Liberty University officials criticize ‘Evangelical Manifesto’

It’s a document that a group of Christian leaders hope can rally evangelicals and ease political polarization.

But Liberty University officials feel parts of a recently released, 20-page “Evangelical Manifesto” undercuts the political activism and voice in modern culture that founder Jerry Falwell spent his life advocating.

A committee of nine pastors, seminary deans and writers from across the country released the manifesto earlier this month. Its intent is to reaffirm, and redefine, evangelicals’ identity and public involvement.

“That word evangelical has taken on increasingly political connections,” said David Neff, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and a committee member. “That’s not what we’re about. Our identity is promoting faith in Jesus Christ and all that goes with that.”

A section that has drawn particular ire from Liberty officials states that neither the religious right nor religious left should “politicize faith.” In that case, Christians become “useful idiots” for one political party or another, it states, and beliefs become weapons for political interests.

Ergun Caner, president of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, said the manifesto “muddies the water” when it comes to being an evangelical.

Caner, a former Muslim who converted in 1982, defines the term as “pro-life, pro-family” and having solely Christian beliefs.

“To me, it’s like coming out to a Pittsburgh Steelers game wearing a Cleveland Browns jersey,” Caner said of the manifesto. “It’s a document that has great intentions but will never happen.”

Caner said he wasn’t happy to learn his name was listed as a charter signatory to the manifesto when it was unveiled May 7 in Washington D.C. The committee contacted him to review the document’s language, he said, but he never gave consent to include his signature.

Neff said it was an oversight that Caner’s name had been included and it has since been removed.

Caner said Falwell was also listed as having signed it, though Neff said he was not aware of that and the manifesto’s Web site does not list Falwell as a signatory.

Jerry Falwell Jr., chancellor of Liberty University, said his father would never sign anything that would discourage political involvement.

“Anyone who knew Dad knew that’s not what he believed,” Falwell said.

The manifesto, which Neff admits is a self-critical look at evangelicals, stresses reforming behavior and pushing for more denominational unity.

Neff said there also must be a different approach in engaging in the public square, like trying to decrease political polarization.

“We don’t feel like it’s our task to further that polarization,” Neff said. “If anything, we should bridge people.”

The manifesto also calls for a need to go beyond “single-issue” politics such as abortion and marriage to fight against racism, corruption, poverty and illiteracy.

Caner said he does not disagree with the manifesto as a whole, but called the section addressing political activism “spineless” and a “group hug approach to Christianity.”

He said in a written statement that he does not apologize for stances the university has taken for decades.

“We believe Christianity has been pushed out of the public square,” Caner wrote. “We are not owned by any political party, but we will stand with and for candidates that are for our values and against those values that we see as unbiblical.”

Neff said reaction to the manifesto so far has been “mixed.” There was no intent, he said, to impact the upcoming presidential election by swaying evangelical voters who played a part in electing President Bush to two terms.

Falwell said there always have been people in both parties who call themselves evangelicals, but the turnout in recent elections for the pro-life, pro-family candidate has been reassuring.

He said he predicts the same kind of turnout in this year’s election.

“It’s a little harder for evangelicals to get excited about John McCain than it was for Bush,” Falwell said. “But when it comes to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, he’s better than the given alternatives.”

Neff said the evangelical term has been around for centuries, but was revived in the 1940s by the ministry of Billy Graham. He personally defines an evangelical as someone who has converted, has Christian and Bible-centered beliefs and participates in social activism based on compassion.

Nearly 29 percent of the United States population consider themselves evangelical, according to the 2007 Statistical Abstract of the United States, a publication of the Census Bureau.