Status Updates From New Evangelical Manifesto: ...

Ch22-David Gushee. Can Christians condone the use of torture, for any means, even if demonstrated to be effective and legal? Christians do not return evil for evil, and that includes torture (i.e., enhanced interrogation techniques), even if it could be demonstrated to be beneficial. Evil can only ultimately be overcome by good, and Christians are morally obligated in this respect.

Ch21-Jennifer D. Crumpton. How can we fight consumerism when we are surrounded by it, and many of our livelihoods depend on it? Christians must fight injustice, oppression, poverty. The world values people by their ability to consume. We tend to think wealth is a sign of God's blessing. The pursuit of the "American Dream" can lead to failures in ethics and morality. We must learn to cooperate.

Ch20-Charlie Camosy. The issue of abortion must not be handled in isolation. It must be treated as part of a comprehensive ethic of life that is consistent across many issues. Both liberal and conservative insights are necessary to address abortion. Major assumption of this essay: fetuses are fully human.

Ch19-Jim Ball. Global warming and the Christian responsibility. Global warming affects the poor disproportionately, destroying their means to obtain resources necessary for life. For Christians that have seen the light about the reality of climate change, we have responsibility to do something about it, even when it goes against those who think otherwise.

Ch18-Tyler Wigg-Stevenson. Nuclear weapons. Need to think about deterrence and use in a different way. Complete elimination of weapons is goal.

Ch17-Paul Alexander. Peacemaking. "When followers of Jesus worked and sacrificed to make peace by turning their cheek of dignity to a violent enemy, by carrying a military pack farther down the road than required, by stripping naked in front of a courtroom full of people, they were acting like God’s children. This making of peace differs dramatically from acquiescing to the status quo or fighting the oppression."

Ch16-cont. Penal-substitution theology may contribute to Christian support for death penalty. The Christus Victor model of the atonement rejects violence and vengeance as a means of justice, and consequently, the death penalty as a means of criminal justice by the state.

Ch16-Timothy W. Floyd. Ending the Death Penalty. There is an fundamental unfairness in the judicial system toward those who are accused of capital crimes. There is no empirically shown deterrent effect of the death penalty. The New Testament speaks out against employing violence and vengeance as a means of achieving justice. Christians who support death penalty do so on inadequate theology.

Ch15-Adam Phillips. On the global poor. Our mindset must change to see the poor not as objects of charity, but as part of us, a community seeking God. Instead of simply bringing good news, we must become good news. We need to see Jesus' teachings not just as spiritual teachings, but as teachings about social justice. To the extent that we are able to hold political leaders accountable, we must do so.

Ch14-Scott Claybrook. How Christians ought to engage with disease, death and dying. "The church my mother loved so dearly was unprepared to walk with her toward death." People want to be cared for, but also to give back, even in their dying. They want to know they still belong to a community. Is bodily death truly an enemy, or is it healing? Is hastening death ethical for Christians? What is "life"?

Ch13-Laura Rector. Children are too often used for political propaganda, even by Christians, rather than truly working for their interests. Children are vulnerable, even in developed nations. Evangelicals must develop a more robust ethic of life that encompasses all risk factors facing children. Adults are granted the awesome responsibility of representing children before God. Let us exercise it with faithfulness.

Ch12-Jennifer D. Crumpton. Women in the church. Misplaced and tired arguments against women's equality in the church. Place for relearning proper biblical hermeneutics to recognize why women are portrayed the way there are. Exclusion of half the population from participation in society (of any type) leads to its decline. Accommodating relegation of women implicitly excuses explicit oppression of the vulnerable.

Ch11-Lisa Sharon Harper. Interracial understanding does not address racial issues. Blacks see an oppressive system; Whites do not. Equality of peoples appears to require forceful government intervention. When steps are taken to reduce inequity, all are blessed. When steps are taken to on bless a few, all suffer. Race will remain an issue for Christians until inequity is eliminated.

Ch10-Rick Love. What does the Christian gospel say about loving our neighbors? How does it apply to our Muslim neighbors? Relationship between Jews and Samaritans of Jesus' time parallel that of Christians and Muslims today. Jesus makes the Samaritan the hero in his interactions. He would probably make Muslims the heroes of his stories and interactions today. We must love neighbor without an evangelizing agenda.

Ch9-Andi Thomas Sullivan. Preventable diseases, affecting disproportionately the poor and marginalized. Chapter provides example of combating malaria through distribution of mosquito nets. Talking about a problem isn't enough. There must be action.

Ch8-Jennifer D. Crumpton. Human slavery, trafficking, sex trade. Practical information on how to apply gospel toward the problem of human trafficking.

Ch7-Steven Martin. Kingdom Community. Community is a necessary part of life. Without it, people die. But what does a kingdom community look like? Enemy-love, doing it as a community, is a test for how well we are doing kingdom community. Matthew 25 as a formula for kingdom community: be vigilant, take great risks, care for the marginalized.

Ch6- the gospel is God working through Jesus to being his reign and shalom to the world. The cross is part of the gospel, but it is not, by itself, the gospel.