By Mark I. Pinsky of USA Today:
The answer is not as clear-cut as in years past. In fact, a younger generation of ministers is changing the face and voice of this very influential constituency. With the 2008 election approaching, that’s no small thing. On Sunday mornings, it's now commonplace to see presidential candidates in church pulpits or pews, proclaiming their faith and — not coincidentally — jockeying furiously (but piously) for crucial "values voters." So, with so much at stake, now might be a good time to ask, "Who speaks for America's evangelicals?"
Will it continue to be bombastic, GOP-leaning, Southern preachers, such as the late Jerry Falwell, and strident, hard-line broadcasters such as Pat Robertson and Focus on the Family's James Dobson? I don't think so. From my neighborhood in the suburban Sunbelt, it is clear that a subtle, incremental but nonetheless tectonic shift is underway. And this is more than what Freud called "the narcissism of small differences."
The emerging face and voice of American evangelicalism is that of a pragmatic, politically sophisticated, pastor of a middle class megachurch. A younger generation of ministers such as Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life; Bill Hybels, of the pioneering Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago; T.D. Jakes, the African-American pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, as well as a music and movie producer; and Frank Page, the re-elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Or, this younger generation might be personified by someone like Joel Hunter, of Northland Church, just outside Orlando. The amiable Midwesterner, who opposes the death penalty, looks like Johnny Carson and sounds like Gene Hackman. He's a regular reader of such periodicals as The Economist, Foreign Affairs and Harvard Business Review.
'We work with people'
Hunter, 59, notes that, with constituencies that must be cultivated in their communities, he and other congregational pastors are quite different from the previous generation of leaders who headed broadcast ministries or political organizations. Groups such as the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family "almost demand a more strident tone to raise money or media ratings," Hunter says. "As pastors, we don't have the same pressures on us. We work with people. We know what it takes to be patient and motivational and encouraging." Hunter's star is clearly rising. In June, the non-denominational pastor was tapped to ask Sen. Hillary Clinton about abortion at CNN's faith forum for Democratic presidential hopefuls. He is planning a similar gathering for Republican candidates at his church. Last year, fellow evangelicals chose him to be their voice in a national television campaign for "Creation Care," the evangelical euphemism for environmentalism and the effort to slow global warming.
"Did you know that evangelical leaders are telling us that global warming must be stopped because it will bring more devastating floods, droughts and disease?" Hunter asked viewers in the 30-second spot. "As Christians, our faith in Jesus Christ compels us to love our neighbors and to be stewards of God's creation."
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http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/who-speaks-for-.html