The [New] Christian Coalition

Isn’t the Christian right’s agenda already too broad?

Over the weekend it was announced that Joel C. Hunter, the pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed (a congregation of 7,000 in the Orlando area) has been selected to serve as president of the Christian Coalition of America (CC).

The organization has struggled in recent years with a shrinking constituency, mounting debt and the recent departure of several state chapters. Formed by televangelist Pat Robertson and led in its heyday by lobbyist and U.S. Senate hopeful Ralph Reed, the CC will--for the first time--be led by a pastor. Additionally, by moving its offices from Washington, D.C., to Central Florida, the organization signals a not-so-subtle shift from a lobbying group that speaks on behalf of the religious right to a church-focused organization that equips local congregations to effect social and political change.

As the Orlando Sentinel notes, although he is against abortion and gay marriage, Hunter also opposes the death penalty. The article cites Hunter's involvement with the Evangelical Environmental Network and his recent book, Right Wing, Wrong Bird, as indicators of his political unpredictability. This has led observers to interpret Hunter's appointment as a signal of the "broadening" of the Christian Coalition's base of issues. There is even consternation from some who feel the CC will risk losing consensus by focusing on issues that not everyone can agree on, such as global warming.

The problem is that the opponents of this "broadening" of the CC have inadvertently pointed out the very reason the CC (and organizations like it) are in such desperate need of reform: They are already too broad--so broad that they have made a practice of championing issues of marginal consequence to biblical Christianity. Don't believe me? Among other things, the CC has:

* Expressed disappointment with senators who opposed the flag amendment
* Supported the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act*
* Supported the U.N. Reform Act of 2005
* Supported Congressman Bartlett's First Amendment Restoration Act (FARA)
* Supported making permanent the 2001-2003 tax cuts

Please understand: I am not criticizing the validity of any of the above positions--I would support most of them. I'm simply questioning whether they should be embraced as "Christian" positions--particularly when this same organization is deafeningly silent on issues on which a biblical worldview requires extensive reflection, such as: creation care, torture, the death penalty, war, poverty, affirmative action, AIDS and human trafficking.

Sure, the topics above are politically divisive at times--and pose real challenges for consensus building. But the beauty of an organization like the CC is that it can afford to be "narrow" in its thrust--driven not by political vagaries or partisan loyalty, but by the unflinching demands of a biblical worldview. Anything less exhibits a disingenuous lack of balance, limiting our ability to speak prophetically to both sides of the aisle and reinforcing the impression that one party has evangelicals in its pocket--and vice versa.

Simply put, we've become too predictable. Joel Hunter's appointment to the Christian Coalition brings a fresh breeze of unpredictability that will scare some but may engage evangelicals who are pro-life and pro-marriage--but who know that biblical values don't stop there.

by Matt Green
from The Ministry Report
October 6, 2006