The Evangelical Vote is Splintering

Development after development marks the nature of the 2008 election season. But the left needs to find a term to describe whats really happening in society. A fundamental social realignment is happening - a leftward and progressive shift in political discourse, along with a shift in the objective conditions of society are merging into a powerful force to be reckoned with.

One example of this is the fracturing of the evangelical voting bloc. A constituency that has long voted republican is broadening its focus and applying its spiritual beliefs to other realms in society such as poverty and employment. In an article in this week’s issue of The Nation, Bob Moser writes about what a more complicated evangelical voting bloc is starting to look like, one that is “embracing a broader social gospel”. Moser has been writing a lot about Obama, “purple states”, and Southern politics. He has a new book coming out this summer about the Democratic Party and the South.

His article in this issue of The Nation is called “Who Would Jesus Vote For?: The new evangelicals are rejecting the religious right and embracing a broader social gospel.” If you are interested in how the Left can start relating to broader constituencies and what it will take to win in America - especially in the South - then its definitely worth a look!

Ally Klimkoski wrote an article on WireTap back in August 2007 about the youth evangelical movement called “Young Evangelicals: Is God Now Progressive?” Investing in young evangelical voters means investing in a leftward shift in the evangelical movement!