Compassionate Evangelicalism?

By Chelsen Vicari, Voices Contributor Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Did you know that anyone can call themselves an evangelical? Sure. The description is up for grabs so long as you pair your evangelical label with sweet-sounding descriptors and fluffy mission statements. At least, that's the emerging trend.

Floating into the inboxes of prominent evangelical leaders is an invitation to join what's being called The Compassionate Evangelicalism Network (TCEN), a developing new project of the organization Faith in Public Life. While the project sounds well intentioned, pastors and evangelical leaders should use caution before joining a network subsidized by pro-abortion activists.

Here's an example of what Faith in Public Life (FPL) considers a compassionate evangelical: "[E]vangelical leaders who would be willing to speak up in support of the issue of Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination legislation" and "take a stand on a wide array of justice issues."

Let's set aside the naïve presumption that evangelicalism is not compassionate unless it is pioneering LGBTQ campaigns. Because lurking behind FPL's nice-sounding project is some pretty ugly baggage not many "compassionate evangelicals" would want to be associated with.

According to public records, the largest financial contributor to FPL in 2012 was none other than atheist, socialist and ardent abortion backer George Soros via his Foundation to Promote Open Society. In 2012, Soros' foundation gave FPL a total of $475,000 in grant money. This is the same Foundation that also donated $3.5 million to Planned Parenthood in 2011, the nation's largest abortion provider in the United States and advocate for taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand.

It gets worse.

Next up among FPL's top financial supporters is the Ford Foundation, another notorious contributor of Planned Parenthood. In fact Cecil Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, has sat on the Ford Foundation's board since 2010.

Curious then that Cecile Richards would condone the Ford Foundation granting $500,000 in 2012 to an organization like FPL, which seeks to "educate, inform, and rally together" compassionate evangelicals who we can only assume seek justice by defending innocent unborn life.

Oh and we can't forget about the Tides Foundation. This foundation granted FPL $75,000 in 2011. Not nearly as much as the aforementioned foundations, but hey, perhaps the Tides Foundation had to scale back grant amounts after donating $292,316.71 in 2009 and $1,026,326.00 in 2007 to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, respectively.

So all three of FPL's top donors are massive funders of unborn baby-killing mills. Huh.

At this point you are probably wondering why in the world such foundations with murderous agendas care about projects dubbed "The Compassionate Evangelicalism Network."

Clues offering a glimpse into our "But why?" question can be found in the "description" designation of each grant. According to the Ford Foundation, it donated $200,000 in 2010 "to help progressive faith community develop communications strategies" while another donor cited "to launch the emerging progressive leaders project to train and equip a new generation of religious leaders."

But I'm afraid the deeper reasons atheists and abortion activists support evangelical projects is much more sinister. For years now secularism and liberalism have quietly made inroads into evangelical culture. Because how best to defeat your competition than by controlling their pocket book?

Dangling dollars over Evangelical Leftist - some of whom already twist and distort the Gospel without financial benefit - is a clever strategy to breakdown evangelicals' strong public witness by using money and soft labels to refocus our attention, priorities and morality.

A better question directed to our liberal brothers and sisters in Christ might be, "How in good conscience can you call yourself compassionate, while partnering with abortion bankrollers?"

When so-called "evangelicals" know and accept that the same hand that feeds them turns around and provides for the murder of unborn life, that's not compassion. It's despicable and it looks nothing like Jesus Christ.

If we want to discuss real compassionate evangelicalism, then let's talk about the evangelicals who sacrifice material gain and live on shoe-string budgets while working in the pro-life movement to protect those marginalized because they are still in their mother's womb.

Let's talk about volunteers at Crisis Pregnancy Centers who sacrifice their time to care for mothers, their unborn children and women who need after-abortion support. Let's also talk about the evangelicals who gather outside of Planned Parenthood to pray God intervene in the destruction of innocent life. This is what compassionate evangelicalism looks like.

So when your supporters start to more closely reflect injustice and genocide rather than compassion or Christ, then maybe it's time to stop calling yourself an evangelical.

Chelsen Vicari serves as the Evangelical Program Director for the Institute on Religion and Democracy. She earned her Masters of Arts in Government from Regent University and frequently contributes to conservative outlets. Follow her on twitter @ChelsenVicari.