An Evangelical Trojan Horse in the Democratic Party? | Sojourners

An Evangelical Trojan Horse in the Democratic Party?

A recent Daily Kos post asks this question: Does the Evangelical movement belong in the Democratic Party?

Of course, many Evangelicals -- probably most -- can answer that question without a moment's thought: absolutely not. The Republican Party is still the only party for them: abortion, gay marriage, and freedom of corporations from governmental accountability (which is what "small government" often means in practice) are their three litmus test issues, trumping all other issues to the level of annoying distractions -- whether we're talking about preserving the planet for future generations, working for justice for the poor, or pursuing peace through means other than military and economic domination.

But the Daily Kos question is being asked of Democrats, not Evangelicals: "Is a growing Christian base of leaders and voters good for the party?" As a registered Democrat from an Evangelical background, I think there's an erroneous assumption in play in the Daily Kos post:

There is a growing movement since 2004 of evangelical leaders embracing the Democratic Party. Many feel that Bush used this base to get him elected, then turned on them.

The assumption seems to be that Bush wasn't conservative enough for these Evangelicals, so like jilted lovers, they decided to date the nemesis of their old flame, bringing their three familiar preoccupations

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