Washington D.C., May 10, 2008 / 11:39 am
A group of prominent Evangelicals has urged Christian conservatives to expand their concerns beyond “single-issue politics” in a new 19-page document examining the place of Evangelicals in political life.
The document, called “An Evangelical Manifesto,” was signed by more than 70 theologians, pastors, and other figures. It warns Christians against adopting any one political view and too closely mixing religion and politics.
"That way faith loses its independence, Christians become 'useful idiots' for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology," they wrote.
The manifesto asks for “an expansion of our concern beyond single-issue politics, such as abortion and marriage." It also condemns anti-intellectualism among fundamentalists and the many U.S. evangelicals who “pose as victims.”