Paul Chesser
2007-04-02 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Rush Limbaugh has said “words mean things” for years, but what’s left out is that some definitions evolve and change over time.

The intent of the radio talk giant’s oft-invoked principle is to delineate the boundaries for which words can and cannot be used, and then illustrate how certain words are misused — usually by the scourge of his being, liberals.

For example, many leftists apply the term “racism” only to white people, usually conservatives. In explaining the true meaning of the word, Limbaugh shows why anybody is capable of it.

One classification that hasn’t really narrowed things down much — for decades, at least — is nevertheless the popular descriptor for most Americans’ faith: Christian.

The term was first used for the followers of Jesus at Antioch, as recounted in the Book of Acts chapter 11. Today, far removed from that time when it had precise meaning, “Christian” can mean anything from devout adherent to simple do-gooder. Doctrinally and politically it distinguishes no one.

For a long time there were names that differentiated groups within Christianity, with Protestant, Orthodox, Catholic, and Fundamentalist being a few.

Another category of Christian, however, is rapidly losing its traditional identity in our culture: Evangelical.

While it never made distinctions on theological grounds, that term could always be counted upon to identify those Christians who are conservative, Protestant, culturally influential and outspoken about their faith. With recent developments, however, the defining elements of Evangelical may soon go the way of the much-encompassing Christian.

Why? Because some who purport to speak for all evangelicals are being sucked into marginal issues that are usually harped on by America-hating liberals. And because conservative Christians are allegedly being divided, the mainstream media is eating it up.

In reality, what is happening is that journalists are hailing political frauds like Jim Wallis, who largely promotes “social justice” (in other words, socialism) through his organization Sojourners, as one of many who are supposedly taking evangelicalism in a new direction.

Not far behind in the media fanfare is their advocacy of the National Association of Evangelicals, which has adopted global warming alarmism as one key issue for emphasis.

“Great scientists are people of imagination,” said Rev. Richard Cizik, the NAE’s vice president for governmental affairs. “So are people of great faith. We dare to imagine a world in which science and religion work together to reverse the degradation of creation. We will not allow it to be progressively destroyed by human folly.”

What NAE fails to envision is the potential for devastating economic setbacks in dozens of countries, if tax-raising, income-redistributive policies are implemented because of a theory that divides the scientific community.

Similarly, NAE endorsed a statement on U.S. policies regarding the torture of detainees in the War on Terror, written by something called Evangelicals for Human Rights.

“Tragically, documented acts of torture and of inhumane and cruel behavior have occurred at various sites in the U.S. war on terror,” the statement says, “and current law opens procedural loopholes for more to continue.”

The list of signatories to the statement, unsurprisingly, is no “Who’s Who” of recognized conservative Christian leaders; it’s more like a “Who’s That?” And Evangelicals for Human Rights defends itself preemptively on its Web site, claiming “any fair-minded review of the names of our drafters would have to say that we represent voices from the evangelical center-right, center and center-left.” Comforting, huh?

The mainstream media ignores such nuance, instead portraying conservative Christians as split, because it serves their liberal agenda to do so.

They practice the same thing when they identify a liberal Republican or two as dissenters from the rest of the party, and then break news that the GOP is divided. The media allow the liberals’ dubious claim to “evangelical” to go unchallenged, because it gives them the controversy they crave, while weakening a powerful conservative entity they disdain.

One historical credo for traditional evangelicals is that they stand on the truth, first grounded in the Bible, and secondarily in measurable, incontrovertible evidence. Human-induced global warming doesn’t pass either test, and what constitutes unreasonable treatment for prisoners also bleeds into a massive grey area.

If evangelical is allowed to go the way of Christian, we may need to develop yet another identifier. Conservagelical, anyone?

Paul Chesser is associate editor of the Carolina Journal.