Evangelicals in the Public Square

Abstract

Christian evangelicals are not normally regarded as serious contributors to discussions about the role of religion in the American “public square.” The dominance of evangelical politics in recent decades by the agenda of the so-called “religious right” has led to the popular perception that evangelicals are interested almost exclusively in promoting a narrow set of moral and cultural issues. However, as this article shows, the “evangelical” strain in American politics is the historical key to our long legacy of democratic idealism, and in many ways continues to be so. The very idea of America itself is founded on the conviction of a higher, transcendent purpose reflected in a shared set of freedoms and a common collective morality. The recent efforts to re-inscribe religious thoughts and value prescriptions within the sphere of political discourse represent a search for a new “moral commons” upon which our identity as a nation can be rebuilt. Because their Biblical faith is rooted in the assurance of a clear calling for certain Christians to play a special or an “exceptional” role in human history they can offer a distinctive perspective on how America’s own unique role among the “nations” can be identified and articulated for future generations.