The Rise of Cosmopolitan Evangelicalism
Posted by tom | May 7, 2008Yesterday, Mapping the Evangelical Intelligentsia and Evangelicalism Rebounds in Academe went up on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website. The first article brings to the attention of the larger academic community:
1. Two-year research project on evangelical intellectuals, primarily in the secular academy, but also as public intellectuals directed by Timothy S. Shah and Peter L. Berger through Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA).
2. CURA's The Opening of the Evangelical Mind Conference (December 7-8, 2007):
An increasingly sophisticated, self-assured, and productive class of intellectuals is emerging in American public life — an “evangelical intelligentsia.” These evangelicals, engaged in intellectual pursuits in a way that is motivated by and informed by their faith, are exercising a growing influence on American academics, culture, law, and public policy. This conference, under the auspices of Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), aims to illuminate the development, contributions, and cultural consequences of this emerging generation of American evangelical intellectuals. — taken from here
The second article is written by D. Michael Lindsay, an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University and author of Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite (Oxford University Press, 2007). Lindsay's book is still on my to read list, recently moved up by Jim Sire's highl recommendation. The article is quite a piece, here’s the conclusion:
Nearly every evangelical scholar I encountered embodies a “cosmopolitan” evangelical faith. They are “worldly” believers, in the best sense of the term. They regularly rub shoulders with people of different faiths and of no faith at all. They aim not to “take back” the country for their faith, but simply want their faith to be seen as reasonable, genuine, and attractive. This cosmopolitan style of faith has helped evangelicals gain a seat at the table within the arts world. Evangelicals who have succeeded, such as the visual artist Makoto Fujimura — the youngest person ever named to the National Council on the Arts — don’t desire to impose their moral vision on the rest of the artistic community, but at the same time, they don’t want to exclude their faith from the work they do. The same can be said of evangelicals within the groves of academe. Their rise into the halls of power is significant, but not menacing. Cosmopolitan evangelicals will not overturn the apple cart. They want civil discourse, not a culture war.And we can learn from them. Indeed, in our understanding of evangelicals and the evangelical movement, we could all benefit from a more cosmopolitan outlook.
Anyone want to give a stab as to their thoughts regarding Cosmopolitan Evangelicalism as a term and/or an end goal for Evangelicals?
The "Evangelical Manifesto" seems to come from a similar angle.
http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/
Posted by Peter V, May 7 2008, 13:33