By Caleb Cray Haynes
A little over a year ago, when we were still in election season, I opened my front door early one Sunday morning to welcome in some folks from NBC. (Yes, the television network.) Earlier in the summer they had reached out to me about doing a story on the intersection between climate change, voting, and Evangelicals. This, I’ve found, has continually been an intermingling that people are fascinated with.
The idea of grounding the story in the context of a “real family and pastor at a real church” was what they were after. So, for a day, a camera crew followed us around at the breakfast table, in my garden, at the church building, at the potluck lunch, and finally ended with a long afternoon interview. It was a lot, although kind of a unique and fun experience.
The Scoop
Late that Sunday, after they packed up and as I drove home, something kept bugging me that I was finally putting my finger on. I realized that, what I was excited to talk about… how all Christians are called to be good stewards of creation no matter what side of the aisle you’re on… wasn’t necessarily the political scoop they were here for. Now, I could be totally wrong, because I think the story turned out pretty good in the end. Yet, as a mainstream media outlet, flying out two reporters, a professional camera person and an audio engineer to spend a weekend in Nashville… it’s not hard to know that they’re looking for a scoop!
They’re here for the juice.
Regardless of what might have been, the hot-take was still present. It was that there are Evangelicals who talk and act on environmental issues like climate change.
But the language of division… that’s not the juice I’m drinking.
That’s not the package I’m selling.
I’m not into talking about “those evangelicals” over there. I’m interested in how we can all be faithful embodiments of the good news right here.
The Rhetoric
The deadliest thing occurring in America today is binary rhetoric. It’s the ways in which we have bought the narrative that you’re either in this group here or that group over there. You’re either on this team or that team.
You’re either this blue color or that red color.
You’re either in or you’re out.
It’s a rhetoric that attempts to make subjects into objects. (Just like our economic systems try to turn real life people into GDP… for another blog!)
And if you’re a Christian, you’re either this kind of Christian or that kind of Christian.
Suddenly, millions of people, who are complex, all embodying a variety of values, beliefs, ideals, dreams, ethics, and life experiences… are either conservatives or liberals? What!?
As a Christian, here’s what I’m not buying.
I’m not buying that everyone who identifies, in some way, with “Evangelical” specifically exhibits a certain kind of harmful beliefs or unloving action in the world. I’m not interested in purchasing the kind of rhetoric that our culture is trying to sell. I’m not going to be a part of the promotion of a divisive rhetoric that only lumps thousands more people into another category.
Generous Orthodoxy, Bigotry, Harm, and Love
Twenty years ago, in Brian McLaren’s Generous Orthodoxy he offers a distinction between “capital E” Evangelical and “lower-case e” evangelical. Today, as it was then, there’s a lot of bigotry and harm associated with Evangelicalism. But what McLaren points out then, I’ll double-down on today, that being evangelical is about something else. It’s about a people of passion… who are moved by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And I think more distinctions are necessary.
Make no mistake, I’m not here to try and “redeem” this term on the whole necessarily, except to say that our language matters. And if you’re going to go out of your way to name an entire group of people like “white evangelicals” into the evil category, I’d advise great caution.
As you may know, “evangelical” comes from the Greek, meaning “the good news.”
Some of the most amazing and thoughtful and educated and loving people I know identify as… evangelicals.
Trust me, these aren’t the folks you’re “after.”
So, in the wake of millions of memes on social media, Substacks throwing shade, and mainstream news articles saying those evangelicals are destroying the world…
What if… it’s the very act of throwing shade… that makes you shady?
Here’s what I mean… the enemy is our habit of making enemies.
Othering Others
The moment that you decide to make an enemy, to other someone, to say the words “those people are the problem”… that’s the very moment that you have, yourself, born the sin. You have yourself created the enemy.
You have yourself given the sinister rhetoric life.
Which is why, dying on the cross Jesus looks down at the Roman soldier and prays, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Before Jesus relinquishes his life on the cross, he was sure to reframe this for us.
The enemy isn’t here in red robes and armor… the enemy is death. It’s the powers and principalities of this age.
Death and the Devil
If you had a mouth, what would you say?
If you had a tongue, what would you taste?
If you have a voice, what would you sing?
Remember when Jesus was like… “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person”? (Matt. 15:18)
What’s coming out friends?
I’m not trying to sugar coat this… or turn a blind eye to all the injustice happening here in America right now… but we have to acknowledge, there is a rhetoric that gives life… and there’s one that takes it.
There is a rhetoric of death.
What our culture, and honestly… this current Administration, seems to be pretty interested in, is creating a rhetoric of division. You see, the only way that the powers and principalities of this world can “win”… is by successfully getting you and me to pen ourselves against each other. It wants to create false binaries. Are you with me? This allows us to other people… to talk about humans made in the image of God as if they are the bad people.
As I tell my children, there are no bad people, only people who’ve made bad choices.
If you’re someone who identifies with “evangelical” and you see a post that slams Evangelicals for destroying democracy or causing climate change… is that empowering for you? Is that encouraging? What feelings emerge from that?
Probably a range of emotions from shame to guilt to rage.
Here’s what that rhetoric will never do,
build bridges,
heal,
walk us into a better future,
or offer a way into reconciliation.
It’s not only linguistically lazy and divisive, and its playing right into the hands of “the adversary.” (Or some translations say “the devil.”)
The Language of the Prophet
Does this mean that we don’t call out people who do or say things that hurt people? That we don’t call out the systems and beliefs of injustice in the world?
No, it just means that we do it with better precision and with love.
If you’re going to do the prophetic work of calling out evil actions in the world… be care not to become the very thing you’re moving against. Are you just giving into the temptation to lump vast groups of people who are different than you into some category? That’s just lazy. Be precise, do the work. (For example, this is the same reason we don’t say that people all over the world are causing human-generated climate change, no, it’s the wealthy nations of (mostly) the Global North, not the marginalized communities of the Earth.)
Sure, some real people with real names need called out on how what they are doing is actually harming others. But can we do it in a spirit of love? Is it possible? Otherwise, you’re just becoming the kind of people culture may be saying you are.
Final note
This is not an attempt to offer my view from up here on the holy hill. Yes, I’m mindful that as a Christian, white, male, pastor… I’m checking all the boxes for those who may often hold the cultural privileges. Here’s the deal though, we won’t win the battle over the powers of this world… over greed, lust, laziness, gluttony, pride, envy, and rage with more of the same.
Death is only defeated through the cross.
And the cross, reminds us, over and over and over again, what it looks like to be God’s people alive and breathing and speaking and moving in God’s world today.
Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. For
“Those who desire to love life
and to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
and their lips from speaking deceit;
let them turn away from evil and do good;
let them seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:8-12
Postscript
A final final note here: There is most certainly a serious and rising problem in the United States with the unholy syncretism occurring in Christian Nationalism. We absolutely have to continue pulling at these threads as God’s people… but again, with care over condemnation.
Here’s an interesting article offering some research on current American Christian thoughts… (Also, I think “Maga Evangelicalism” could be the term some of you are hunting for.) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-evangelical-voters-maga-b2842752.html
If you’re curious how the time with NBC story ended up, you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmvLV2FTfOI
Caleb Cray Haynes is a writer and speaker on issues of caring for God’s creation. He is the author of Garbage Theology, co-author of Keeping Creation, and Earthbound Christian (coming in 2026). He hosts The ecoChristian Podcast, is Director of Nazarenes for Creation Care, and serves on the Board of Directors at Creation Justice Ministries. Caleb lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Emily, and two daughters, Story and Daily.
More at CalebCrayHaynes.com.
Stay tuned for Caleb’s new book Earthbound Christian – Flourishing within limits in the age of infinite growth coming soon! See what Caleb published on our sister blog here.
