was his denomination too. The Covenant, like most denominations, has experienced real tension between its left and right factions (the divisions that ideology makes) but this morning, Glen told me, the whole denomination came together around a vision of faith and action that united them all. "I can't tell you what you have done for this church this morning," he gratefully told me. Organizing the non-Religious Right was one thing, seeing conversions from the Religious Right is something I frankly did not expect. I guess my faith is still too small and God might be doing something in this country beyond any of our expectations."
Note the Evangelical Covenant church is an NGO of the UN. See:
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/asp/form.asp?RegID=--&CnID=all&AcID=0&kw=covenant&NGOID=415
Terriergal (former Covenanter)
He says he is a pastor. But he doesn't have a church. He has a political action organization. That makes him less of a Christian, when he misleads people publicly. In addition, he twists Scripture to suit his own predisposition toward marxist theory, much like Karl Barth, who incidentally , Sojourners quoted favorably in their December email promotions.
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