Is the Christian Right Turning Left?

The Democratic Activist
In the opinion of many, myself included, the "Christian Right" is neither right nor Christian. After decades of dedicated, deliberate brainwashing, most evangelicals came to regard the Republican Party as practically holy. Conservatism has been seen as next to Godliness. The Right could do no wrong.

But is that changing? Have a string of recent gay sex scandals, blatant corruption and criminality within the Bush administration, and betrayal by Republican leaders perfectly willing to cynically use Christians for the merest of crass, political purposes begun to fatally crack the tough shell of conservative indoctrination surrounding American evangelicals?

Fewer evangelicals now support the Republican party than has been the case in decades. A recent study indicates that, suddenly, Christians (especially youth) acknowledge that their religion is hypocritical and judgemental. Breaking with sacrosanct Republican talking points, many evangelicals now admit that the global problem of man-made climate change not only exists but is a terribly serious world-wide crisis, "a profound moral imperative" that requires followers of Christ to respond with urgency and active commitment as stewards of the Earth (see here and here). Today, Evangelical Christians are beginning to focus their massive, finely-tuned grass-roots machinery on combating social injustices like modern slavery and ending the genocide in Darfur.

And now, finally, charismatic Christians are waking to the fact that finding a true solution to the HIV/AIDS crisis is a moral imperative, also. Many evangelicals now admit they've been "late to the party" on the AIDS issue and rebuke the "sinful absence and puny efforts" of their own religion. Inviting pro-choice leaders like Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton to speak at church-sponsored conferences, this new wave of Christian activism is "interested in saving lives" and wants "to focus on common ground, not differences."

At the risk of appearing overly optimistic, while a great many conservative Christians still cling in their human imperfection to religious dogma and political policies that fly in the face of Christ's liberal message to humanity, it seems that a true sea change may be in fact be underway.

Could this really be true?

But how? Why?

I believe it's just real hard to read the Bible year after year without eventually getting the message that it's in our deepest nature to seek justice, to care for and help and sacrifice for one another, to put principle over power:

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He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 (New International Version)

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An article in today's Yahoo! News gives details.
The Democratic Activist