Evangelical churches growing more active
5/15/05
By MELISSA EVANS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Christian way the only one, leaders say
Buoyed by newfound political clout and strong international growth, local evangelical churches are making their presence known in unprecedented ways.
For the first time in Santa Barbara, about two dozen evangelical churches will unite in prayer today at the Courthouse Sunken Garden. Thousands are expected to bow their heads and pray for wisdom for government leaders and that the world will come to know Christ.
Knowing that their churches are bursting with manpower, pastors have been meeting with city and county officials to offer their help in the community. Calvary Chapel, the largest church in town, will open the first Christian coffeehouse downtown this month.
"The spirit of God is really stirring his church and waking it up," said the Rev. Dale Swanson, associate pastor of New Life Church, an evangelical church that is joining with others today for the Global Day of Prayer, the finale of a local 10-day prayer-a-thon. "The church is alive."
All the evangelicals' activity, however, concerns some academics, secularists and even some in the religious community, who say that the message these churches promote -- that their way is the only path to God -- can be problematic if those beliefs become too intertwined with public policy.
Nationally, Christian evangelicals have mounted an aggressive campaign to shape public opinion, said Wade Clark Roof, former chairman of UCSB's Religious Studies Department and director of the Capps Center for the Study of Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
"It has intensified over the last couple years," he said. "It's becoming pretty fierce around life issues, such as the (Terry) Schiavo case. . . . This is an interesting period in history."
The evangelical Christian church, characterized by its conservative theology, has been growing for about 35 years. In the 1970s, evangelicals were considered part of the counterculture, but they are now 60 million to 70 million members strong and have entered the mainstream, scholars say.
The National Association of Evangelicals, which claims 30 million members, adopted a policy last year urging its members to engage in civic life.
"Evangelical Christians in America face a historic opportunity," according to the policy. "We make up fully one quarter of all voters in the most powerful nation in history. Never before has God given American evangelicals such an awesome opportunity to shape public policy in ways that could contribute to the well-being of the entire world. Disengagement is not an option."
Mr. Clark Roof described their approach: "The message has become much straighter. Let's go after it and knock (the message) into their heads if they don't believe us."
THE ONLY WAY?
All Christians, including Catholics, mainline Protestants and evangelicals, believe in the teachings of the Bible. But most evangelicals emphasize the need for an adult, born-again conversion, and the "call" to share the Christian message with others. Though there is diversity among their ranks, most evangelicals also read the Bible as the literal word of God.
Pastors concede that they can come off as arrogant and a little pushy, particularly leaders such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who appear often in the media. But it is true that they believe the Christian way is the only way to salvation.
Today's prayer event, for example, is not "Buddhist prayer time," the Rev. Swanson said. "This is Christians gathering to praise Christ. We want to live what we believe."
Leaders emphasize that the event is not about politics, but some still see problems. Joy Beaver, a member of the Unitarian Universalist church, said this "self-righteous" message is largely why other countries dislike the United States.
"If people aren't discerning, it can be very deceptive," she said. "It's kind of arrogant and intolerant to say Christians are the only ones."
Others in the religious community agree.
"Prayer is always a good thing," said the Rev. Mark Asman, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church. "But any religion that at the same time takes a position that their religious point of view is exclusively the truth . . . those claims to exclusive truth are what get us into trouble. We don't need any more religious wars of words over who has the truth."
This uncompromising belief, however, is what has contributed to the evangelicals' growth, leaders say. And they are growing.
Newly installed Pope Benedict XVI has said the growth of the Protestant church will be one of the biggest challenges of his papacy. There are about 600 million Protestant Christians worldwide, compared with more than 1 billion Catholics, and scholars agree its evangelical subset is one of the fastest-growing religions worldwide. Regions of Africa and Latin American have seen their evangelical populations double in the past decade.
Evangelical congregations make up the largest portion, about 58 percent, of new churches in the United States, according to "Faith Communities Today," a 2001 survey of 14,000 congregations by the Hartford Seminary. Polls show members constitute about 26.4 percent of the voting public.
It is unclear how many evangelical churches exist locally, but there are about 60 pastors who meet monthly for prayer. Individual church growth has certainly mirrored the national and international trends.
Calvary Chapel started with three families 20 years ago, and it is now the largest church in Santa Barbara, with about 2,200 members. It holds three Sunday services in a renovated warehouse off Calle CŽsar Ch‡vez that seats 800 people.
An offshoot of Calvary, Reality Church in Carpinteria, began two years ago and now has about 1,000 members. Santa Barbara Community Church grew from a few dozen members in 1979 to about 1,200 now.
"People have a real hunger for truth," said the Rev. Reed Jolly, pastor of Santa Barbara Community. "If you go to a church that doesn't have strong convictions, why bother? It doesn't mean Christians have all the truth, but they have some truth. God exists, he made himself known, he became one of us, he rose from the dead, and it really happened."
CHURCH AND STATE
The influence of evangelical Christians in local politics is impossible to gauge, but some key public leaders are not shy about their faith.
Police Chief Cam Sanchez, a Catholic who often attends or speaks at evangelical churches, meets regularly with pastors and chaplains, and he prays with officers when they seek emotional support.
"My relationship with the Lord is strong," he said. "I utilize him every day when I walk through the door."
At a recent panel discussion about possibly increasing the wages for employees under contract with the city, City Councilman Das Williams, an evangelical Christian, read passages from the Bible in support of helping all segments of society.
"People of faith should be working together on issues like this," he said. "Making sure our beliefs are translated to uphold public policy, but made real in actions we take in society."
County Supervisor Brooks Firestone also was at the "living wage" discussion. "I can support anybody being involved and thinking of what the community needs," he said, quickly adding, "I do not encourage the church to be involved in political issues."
Joe Armendariz, a Carpinteria city councilman who attends an evangelical church weekly, said faith is a big part of his public life.
"I use my faith in my public role in the same way I use it in my private life," said Mr. Armendariz, who is also executive director of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association. "I submit to my sense that I take my direction from God."
Scholars say evangelicals have as much right to free speech as any other American, but issues can become complex when public policy comes into play. When President Bush, for example, talks of being directed by God in deciding his actions, people become alarmed, said Dallas Willard, a philosophy and ethics professor at USC.
"Our discourse is very confused on this, and evangelical groups do a bad job sometimes of explaining their actions," he said. "They need to be clear that when they are carrying out their governmental tasks, they are not following their religious edicts."
Local politicians are under less scrutiny because they do not decide whether to wage war or settle social issues such as same-sex marriage. Mr. Willard said it is generally acceptable to be guided by godly principles, "but we should not make those decisions in a fashion that discriminates between religions."
Mr. Williams said his religious convictions compel him to help the poor and fight for the environment, causes promoted by Christians and non-Christians. Likewise, Mr. Armendariz said he feels strongly about fostering a family environment and promoting civility.
"I think voters want someone who is genuine, and I think they want to know where (politicians') values come from," Mr. Williams said. "(People) are so hungry for things they can really believe in."
He and others applauded the pastors who met recently with local government leaders to offer help in the community. The churches organizing today's prayer event are paying for operating costs, and they will use the offering to provide lunch for local teachers, remove graffiti from area bridges and buy new playground equipment for a local school.
Calvary will likely hold a grand opening for its coffeehouse on Figueroa near State Street at the beginning of June. The only thing that will distinguish it as a Christian-owned coffeehouse will be a Christian bookstore inside, leaders said.
It will be called Finestra, which means "window" in Italian. The business venture is about blessing people, making a "killer" cup of coffee and creating an environment where people can relax, said Rick Soto, executive pastor of Calvary.
The point is not to evangelize, he said -- but they do hope people come to Jesus. "Some may feel like I'm trying to evangelize, but I'm just trying to love them," he said. "I'm just being who I am."
e-mail: mevans@newspress.com
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