One of the greatest theological shifts in my life is moving from the Christian Right to the Christian Center. As part of this shift, I wrote a research paper on the topic for my first seminary class. To some extent, it is my digest of David Gushee’s The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center, as well as the NAE’s For the Health of the Nation. You can also hear my lecture on this subject entitled Adopting God’s Priorities.
Here’s the Table of Contents, and a PDF of my paper A Framework for Preparing
A Christian-Center Call to Unity & Action: THE MENLO DECLARATION.
- The Genesis and Goals of this Effort
- The Form and Content of Declarations
- Principles for Reducing Disagreement
- A Specific Proportionality Proposal for Public Policy Types
- Specific Sacrifices Suggested for both Sides
- Setting Goals Using the Balance of Scripture
- Stepping Back from Controversial Science
- Stepping Back from Coercive Public Policy
- CONCLUSION
- An Outline for the Menlo Declaration