Evangelical Left Follows Secular Culture, Endorses 'Hate Crimes' Bill
"Increasingly the Evangelical Left is indistinguishable from the secular Left." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President
Contact: Jeff Walton Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell, jwalton@TheIRD.org
WASHINGTON, May 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- Members of the Evangelical Left are endorsing a bill before Congress that would add sexual orientation and gender identity as official categories to "hate crimes" law.
Liberal evangelist Tony Campolo joined a Capitol Hill rally this week organized by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group, which also distributed supportive statements by Christian ethicist David Gushee, Sojourners' Jim Wallis and Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter. The rally additionally touted legislation that would protect transsexualism in the work place.
Critics of hate crimes laws warn they are redundant and attempt to criminalize thought and speech. They also warn that clergy and others who support traditional marriage potentially could be prosecuted for "hate."
IRD President Mark Tooley commented:
"Why are self-proclaimed evangelicals echoing the secular culture by endorsing ideologies wrapped around 'sexual orientation' and 'sexual identity'?
"All victims of violence are already rightly protected by law, no matter the motive of their assailants.
"Increasingly the Evangelical Left is indistinguishable from the secular Left.
"Christians of all traditions are called to transform the culture, not conform to it. But the Evangelical Left repeats arguments from The New York Times' editorial page and seems to think such cultural conformity will win applause.
"History shows that accommodationist Christians are ultimately irrelevant Christians."
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