Today, I am standing as a co-author with Third Way at a national press conference to release a paper, "Come Let Us Reason Together: A Fresh Look at Shared Cultural Values between Evangelicals and Progressives." The Third Way paper--the result of nearly a year of research and coalition building--includes original analysis of the most recent public opinion research on Evangelicals and a corresponding set of recommendations on how progressives and Evangelicals can develop lasting and deeper coalitions. The paper also outlines new, common ground approaches to issues such as reducing the need for abortion, affirming the human dignity of gay and lesbian people, working for responsible progress in the treatment of human embryos, and respecting the role of religion in the public square.

E.J. Dionne wrote a strong column today about our paper, "A Treaty in the Culture Wars: Requiem for the Religious Right?", where he calls this effort an "important sign that religious conservatives are facing the disintegration of their movement."

The following are a summary of my remarks delivered at the press conference:

I stand here today keenly aware of my own multiple identities. First, I stand today with Third Way as a progressive. Like Rachel, prior to co-authoring this paper, I worked with a number of progressive organizations, most prominently serving as the founding director and senior fellow of the Center for American Values in Public Life at People for the American Way Foundation. I have published a book and several articles exploring future directions for liberalism, and I am currently completing a book on the growing progressive religious movement in America.

But I also grew up as an Evangelical in Mississippi, earned a degree from a Southern Baptist college and then a Master of Divinity degree from a Southern Baptist seminary in Texas where I trained for the ministry before pursuing a Ph.D. in religion.

Both of these identities have informed a growing conviction that I share with many others who know these two communities: that we are ready to end the culture wars. Long and bitter conflicts around cultural issues have not only stifled progress toward common goals, but have damaged our sense that a shared national life is even possible. We are here today to insist that it is possible and to chart a course forward together.

As we begin to chart that course, I want to draw your attention to one of the most important insights from our research about the diversity of Evangelicals as a group. During our research, we found a consistent pattern across a number of broad measures that we dubbed the one-fifth, one-third, one-half formula:

• One-fifth of Evangelicals [representing 5% of the general population] are progressive;
• One-third of Evangelicals [representing 8% of the general population] are moderates who share some progressive values; and
• One-half of Evangelicals [representing 13% of the general population] are conservatives who may be partners on particular issues.

These patterns suggest that while Evangelicals are more conservative than the general population, half of Evangelicals (representing 13% of the population, approximately 52 million adult citizens) have views that are in sync with or open to progressive ideas. The upshot is that Evangelicals are more diverse than conventional wisdom would suggest, and this one-fifth, one-third, one-half pattern persists even on the more challenging terrain of cultural issues.

This, I believe, is cause for great hope, as is the very presence here today of so many people, Evangelical and progressive, who are committed to doing the hard work of reasoning together.

Labels: culture wars, evangelicals, religion