Where in the US can you find liberal/progressive Evangelicals?
Posted by Sonnycrocketto@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 241 comments
Like very religious with a left wing outlook. And relatively socially liberal.
JudgeWhoOverrules@reddit
Evangelical is not a synonym for very religious Christians. Evangelical refers to specific Protestant sects of Christianity that emphasize being born again.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
You missed the most important point: they are also dedicated to evangelizing their religion which is why their so damned obnoxious.
Soonhun@reddit
That is kind of a key tenet of most Christian groups.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
Really? Most protestant churches in New England mind their own business.
timbotheny26@reddit
I find the same is (mostly) true here in Upstate New York too. The most "evangelizing" I saw was handing out water and having a block party.
lunca_tenji@reddit
It’s the final command that Jesus gives his disciples in the gospel of Matthew, to make disciples of all nations and baptize them. Evangelism is a big deal in Christianity even outside of American evangelicalism. There’s a reason that Christianity spread across the entire world. The New England churches are an outlier not the norm.
WanderingLost33@reddit
In fact, they'd be condemned pretty hard by the rest of Christianity.
I don't "evangelize." I do talk about my big gay church and invite people to come to weekly talks about why racism makes you a piece of shit and the existence of billionaires is a condemnation of our entire country, as per a middle eastern Jew.
gaychurch.org is how I found mine.
lunca_tenji@reddit
Does your church spend any time actually talking about Jesus or is it just a big leftist social club
The_Archer2121@reddit
^
CherryBoard@reddit
This is because they're Calvinists
Bigdaug@reddit
I can assure you Calvinists are going on missions all around the world.
CherryBoard@reddit
https://sbcvoices.com/is-calvinism-anti-missions/
in the past, the early Calvinist missions were lowkey and secretive. Around the Great Awakening (early 1800s) the religion loosened up and evangelized as many Americans as possible, though that was the cause of all these sects popping up that have far different attitudes towards their religion. While hardline churches in NE began to loosen their attitudes towards a lot of societal issues, the tendency to stay out of other people's business along with industriousness and straightforwardness, are the cultural remnants of the early Calvinist missions.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
Calvinism became evangelical around the time of the First Great Awakening. Jonathan Edwards is arguably the second-most important theologian in Calvinist history behind Calvin himself.
Before the First Great Awakening, Calvinism was more focused on building institutions than personally evangelizing (in a sense, that's what the original New England colonies were all about), but I wouldn't call that low key.
Stay_Beautiful_@reddit
Not true. The Calvinists in the south love evangelizing, even the "mainline" PCUSA
CherryBoard@reddit
then those arent the Calvinists that wound up influencing the Puritans and Huguenots from my AP Euro history textbooks thats for sure
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
I’m not sure what point you are making. Yes, Puritans and Huguenots followed reformed theology (which some people call Calvinism), but evangelism is a key component in all forms of Christianity because Jesus explicitly commanded his followers to share the Good News.
CherryBoard@reddit
one of the key difference of Calvinism from mainline Protestant faiths is the deterministic belief that good works and faith alone do not give people a ticket to heaven. if you were to go to heaven it's because you were ordained as part of the "elect." Therefore, there is no incentive or change when it comes to the fate of souls, for you to spread the news. It would be better to spread the good news by acting as part of the elect. Calvin's beliefs were very radical and even pissed Luther off.
Calvinism spread to the Huguenots, Dutch, and Puritans, and their matter-of-fact, taciturn and industrious culture is based off of how John Calvin ran his Swiss canton.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
No Protestant doctrine supports works being an agent of salvation, and they all support “faith alone” being integral. The Five Solas are pretty foundational to Protestantism: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria (by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone).
This is not true. Calvinists emphasize God’s sovereignty, but they do not deny that God uses people to fulfill His will. So they definitely support spreading the Good News because they believe that God will use them to accomplish His purposes. Also, they would still evangelize because it’s a matter of obeying God.
I don’t know what you think this means. Obedience to God (aka “acting as part of the elect”) would mean spreading the good news because Christians are commanded to make disciples.
Radical compared to what? They both emphasized God’s sovereignty and Luther also believed in predestination though they diverged on the view of atonement. Their biggest difference was in their view of the Eucharist, though, which doesn’t have anything to do with this topic.
Calvinist definitely believe in being “born again” and having “faith in Christ alone.” I’m not sure what you mean about “fixing every issue you have with God.” That’s not a Christian belief of any doctrine I’m aware of.
I’m with you on the cultural aspects of Calvinist sects and where they spread, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with your misunderstanding about Reformed doctrine and evangelizing.
CherryBoard@reddit
tbqh this is just running off my memory of my ap euro exam since im tutoring the subject so ig my understanding of the religion is far too pedestrian beyond the effect on the Swiss Wars and French Wars of Religion
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
Especially on a global level, it can't be understated how abnormal New England's approach to religion is.
Being public is about the most constant characteristic tying together various types of religion. Even relatively undemanding religions like liberal Judaism or Shinto are inescapably community practices, to say nothing of Hinduism, Islam, or Catholicism. Public religion doesn't always take the form of evangelism like it does in (especially Protestant) Christianity, but "minding your own business" is not the way religion operates anywhere except for New England and northern Europe.
taftpanda@reddit
I will say though, Christianity evangelizes more than a lot of other religions for a reason: the Bible tells Christians to evangelize.
While something like Judaism can spread and grow through a community, it’s typically pretty organic. You will rarely find a Jew who is trying to convince other people to become Jews.
You see more of this in Islam too because Jesus is still an important figure in Islam, and he’s quoted telling people to go evangelize. There are a bunch of verses in the New Testament telling people to spread to the word of God, make disciples of people, etc.
Some of that carried over the Islam and some of it didn’t, mostly based on Islam’s relationship with the New Testament.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
Yeah, evangelism is a Christian distinctive. The word itself arose out of Christianity.
It's important to know that the idea that individual believers should seek to persuade and advocate for their religion was originally set in opposition to political leaders advocating for their religion. Judaism didn't command evangelism, but it was originally envisioned as an explicitly religious ethno-national community, and its relation to political power was changed by centuries of exile. Islam has most often been seen as a religion whose goals are enacted by the power of the state.
In a sense, evangelism is what religion looks like in the context of democracy – individual persuasion rather than monarchial fiat – and that's why democracy emerged in a Protestant context.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
God I love New England.
ShermansMasterWolf@reddit
🤢🤮
😜
scr33ner@reddit
Yup, evangelizing is a thing with christians. Catholics were the worst. I know I WAS raised 1.
misogoop@reddit
Then you should know that Catholics don’t evangelize.
scr33ner@reddit
Oh yeah I forgot they didn’t bring catholicism to the new world. Killing thousands of indigenous people with their by pox ridden blankets.
misogoop@reddit
I meant that they don’t show up at your door or shout the gospels from street corners. They don’t have pamphlets to hand out, they don’t have quotas. I’m not talking about European colonizers using the church (corrupt for 2000 years) as an excuse to commit genocide in the 1600s.
danegermaine99@reddit
Agreed. A lot of folks have issues with overly aggressive and heavy-handed evangelizing by their own church and seem to assume “all Christianity is like this”
Soonhun@reddit
So do most protestant churchs in the South. The vast majority of churches are not megachurches, and even some of them, especially those serving specific ethnic or minority groups, mind their own business. However, on an individual level, "spreading the word" is a key aspect of Christianity. There are still Catholic and mainline Protestant missions in places like China and North Korea.
JudgeWhoOverrules@reddit
Despite the name really has nothing to do with the definition
palmettoswoosh@reddit
Also to be clear even though the evangelical Lutheran church of America has the name "evangelical" in it. They are very much not the same type as your SBC, free will, or other warehouse style self proclaimed non-denominational churches.
nosnevenaes@reddit
I grew up a proud lutheran as a child. Was in the choir, altar boy, bible camp, catechism, etc.
Right around my tweens back in the late 80's i started noticing at church what i know today as trumpy behavior. Maybe I should have written my grievances on a paper and nailed it to the door of the church. But i just got out.
I like what Lutheranism stands for in a historically romantic sense of standing up to religious corruption and what have you.
But in practice it seems to have turned into basically the same thing as any run-of-the-mill maga strip mall lame-o dime-a-dozen hate factory.
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
Missouri Synod Lutheran or ELCA?
If Missouri Synod, that doesn't surprise me.
If ELCA, that's shocking, given that the pastor at the church I went to growing up is a married lesbian.
nosnevenaes@reddit
This was before there was an ELCA.
Ive been reading about this now and it does look like a lot has happened in the years since i left.
What a trip.
The church i went to as a kid is now part of the ELCA and since 2012 has been on some mission on inclusiveness.
Thats great actually.
This is not the way i remember the church. And to be fair, the problem i had with the church as a kid was probably with the congregation more than the actual church itself.
byrdcr9@reddit
My brother in Christ, the largest Lutheran denominations in the U.S. are considered heretically liberal in their beliefs and practices by most Protestant standards. You may want to check them out again.
concrete_isnt_cement@reddit
Yeah, for example the ELCA has had openly gay bishops.
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
The one at my church is a married lesbian.
nosnevenaes@reddit
Lol i appreciate the tip but im quite happy with advaita vedanta and attend services at the local monastery. I still observe the lutheran work ethic and self deprecating humor.
Budget-Attorney@reddit
Self deprecating humor is absolutely the best thing you could get from a religion.
A good work ethic is a solid second
Working-Office-7215@reddit
Yes. I go to a "mainline" protestant church (ie not evangelical) and most of the congregants are way more religious and way more progressive than me (I'm kind of your run of the mill liberal.)
AnimatronicHeffalump@reddit
Most mainline Protestant denominations are, in fact, evangelical.
Working-Office-7215@reddit
True. I’m using the more colloquial definition. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/evangelical-christian/418236/
thetrain23@reddit
Liberal evangelicals are at most of the same churches as conservative evangelicals, they're just more likely to keep their mouths shut on contentious topics where they know they're in the minority.
Evangelical churches are WAY more politically diverse than people realize, because the term "evangelical" is mostly used in the context of the political voting bloc, which only applies to conservative evangelicals and not everyone who actually fits under the umbrella https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/religious-tradition/evangelical-protestant/party-affiliation/
dudewithbrokenhand@reddit
I’m an Evangelical (Pentecostal) and it’s wild to hear how people don’t know the difference and assume that we are all the same. We have strong beliefs, but we are also willing to dialogue and reason.
OceanPoet87@reddit
As a Christian who is a Democrat and lives in a red area, you nailed it.
tuberlord@reddit
I'm not religious myself but I have noticed that the Lutheran church by the bar I usually drink at has a big Pride flag hanging up out front. They also seem to spend a lot of time helping homeless people.
morosco@reddit
The term evangelicals doesn't fit, but "very religious" and "left wing outlook" sounds like ELCA Lutherans, who are everywhere, but have a big presence in New England and the Upper Midwest.
eyetracker@reddit
Evangelical is a Germanic term for Protestant, that's all. They aren't an evangelical church.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
Evangelical is literally Greek.
ArbeiterUndParasit@reddit
Colloquially though Evangelical is synonymous with Protestant in many parts of the world.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
Sure? I don’t really know what that has to do with what I said, though. The commenter I replied to called the word evangelical “Germanic.” But it’s not a Germanic-origin word. It’s a Greek-origin word that has been borrowed into many languages, including German, English, Dutch, and all the other Germanic languages.
eyetracker@reddit
Do they use it to mean the same thing as Protestant though? That's the point. Wikipedia points to Προτεσταντισμός while evangelicalism is Ευαγγελικός Χριστιανισμός so it looks like they do not.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
Perhaps in Germany, the term “Evangelical” is used the way the term “Protestant” is used in English. But evangelical is not “a Germanic” term by any metric. It’s Greek for “Good News.” The purely English equivalent is “gospel.”
In English, the term Evangelicalism evolved to mean a particular subset of Protestantism that places an emphasis on evangelization (literally spreading the Good News) and the experience of personal conversion (being “born again”).
eyetracker@reddit
Ah I see. To be clear I meant "in Germany but not limited to Germany", also in countries near Germany, some of which speak Germanic languages and also neighboring Slavic languages. Not that it had a linguistic Germanic origin. Sorry for the confusion.
Protestant = Evangelische
Evangelical = Evangelikalismus
I believe.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
Gotcha, so lots of Protestant churches in Deutsch-ophone (yeah, I just made that up) regions use “evangelical” in their name. Then this must have persisted when German-speakers immigrated to the US (and other English-speaking contexts) and translated their church/denominations into English.
I know that lots of languages, including German and Slavic languages, use Evangelium (or something very similar) for the word gospel (like the “Gospel of John” or “preach the gospel”).
JerichoMassey@reddit
In Latin America, in Spanish “evangélico” is a catch all for all Protestants.
Ginsu_Viking@reddit
You will find Evangelical used in many American Lutheran denominations since it (Evangelische) was used as the name for the Lutheran church in Germany from at least the 17th Century onward. In the 19th Century, after the Prussian monarchy forced a combination of the Reformed and Evangelische, the people who kept the old faith largely left for America. The denominations that resulted: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, et c. continued to use Evangelische as their name and the German language. Since those who followed the teachings of Martin Luther in the Anglosphere generally used Lutheran to refer to the theology, most synods combined the two names into Evangelical Lutheran to both continue to refer to the historical German roots but also to prevent confusion with the evangelical (i.e. "born again") movement. So, if you want to find a progressive Evangelical, find a Lutheran church! There will certainly be some, though politically Lutherans run the gamut from progressive to conservative. Source: A Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod member whose family has been Evangelische since at least 1607.
WrongJohnSilver@reddit
In general, if you're looking for left-wing ideals in a religious (Christian) environment, look around blue states.
For example, I live in suburban New Jersey. All the churches here will fly a pride flag.
Amaliatanase@reddit
I disagree on this. In blue states I believe that the more left-wing ideals are held by non-religious folks. There are just more of them. If you are Evangelical in those states (a relatively small minority of people overall), chances are you are quite conservative.
In states where most people are religious and Evangelical is the dominant form of Christian, you are more likely to find folks whose politics vary.
boxer_dogs_dance@reddit
In my experience in blue states and especially in cities there are significant numbers of churches that are very progressive, welcoming to lgbtq people, into feeding people and sheltering homeless, have women pastors etc. These church members can be as left wing as it gets.
Amaliatanase@reddit
I have also seen these churches, but typically, at least in the Northeast, they are not Evangelical. They are often Mainline Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian or Lutheran, not to mention UUA, UCC or Congregationalist. They also often have smaller congregations than the larger Evangelical churches you find in the South.
pirawalla22@reddit
I bet the catholic ones don't
boxer_dogs_dance@reddit
There is a Catholic church in my city that has an icon of the Baptist reverend Dr Martin Luther King jr.
Arkyguy13@reddit
There's a Catholic Church in Portland that not only has pride flags but marched in the pride parade. Growing up Catholic in the south I was shook (in a good way).
Select-Belt-ou812@reddit
the catholics have largely joined forces with conservative evangelicals unfortunately
lydonjr@reddit
Really going to depend on location. In MA they're not going to fly a pride flag but some priests will openly say they welcome gay people to attend mass.
I know it's trendy to generalize all catholics as conservative extremists but it's really not always the case especially with younger catholics in blue states.
Loud_Insect_7119@reddit
Yeah, I grew up in New Mexico, which is very Catholic and also pretty liberal. There's an older gay couple in the village where I grew up who I know attend the Catholic church there regularly, and no one seems to have a problem with it. I'd guess there's nuance to their religious beliefs that I'm unaware of, but they're welcome there.
My wife and I (also a woman) attended the annual church fiesta there a few years back too, and they were super nice and welcoming to us. Church fiestas in New Mexico are kind of a community event more than an explicitly religious one and everyone is welcome to attend, though.
I know my grandmother, a very devout Catholic, also talked with a priest when I came out as gay, and the priest apparently just told her to love and accept me like she always had, and that being gay itself isn't even really a sin. Having gay sex is, but it's not worse than sex out of wedlock or while using contraceptives, which all my cousins were doing, lol. I don't know if that's the official stance of the Catholic Church or just one priest giving his personal opinion, but it definitely eased my grandmother's mind and allowed her to be supportive of me and comfortable around my wife.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
That is pretty much the stance of the Catholic Church and most evangelical churches as well (minus the contraceptives part for the latter).
lilapense@reddit
FWIW, the official Catholics stance for a while now (like since at least the late 80s) has roughly been "being gay itself is not a sin, it's what you do while being gay," but there has been a concerted PR spin lately to emphasize the "love thy neighbor, we are all sinners" side of things. There's absolutely variation from parish to parish on how welcoming individual priests and parishes are. But yeah, in my experience places like New Mexico where Catholicism is more a part of the fabric of the general culture I do find that a greater percentage of the parishes are more "chill" in general (be it about LGBT+ issues or abortion or whatever).
But I'm happy that your grandmother has a priest that seems to have provided her guidance that was meaningful and useful for her.
Loud_Insect_7119@reddit
Thanks! That's pretty much the impression I had, but I was raised by the black sheep kids of their respective families, so I wasn't even raised Christian, lol. My only real knowledge of Catholicism is stuff I've vaguely picked up from friends and my extended family over the years, and I'm never quite sure how much of it is accurate.
lilapense@reddit
Yeah, don't get me wrong, cuz all of them has a deep well of shit at its core, and in the US in particular there's a huge issue with right-wing conservatism (as in, conservative even for Catholic standards). But it's not 100% awful.
Select-Belt-ou812@reddit
tell me now, how one separates who they are from what they do
it's a bullshit game of dress-up
"it's OK if Michelangelo is a painter, but if he paints he's going to hell!"
Absolute Bullshit
lydonjr@reddit
I'm happy to hear that priest eased your grandmother's mind! I wish more priests were consistently like that as it aligns more with how Jesus would treat anyone.
My family is catholic and typically conservative leaning but they always have agreed that it's not being gay that's a sin but the act of it, exactly like the sex out of wedlock example, and various other ways people regularly sin. It's not their place to judge others, their actions, or who they love which is how religion should be in my opinion
misogoop@reddit
It’s not even that the act is gay, necessarily, at its core is that there’s no chance for conception so that’s the big problem.
InternationalDisk698@reddit
I think it really depends.
I grew up in a Catholic environment and my local priest was probably one of the most open minded individuals I've ever known.
He was very much a live and let live kinda guy.
On the flip side though, there was a priest that visited my school (I went to a Catholic school for a bit) that was probably one of the worst people I've had to listen to, talking about how we're better than non-believers or some shit.
I remember it vividly because it's one of the only times I remember being upset after Mass.
Select-Belt-ou812@reddit
I had 12 years of open minded catholic school and loved it. have you invesigated the environment lately? now it's full of double standards, pushing opposite dynamics all at once. no thank you
misogoop@reddit
I did too. I have sent my son since 3 and he’s about to be 15, to the same school. They’re still pretty cool-I’m married to a woman and they don’t care in the least, parents and kids don’t give a shit. Still have a priest there from my hs days. I’m sure a lot has to do with where we’re located, but it’s ridiculous to group Catholics in with any Protestant sect and they are not evangelicals. Never were. In fact, the evangelicals think Catholics aren’t Christian and that the mass is witchcraft lol they don’t want us either.
CinderGazer@reddit
Same, with regards to the Catholic environment. I didn't go to Catholic school but I had a shitty experience via my sister when she went to her pre-cana with a different priest than normal. My sister and I grew up to have the most progressive views in our family as we found out.
lydonjr@reddit
I've had similar interactions where some priests are very down to earth and open minded, while others at the same parish are the total opposite. It's a shame there's less consistency because their moral teachings can be all over the place
misogoop@reddit
It’s the same with the archdiocese of Detroit. My son goes to the same catholic school as I did and they have stayed the same since. When George Floyd was murdered, they released a huge statement to the congregation and to rhetorical schools. They also emailed parents age-appropriate literature to teach children about racism and violence. And the archdiocese of Detroit covers way more than Detroit proper and the congregation is mostly white.
Select-Belt-ou812@reddit
naw, they're just playing politics. at least 35 years ago they all had the decency to keep their mouths shut instead of being on a gaslighting bandwagon. I had 12 years of catholic school and I loved it. now it all scares the absolute fuck out of me.
lydonjr@reddit
I'm not sure what you're trying to say. My point is that there are areas where priests tend to lean liberal, and therefore aren't "joining forces with conservative evangelicals" like you're claiming.
You can disagree and say it's all politics and pandering to the new generation, sure. If that's the case, you're just generalizing people you've never interacted with without any basis for those claims.
Select-Belt-ou812@reddit
then: little to no promotion of catholicism
now: evangelical attitude
Adept_Thanks_6993@reddit
Except for those adhering to Liberation Theology or whom are affiliated with the Catholic Workers Movement.
Qel_Hoth@reddit
You can find them pretty much everywhere, you just have to look for the right denominations.
And probably a few other's I'm missing. Look for churches flying pride flags or with rainbow colored doors, or other rainbow things. Or if looking online, look for a church that uses the words "open and affirming" on their website somewhere. Also, look at members of the Religious Council for Reproductive Choice and find local churches/temples/synagogues.
Argent_Mayakovski@reddit
Are any of those Evangelical, though? (this is a serious question I know fuck-all about Christian denominations)
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
Historically (from the 1700s onward when the movement started), evangelical denominations distinguished themselves from other Protestants by being less hierarchical and more focused on individual experience (conversion and holy living) instead of liturgy. They all believed the same things about the Bible and the crucifixion. Generally speaking, Baptists and Methodists were more evangelical; Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Lutherans were less evangelical.
In the early 20th century, lines got redrawn as some Protestants adopted different views about Biblical authority and long-held points of Christian doctrine. Most of the big denominations went more liberal (often referred to as “mainline churches”), and most Baptists and independent churches stayed more evangelical. Splinter denominations separated from the Presbyterians/Lutherans/etc. and would today be considered evangelical, although they’re more liturgical and hierarchical than most evangelicals have historically been. The Methodist Church was kind of half-evangelical for most of the 20th century but has become more liberal over the past two decades. And especially in the South, you’ll find a decent number of people in the pews of mainline churches who are personally quite evangelical but have stayed in other churches out of inertia and family reasons.
Argent_Mayakovski@reddit
Thanks! So would you say it’s fair to describe Evangelicalism as basically a lay piety movement that calcified?
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
Yeah, pretty much. And that lay piety/hierarchical calcification process has repeated itself a couple times over the centuries.
Argent_Mayakovski@reddit
Gotcha. Thanks.
Pyroechidna1@reddit
The United Church of Christ, sometimes described as "Unitarians Considering Christ"
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
The question is whether those churches have any people on them, though.
Rezboy209@reddit
The "Christian Left" are just Christians who happen to also be Democrats. And that's not very left despite what some might say. I'm very very left leaning to the point I've been called radical (which is goofy in itself), and honestly I know only one Christian in our space. There's just not a big community of leftist Christians I don't think
ArbeiterUndParasit@reddit
That really depends on where you live. I casually know one guy who's a Lutheran pastor and from what I can tell his church talks more about BLM and open borders than they do about Jesus. At least here that seems pretty common for mainline protestant denominations (Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist). A rainbow flag seems to have become a mandatory decoration for every Episcopal church.
My-Cooch-Jiggles@reddit
Not Evangelical, but Unitarians tend to be where liberal religious go. I’m not religious but my mom used to take me to a Unitarian church. They’re good people. Very chill tolerant people. No hate mongering.
NegevMaster@reddit
I'd personally be hesitant in calling Unitarians religious at all lol
ArbeiterUndParasit@reddit
I went to a UU service once many years ago. They seemed like nice enough people but the actual "religious" aspect was vague and wishy-washy at best.
That made me curious and I went to the website of our closest UU church. Plenty of hard-left stuff about BLM, "anti-racism", immigration and recycling but no mention of god. I had to chuckle.
nagurski03@reddit
Do most Unitarians even still consider themselves Christian?
Amaliatanase@reddit
But as far from Evangelical as possible. Don't even have to believe in God.
qqweertyy@reddit
Yeah they have some origins as a Christian denomination, but their beliefs are no longer even Christian, they’ve become a religion of their own. Definitely not a part of the evangelical movement.
Spinelli-Wuz-My-Idol@reddit
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
LizzardBreath94@reddit
It’s a very small amount, but some of the Methodist churches are VERY liberal.
Confetticandi@reddit
While we could technically be termed “evangelical” by the original definition, Methodists are considered “Mainline Protestant” which is separate from modern “Evangelical Christians.”
We don’t share a lot of their beliefs and practices.
LizzardBreath94@reddit
Can I ask why? As a Baptist it’s clear we are supposed to spread the word from scripture. Genuine question, I am not looking for an argument. Just learning everyday. :)
Hot_Head_5927@reddit
Liberal or progressive? They are very much not the same thing. Progressives are not liberal.
LardMallard@reddit
In 1954.
SouthBayBoy8@reddit
In black communities
OK_Ingenue@reddit
Do liberal Evangelicals even exist?
Confetticandi@reddit
They do here in the Asian-American community in San Francisco.
OK_Ingenue@reddit
Wow. Didn’t know that. What kind of religion are they?
Confetticandi@reddit
I’m a mainline Protestant Christian Asian and a bunch of other Asians I know here go to “non-denominational” churches that are Evangelical Christian churches just without the official label.
Like, they have all the stuff about being “born again” via adult baptism, “testimonies,” “rapture,” strong proselytizing, flexible worship structure, etc that you really only find in the Evangelical Christian denominations.
But, because San Francisco, the members are at least socially moderate and consistently vote Left, even if their churches are more traditional on topics such as marriage, sexuality, and gender identity.
The attitude they tend to exhibit towards LGBT identities, for example, tends to be more, “I don’t support it, but I don’t really care about it either.” And then they’ll readily call Trump dumb and evil.
One friend is Pentecostal. I went to their church’s Bible study a few times and I was really surprised when even the older members were like, “I can’t believe how many Christians are falling for MAGA. These are dark times. God will punish His church for this.”
OK_Ingenue@reddit
Wow. That’s super interesting. Thanks!
sebago1357@reddit
Sounds like an oxymoron to me..
trimtab28@reddit
New Hampshire
squidwardsdicksucker@reddit
There are evangelicals out there who lean more left, but generally speaking the vast vast majority of evangelicals are very much socially conservative and they’re one of the core demographics of the GOP. If you want to find religious people who lean left you’re better off looking at mainline Protestant, Catholic, and unitarian churches.
nimaku@reddit
Episcopalians have a saying “The Episcopal Church welcomes you” and they actually mean it. Their services are very traditional in nature (organ music, candles, stand up/sit down pew aerobics), but the people are accepting of everyone. People of all races, genders, and sexual preferences are found in the congregations and ordained as priests. I always feel sad when the evangelicals give Christianity as a whole a bad name with some of their behavior and beliefs; some of us under the Christian umbrella actually do value the “love thy neighbor” part the most.
Nastreal@reddit
My church growing up had lesbian priests and deacons back in the 90's.
LineRex@reddit
My first priest in the Episcopal Church was a gay man, his successor was a wife & husband duo, and their successor was a lesbian. Growing up in the Episcopal Church gave me a very different view of what church was for most people. It was hella culture shock when we ended up at a "non-denominational" church for a month lol.
flossiedaisy424@reddit
This was my experience with Methodists as well. Seems like half of the Methodist ministers were lesbians.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
They welcome you until you ask questions like “hey, do we actually mean all this stuff about crucifixion or resurrection in the Book of Common Prayer?”
nimaku@reddit
You are still welcome, whether or not you believe it. And you’re welcome to ask questions and engage in civil discussion. Keeping people from asking questions is counter to the idea of spreading the faith message. You just can’t participate in the sacraments if you don’t believe it, although I’m not sure why you would want to at that point. We will still respect you as a fellow human being if you don’t believe it, and defend your right to believe (or not believe) whatever you want.
cocococlash@reddit
I remember the evangelicals "denounced" or spoke against Trump and the Jan 6th storming. I was surprised and impressed and started to regain faith in humanity. But it looks like that didn't last very long.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
There are ~60-90 million evangelicals in the US divided into hundreds of denominations and thousands of individual congregations. There are a lot of different mindsets and opinions in a group that large, and the handful of people that the media focuses on aren't really indicative of the whole of evangelicalism.
squidwardsdicksucker@reddit
They don’t seem to happy w the guy rn either because Trump has never been a strict social conservative, historically and more than likely for his personal views, he probably doesn’t care about abortion and gay marriage but a lot of his base does so he panders to them on this stuff, but when it comes to the broader electorate, most of us don’t care about gay marriage and the majority of us don’t want a 6 week limit or outright ban on abortions like many evangelicals would like so Trump is trying to tread a line between the broader electorate and his evangelical supporters on the issue.
Simpletruth2022@reddit
There's a website for liberal Christian activists.
Confetticandi@reddit
Evangelicals are a specific denomination of Protestant Christianity with beliefs like being “born again” and “rapture” ideology and more flexible worship structure.
They’re not always super religious or fundamentalist, though a lot of them are.
Here in San Francisco, there are a lot of Asian-Americans who attend Evangelical-style churches and are relatively socially liberal and vote Left.
A lot of them also sleep around, get tattoos and piercings, and do drugs. So, it’s not like they’re conservative in their lifestyles either.
The_Archer2121@reddit
That’s an oxymoron. There are progressive Christians but not Progressive Evangelicals.
Progressive Christians take their faith seriously as well .
Wood_floors_are_wood@reddit
A progressive evangelical is an oxymoron.
A defining characteristic of evangelicalism is holding to inerrancy of scripture which won’t allow for progressive theology
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
It could be compatible with certain views that are considered progressive (say, on healthcare or immigration), but social progressivism is definitely incompatible.
TheSheWhoSaidThats@reddit
I honestly didn’t know there was such a thing till reading this thread.
Innuendo64_@reddit
Everywhere and nowhere.
There isn't really a single part of the country where most practicing Christians lean left, but rather they're a minority among Christians in every place you find Christians (which is essentially everywhere, hence my initial statement). Where you do find them in the majority is in places you expect. Left-leaning churches are uncommon in the country, but if you mapped out all of them, you'd find most of them are small, non-denominational churches in medium size or large cities and have a relatively young population.
Qel_Hoth@reddit
Most mainline Protestant churches would typically be considered "left-leaning." The Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (USA), and others are all pretty liberal. All support LGBTQ, ordinate women, perform same-sex marriages, and ordinate LGBTQ ministers.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
Just fyi, I don’t think any of the denominations you listed would be categorized as “evangelical.”
uhbkodazbg@reddit
I think it depends on how one defines ‘part of the country’. I live in a city where Democratic candidates generally get around 85% of the vote, give or take a few points depending on the year, and I’d wager that the vast majority of congregations could be classified as ‘liberal’ by any metric.
Amaliatanase@reddit
You will find the most liberal/progressive Evangelicals in places where there a lot of Evangelicals. When I lived in New England there were very few Evangelicals and the ones you met were staunchly conservative. Here in Tennessee it seems like the majority of Christians are Evangelicals, and there is definitely an undercurrent of progressive evangelicals. I know people here who are very active in Evangelical churches and are also activists around gun control, immigration reform and helping migrants, racial justice and environmental issues. Some are even very welcoming of LGBTQ folks (there's a trans welcoming Evangelical church for example). You would have never seen that in New England. I think it's a numbers game here.
Qiefealgum@reddit
As a Tennessean, I'd like to add that there is a racial divide at play too. White evangelicals tend to be more conservative, while black evangelicals tend to be more progressive. Of course there is lots of overlap too.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
I think it's also that each place has its own religious "language" that gets used to express a variety of theologies. In the South, even highly theologically liberal people are more used to an informal, low-church style with certain types of music and preaching. This started in conservative evangelical churches and has spread beyond that, but people with markedly different views might consider themselves culturally evangelical in some sense. The native expression in New England is more stuffy/austere, and so the bulk of people with progressive theology will express it in that way.
Technical_Plum2239@reddit
You think Massachusetts is less open to new ideas and strict in manners? So the place that doesn't you say sir and ma'am to strangers or your boss, the place with gay marriage, pride parades, first elected gay folks, legal weed, way more immigrants, WAY less formal in manners and dress is more austere?
That is a weird take.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
I think they’re talking about church liturgical styles since they mentioned the “low church” style being common in the South. In contrast, churches with more formal liturgy are more common in New England. So you’re gonna find more progressive Christians in “high church” style congregations in New England because there are just lots more of those types of churches. Whereas in places where the majority of church are evangelical “low church” congregations, then you’ll find progressive Christians in those types of churches.
As another commenter said, it’s a numbers game. When there are a bunch of churches under a similar broad umbrella, then you’ll find lots more variation within that group.
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
I’m talking specifically about religious liturgy and practice being austere, not making a claim about culture as a whole.
Having spent time in New England, I think it’s fair to say that aside from any theological content, New Englanders are less comfortable with things like spontaneous prayer, modern media technology, jeans, and drum sets in worship services. Even the evangelical churches I’ve been to in New England have less of these. It’s just not the predominant cultural picture of what church is.
FishermanNatural3986@reddit
I think they last were in New England in 1822
Technical_Plum2239@reddit
Even in 1822 there were Black kids going to public school here.
jmochicago@reddit
There has been a movement called the "Christian Left" for decades now, which includes some Evangelicals (and some Mainline Denominations).
https://www.thechristianleft.org/
I personally know some Evangelical pastors who are enthusiastically "left" and some of them are even public about it. Some don't feel that they can be, which is terrible. Some of them are even white! And male!
Jim Wallis. The Sojourners. Tony Campolo. Red Letter Christians. Shane Claiborne. Ron Sider. Joel C. Hunter. Christians for Social Action.
Even in some of the conservative Evangelical churches, there are progressive factions. (The ECC groups like "Coming Out Covenant" come to mind. There are others that still exist but are lower profile that I won't link to here.)
Roughneck16@reddit
In my church, openly expressing political opinions is considered taboo.
We believe in a separation of church and state (see Matthew 22:15-22.)
jub-jub-bird@reddit
If you're looking specifically for Evangelical theology but for progressive politics most historically black denominations qualify. In terms of formal doctrines, of religious practices and even culture black churches and white evangelical churches are quite similar.
DachshundNursery@reddit
Episcopalians? I know some who are super liberal but pretty religious too.
scr33ner@reddit
Episcopalians aren’t evangelicals. Baptists are evangelicals. Those people on 18 & counting are evangelicals.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
And lots of other groups are evangelical as well. It’s actually a pretty broad designation.
nimaku@reddit
Episcopalian here. I wouldn’t classify us as “evangelical.” We are a good choice for people who like a “traditional” service like the Catholics or Lutherans, but also value science, birth control, and loving thy neighbor regardless of their sexual preferences.
nemo_sum@reddit
Not evangelical, though. But yes, the ECUSA has historically been very progressive. My grandmother is an Episcopal priest.
notyogrannysgrandkid@reddit
Like Catholics, but cool!
Curious-Following952@reddit
If you mean evangelical as a generic term for religious person, maybe some parts of liberal islands such as Tallahassee and Miami would work for that definition. Most big southern towns would work.
aprillikesthings@reddit
Zach Lambert has a list somewhere??? But they definitely exist!
Seventh_Stater@reddit
Many places, including California.
CrimsonEagle124@reddit
Not evangelical myself but the Qaukers I have met in Pennsylvania are pretty progressive.
Wooden_Purchase_2557@reddit
Portland
IHaveALittleNeck@reddit
Certain universities. That’s how I met all the people I know who are that way.
MrsBasilEFrankweiler@reddit
https://www.churchclarity.org/ is a good source of information. Echoing everyone else here who's saying that they're everywhere, but that website will allow you to search for churches that have characteristics that are often proxies for a progressive outlook (for example, being "affirming", or explicitly welcoming to LGBTQIA+ congregants without requiring them to disavow their sexuality or be celibate forever).
slayerbizkit@reddit
NYC
PackOutrageous@reddit
Fantasy Island. They have their own plane shuttle service and a really nice couple of guys welcome you there…
Super-Diver-1266@reddit
New England.
cyvaquero@reddit
United Church of Christ (do not confuse with the non-instrumental one) is a socially liberal Evangelical church. Although I think you have the wrong idea of what Evangelical means.
The individual congregations may vary a bit as it is not a centralized church like the Catholic church.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Christ
Stay_Beautiful_@reddit
The United Church of Christ is one of the "Seven sisters of mainline protestantism" so not evangelical
RodeoBoss66@reddit
Everywhere.
Yes_2_Anal@reddit
Despite all the other comments here, there is a Christian movement that teaches that capitalism is idolatrous and rooted in the sin of greed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_Christian_socialists
jollyjam1@reddit
Everywhere. Surprisingly, you can find many in Southern Colorado around Colorado Springs which is very religious and very conservative.
JimBones31@reddit
Sounds like you're looking for Catholics from Massachusetts and New England.
The_Lumox2000@reddit
You won't. Evangelicals are a particular sect of Christianity that is very socially and economically conservative. Catholics in the US used to be fairly socially liberal (see the Kennedys), supporting integration, labor unions, social programs, just not abortion. Quakers are probably the most socially liberal Christian group in the US. The Methodist church in the US tends to be more liberal than the international Methodists church. AME (Black Methodists) are interesting because it's one of the few groups where you will find social conservative and fiscally liberal views. Meaning they support things like affirmative action, social programs, taxes on the wealthy, better funded public schools, while not necessarily supporting LGBT rights or abortion.
None of these groups are monoliths and every religious sect has internal disagreements between members. This is just generalities. You could probably write several books on the political philosophy of most American Christian denominations
OceanPoet87@reddit
I have no idea why you were down voted for this.
Techialo@reddit
Oh we're telling jokes today.
OceanPoet87@reddit
The two are generally mutually exclusive. That said Christians can vote for Democrats. I'm a Christian followers who voted Democratic. Also in the South you see a lot of Black voters who attend church voting for Democrats. That said, they aren't necessarily liberal in all causes.
Evangelical is really a self applied label so not all who adhere to that belief identify that way.
sakima147@reddit
New England, northern Midwest.
CrowsSayCawCaw@reddit
I'm in northeastern New Jersey and know born again Christians who are politically and socially liberal and environmental protection activists.
buried_lede@reddit
I don’t think I’ve ever met one
marsglow@reddit
I don't think they exist.
Dwitt01@reddit
Important to note that Evangelical is often a cultural identifier rather than a term that’s used objectively. Many who may technically fall under that category reject the label because of its connotations.
One instance where this can be seen is a 2021 PRRI survey that found “Evangelical” declined while “Mainline” increased. The thing is, the denominations typically defined as “Mainline” are all in decline, so there couldn’t have been an increase. The survey methodology defined anyone who didn’t identify as Evangelical as mainline, showing it’s a term people may adopt or reject regardless of technical definitions.
SlamFerdinand@reddit
ELCA Lutherans and Episcopalians
woolsocksandsandals@reddit
1995
Sonnycrocketto@reddit (OP)
?
GodzillaDrinks@reddit
This will involve some America Bad. Because its a topic thats deeply tied to some of the worst parts of Modern America.
They are pretty hard to find. Ironically, catholics tend to be more progressive than evangelicals, and even then, right-wing propaganda efforts to move churches to the right-wing have been going on for over a century and have been extremely effective. Its actually a really interesting history. But during like the Klan's height in the 1920s and 30s, they were strongly anti-Union and anti-Catholic, in addition to their racism and anti-semetism. Which pushed a lot of catholics towards labor rights and socialism because they all suddenly found themselves on the same side. And in the 20s and 30s, "the second KKK" was big enough to easily destroy such people, especially outside big cities, but they had a firm hold in the cities too.
Unfortunately, I just don't have a good answer for you. Because they are so few and far between. And its pushed more and more young people to abandon faith altogether.
TheRtHonLaqueesha@reddit
In the Washington metropolitan area almost every church fits the bill.
ReasonLast9206@reddit
There are very religious people with left-wing politics all over the country, and I feel like especially in the Upper Midwest and New England (many Lutherans, Quakers, Episcopalians, etc. would fall into this category.)
But "Evangelical" is almost by definition conservative. I am sure there are some evangelical groups and individuals who consider themselves liberal or progressive, compared to their fire and brimstone counterparts. But Evangelical means you have your mind made up about the right way to live AND you are determined that everyone else must live like that in order to avoid hell. Which is very much in opposition to liberal and progressive ideals of tolerance and acceptance.
MetroBS@reddit
You can’t
AkwardRockette@reddit
It's going to be incredibly uncommon if you do find any. The right wing politicians of the country have courted the evangelical communities for half a century as a way to secure a surefire voting base that can be easily motivated to vote en masse, and a lot of republican rhetorical techniques and talking points align really well with North American evangelical culture and worldviews (like the need to proselytize and to encourage massive nuclear families) in a way most left wing rhetorical styles and major talking points just don't.
New_Stats@reddit
Black women are the most religious group in the US and also the group that has the one of the highest rates of voting for Democrats.
Some are evangelicals, but they come in all denominations and religions
TokyoDrifblim@reddit
Lutherans are generally going to be the most progressive Christians
nemo_sum@reddit
Maybe if you forgot about the UCC.
Hellooooooo_NURSE@reddit
California has a lot of progressive churches
tu-vens-tu-vens@reddit
This is a good question.
It's complicated because evangelical can mean lots of different things. There are some different factors you can trace, but the salience of each factor has changed over time, so the boundary between evangelical and non-evangelical has changed.
I would say that purple areas in historically evangelical areas are the most likely places you'll find progressive evangelicals – people who come from an evangelical background and still exhibit some evangelical characteristics, but who have adopted new views on (especially) sexual ethics and biblical authority. Nashville and North Carolina are two good examples.
The black church is worth noting, as it is often allied with Democratic politicians and has a fairly left-wing outlook on economic matters but isn't generally liberal/progressive on social matters.
You'll also find lots of evangelical institutions, especially in the Reformed camp or those with a more upper-middle-class background, that are fairly centrist (Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition, for example). They might nod to progressive cultural shibboleths or be more open to center-left economic stuff. But this is more of an institutional phenomenon than anything else.
AssortedGourds@reddit
The modern Evangelical movement is inherently political so there are going to be very few - maybe even zero - that would identify as liberal, let alone anything left wing. It's inextricable from right-wing ideology because their core beliefs are inherently reactionary.
davdev@reddit
Never heard of such a thing
your_not_stubborn@reddit
Black churches.
rawbface@reddit
Religious extremism is not compatible with social liberalism.
Rabidschnautzu@reddit
You will need to go to a larger church to find the small enclaves of progressive Christians. It will be almost non existent in some churches
CardiologistSweet343@reddit
Mainline churches.
wugthepug@reddit
Maybe not evangelical but in my experience mainline Protestant churches (Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist etc.) tend to be pretty progressive. I was raised Episcopalian and the church my mom used to go to had a lesbian priest. If you mean actual evangelical Baptist your best bet MIGHT be some of those ultra modern churches where the services look like concerts (if you've seen the show Righteous Gemstones think those services lol), they at least claim to be open minded.
PPKA2757@reddit
Anywhere where’d you’d find other Evangelical Protestants.
You’ll find traditionally conservative LGBTQ folks, hardcore MAGA POC folks, practicing Jewish folks that are members of communist organizations, and anarchist Catholics, so on and so forth.
Nothing is a one size fits all in America.
7thAndGreenhill@reddit
WOW. Anti Semitic dog whistle much?
PPKA2757@reddit
Uh… no? I was just pointing out that there is no blanket association of any one group with any one political organization
7thAndGreenhill@reddit
Well, just an FYI that associating Jewish people with Communism is an old Anti Semitic Trope.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Haven’t found any anarchist Catholics in real life but I’m sure a couple exist somewhere.
Anarchy is a bit hard to square with the Catholic magisterium.
eyetracker@reddit
Dorothy Day et al
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Yeah I have heard people argue Dorothy Day was an anarchist. Not sure I believe it. It’s also a big problem with your definition of Anarchist because there are like 2000 flavors and some are in opposition to each other.
eyetracker@reddit
The most important part of any ideology is criticizing people with a slightly different ideology.
Wikipedia does use the term, if that's worth anything.
erst77@reddit
https://www.lacatholicworker.org/ -- "Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable"
nagurski03@reddit
This is kind of an odd question, because in liberal/progressive and evangelical are almost used as antonyms when describing Protestant denominations. That'd be like saying "liberal Republican" or "conservative Democrat."
But, I think any of the seven "mainline" denominations would be a fit for your beliefs.
qqweertyy@reddit
Yeah evangelical is a term that has a theological definition, but it’s really come to mean a cultural/political/religious movement defined primarily by conservatism.
nagurski03@reddit
One of the big problems with language is how words refuse to keep the same definition over time.
Like how fundamentalist used to just mean "believes in the fundamentals of Christianity".
Amaliatanase@reddit
Mainline is by definition not Evangelical. Evangelical does not just mean Christian. It means born again Christian.
swedusa@reddit
There’s also a lot of unclear grey area in all of this. The ABC is the mainline Baptist denomination, but baptists are like the poster child for evangelicalism. Likewise the LCMS is often grouped with the “evangelicals” just because it is theologically conservative, even though its members would balk at being put in the same category as SBC and Pentecostals.
nagurski03@reddit
Yeah, the terminology is really squishy and imprecise.
Theologically liberal and theologically conservative are probably the best terms to use to describe them, but even that ends up causing a bunch of confusion with politically liberal/conservative.
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
I recently read about a politically progressive evangelical congregation in the New Yorker. It was in Pittsburgh or somewhere around there, I forget. But it fell apart.
papscanhurtyo@reddit
Best way to find highly religious progressives, not necessarily evangelicals, is to look for a church service celebrating a pride festival whose service is on the official pride schedule lol.
CODENAMEDERPY@reddit
Depends on your definition of left wing.
riarws@reddit
The Norwegian word "Evangelisk" is not fully cognate with the English word "Evangelical." There is a church in the US called the ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, which is in communion with and similar to the Church of Norway.
However, an "Evangelical Christian" or just "Evangelical" is someone who is very religiously conservative. For example, they usually believe the Protestant Bible literally or nearly literally. They may still be politically liberal, especially in the case of Black Evangelical churches.
ZachMatthews@reddit
Appalachia and the Ozarks still have some. Not a lot left but basically look for the places where FDR did the most good.
inbigtreble30@reddit
It's not really regional. You may have some luck with these guys, though.
uhbkodazbg@reddit
An interesting phenomenon is the rise of evangelical as a political term, not a religious term. The number of Muslims and Hindus who describe themselves as ‘evangelical’ is…something.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/06/13/trump-evangelical-nonreligious/
riarws@reddit
Try this church finder: https://visitmccchurch.com/our-churches/mcc-churches-in-the-united-states/?utm_source=en&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=website&utm_term=united-states-inside
Fancy-Primary-2070@reddit
That isn't too much of a thing. Mormon and Evangelic protestants are the most conservative, politically.
If you want evangelical and democrat you'd want a Black church.
If you want religious and liberal you want to look at Buddhists and Jewish.
eyetracker@reddit
Good distinction on black churches. Someone might vote Democrat but you wouldn't confuse a COGIC member for a liberal.
szayl@reddit
exactly
szayl@reddit
But typically not progressive at all
Dai-The-Flu-@reddit
Why would a Christian look at Buddhism and Judaism
Adept_Thanks_6993@reddit
Evangelical doesn't mean very religious, but most mainline Protestant groups are politically liberal. As well as Reform Judaism and anything to the left of them. Regarding Catholics, look for the Catholic Workers Movement and they can help you.
TheBimpo@reddit
Everywhere. I’ve been to churches in the DEEP SOUTH that fly Pride flags and have long histories of supporting progressive causes.
We’re not sharply segregated by beliefs. You can find people of all walks of life everywhere if you want to know where the highest concentrations are going to be, it’s going to be the obvious places. The cities in states with a history of these causes. San Francisco, Seattle, New York, etc.
Free-Veterinarian714@reddit
They exist?
aplumpchicken@reddit
Thought the same thing. Usually being a leftist is a religion within itself.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Liberal Christian here! You have to go to the major cities. I’m in Philadelphia, and my church has a mix of people but overall is pretty left leaning. It’s difficult to find LGBTQ affirming evangelical churches if that’s what you’re looking for.
aamygdaloidal@reddit
Minnesota Methodists lol
Jakebob70@reddit
Methodists aren't generally Evangelical. Think more like Assemblies of God.
TheBlazingFire123@reddit
That’s very rare
Trygolds@reddit
There is a group called evangelicals for Harris. While they do disagree with the Demacrats' pro choice policies, they see the rest of the Demacrats policies as in line with Jesus's teachings to help the poor. I do not know if they are progressive, but they support expanding medicaid, child tax credits, free education, and many other policies that they see would help the poor.
mklinger23@reddit
I don't think I have ever experienced that personally. Lived all over eastern PA and NJ.
drewcandraw@reddit
The places I would look would be churches in blue areas, such as big cities and college towns.
glamm808@reddit
Bwahahahahahahahahahaha
GodzillaDrinks@reddit
They are pretty hard to find. Ironically, catholics tend to be more progressive than evangelicals, and even then, right-wing propaganda efforts to move churches to the right-wing have been going on for over a century and have been extremely effective.
Unfortunately, I just don't have a good answer for you. Because they are so few and far between. And its pushed more and more young people to abandon faith altogether.
NotTheMariner@reddit
You can find individuals with those beliefs anywhere if you look hard enough.
But as for finding whole congregations that share those views, I wouldn’t really know where to begin.
moonwillow60606@reddit
Pretty much in every state.
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