Conservative Christians maintain influence, face new issues

Conservative evangelical Christians continue to influence government policies but they also are facing the challenge of responding to additional issues, pro–family leaders said in a National Press Club panel discussion.

Speaking on whether religious conservatives have lost their clout, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said they have not. “Religious right and evangelical, social conservatives are having a pronounced impact on the shaping of the policy in this country,” he said. “I think evangelical, Bible-believing Christians who are concerned about their community and their country have always had a broad perspective of the issues.

“It’s just that the issues are changing, and [evangelicals] are working through trying to come up with responses to those issues.”

Those issues include the “value of life, immigration, poverty and justice, racial reconciliation, religious liberties, rebuilding the family, the environment and global warming,” said Harry Jackson, chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition and senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md.

Jackson and Perkins were joined in the panel discussion by Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners. The March 12 exchange focused on ideas in a new book co-authored by Jackson and Perkins, “Personal Faith, Public Policy.”

“Historically, the white-led evangelical church in America has been focused on righteousness issues — issues that deal with same-sex ‘marriage,’ abortion and have a lot to do with our personal relationship with God,” Jackson said. “The black-led church in America has oftentimes been occupied with justice issues … poverty and other issues. My point was righteousness and justice, the Bible says, are the foundation of God’s throne.”

Jackson said evangelicals’ priorities entail more than “just a push for public policy. There is great depth in personal commitment and involvement in trying to solve these issues. We should continue, we should do more, but we should not be afraid to talk about it.” (BP)