Re: [asa] Young Evangelicals was RE: Creation Care Magazine

On Jan 25, 2008 9:08 AM, David Randall Gabrielse <r.gabrielse@att.net>
wrote:

> At 1/24/2008 03:07 PM, Ted Davis wrote:
>
> Rich asks me about my students, as follows:
>
> Rather, Wallis is describing young evangelicals -- including the
> college-aged ones that we are trying
> to reach as part of the ASA's mission -- are becoming more involved with
> climate change, poverty, Darfur, etc. The difference between the current
> activism and past ones is that these students are, as he described,
> *prophetic rather than partisan.*
>
>
> I had difficulty untangling whether Rich or Ted made the statement above,
> but the "phrase "prophetic rather than partisan" certainly seems fitting. In
> my four years of campus ministry I have been amazed at how willing
> evangelical students are to get their hands dirty, not at politics, but at
> actual community, relief and other work. I commented to Fred VanDyke at the
> Wheaton Climate Conference that I really see a gap opening between the
> partisan folks and the people who are getting invovlved prophetically.
> Based on my own experience, I believe that part of this is a generational
> maturing of evangelical engagement combined with a frustration with
> political activity of both parties. But I also believe that Jim Wallis'
> book *God's Politics* was a valuable tool that helped people to expand
> their notions of Christian social and political concern.
>
>
The quote came from Wallis in his latest book, The Great Awakening. If you
liked God's Politics, you should really enjoy the current book. It should
also be very motivational for the students you are ministering to. For
example, Wallis contrasts the lack of support for his desire to minister to
the community when he was a youngster in Detroit with the on-fire attitude
and support of some Bethel College students. One other contributing factor
that Wallis notes is the short-term missions projects the students often go
on. Interacting with other evangelicals outside the U.S. has proven to be a
life-changing experience.

Rich Blinne
ISU B.S. Cpr E '83

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Received on Fri Jan 25 12:02:43 2008