Via Earthkeeping News:
Richard Cizik, the Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, resigned this week upon the request of the Board. It seems his interview with Terry Gross of National Public Radio, was the straw that broke the camel's back. Rich has been the subject of controversy ever since he began in recent years to push the NAE's political focus beyond the traditional issues of abortion and gay marriage to something more vaguely relevent to progressives, especially global warming.
The pic of Rich is from the Let's Tend the Garden conference we both attended in Boise last year. He spoke out on climate change action then, too. I wish him all the best, and know God will continue to use him.
UPDATE: Here's the link to the NPR audio clip. It's about 20 minutes. Other than a long-standing but friendly disagreement with Rich on climate change, I don't have any major probs with what he said about civil unions for gays. And I'm about as conservative as they come.
I don't think you can define an evangelical the same way you did 10 years ago. If the NAE folks don't figure this out, they're on the same path as Ralph Reed, Jerry Falwell, & etc.
It's not the rules, folks. It's the relationship.
dude, nice site and you were in Boise and didn't tell me back when I also was in Idaho?
I wish the NAE had simply demoted Richard(as someone errant enough in their eyes to not be able to represent the org) rather than kick him out.
I have no problems differentiating between the biblical ideal for marriage and human-made cultural institutions that regulate actual marriages and accommodate human fallenness (which can include the concept of us having sexual orientations apart from the normative heterosexual orientation).
dlw
I viewed Cizik as a nice counterbalance to the anti-environmental wing of the Evangelical church, so I was sorry to see him go.
What were you up to in Boise?
Agree - there's a difference between the idea Gen 2 marriage (quoted by Jesus, reinforced by Paulian/Cephean doctrine) and the right of American citizens to establish legal partnerships. The federalism issue bugs me (should be a state-by-state vice national issue) and judicial activism issue bugs me (judges trying to overturn voter reinforcement of traditional marriage - even state constitutional amendments).
gb/db