The religious left reasserts itself?
With the election of Barack Obama, and the fact that, despite their vast political differences, faith remained as much a part of his candidacy as it did with our current president’s, some are suggesting that the “religious left” is resurging. An earlier post here by Pamela Dolan hinted at it.
Traditionally understood, we could define the “religious left” as mainline (”white bread”) and African-American Protestants, liberal Catholics, and Reform Jews. That’s an oversimplification but I think that’s how most people would have envisioned the demographic in its mid-twentieth century heyday.
Now the Pew Forum has released its findings on “how the faithful voted.”
I’m struck by the fact that, just like the general populace, this election seems to prefigure an entire shift in religious demographics. Rather than this being simply one dormant religious segment of public life reasserting itself, it is the continuation of subtle shifts in the entire public religious landscape. That might be overstating it. But the example I would point to is the generational shift we seem to be seeing among evangelicals. Younger evangelicals are much more drawn to issues of social justice and the environment (think Jim Wallis) than their older counterparts (think Jerry Falwell).
So much so that perhaps it’s no longer very helpful to think, at least in political-religious terms, of “left” and “right.” Time will tell.
Travis Scholl, 35, is managing editor of theological publications at Concordia Seminary. A graduate of Yale Divinity School (MDiv), he is an ordained Lutheran minister. Despite some time away, he and his wife are native St. Louisans, as is the child they are now raising. 
What a great discussion, about essentials…Thanks to you all.
My interpretation of the Calvinist doctrine of Election is really quite simple: GOD does all the work of salvation. GOD chooses who GOD chooses, GOD draws, GOD dispenses grace, GOD saves. My action (free will) is to accept or deny. That’s it.
On Scripture and Creation: I put it this way. What we are learning about DNA in particular is very, very interesting for the believer. Consider this: We have a Language, with only 4 letters (ACTG) and 24 three letter words (the essential amino acids). String those words together in the correct order, and we define ALL OF LIFE. To expand the metaphor, we humans each have 26 pairs of sentences within us (the chromosomes) that create in us all the diversity that is Humanity. Pretty awesome, to me. Evidence of the hand of God? It’s persuasive, to me.
Or, consider this: Genesis 1:11-12, and 1:18, in the Hebrew, say, respectively: “Let the EARTH bring forth green plants…and Let the WATERS teem with life…”. The fossil evidence suggests that there was, in a flash of geologic time the so-called Cambrian Explosion. Where, suddenly, the earth went from sterile to full of life. Evidence to support the scripture? Perhaps.
Last, consider this: On the subject of the 6 days of creation. A detailed understanding of Relativity and Time leads to a startling conclusion. From the perspective of an observer outside the Universe (God), Only 6 days would have passed for the entire period of cooling, coalescing, and springing forth of Life. For us on the inside of the Universe, many Billions of years have passed. There is, again, no contradiction.
Reference Material: “The Language of God” by Dr. Francis Collins and “The Science of God” by Gerald R. Schroeder.