A New Kind of Conservative

On the surface, it seems like a dark time for the conservative movement. The Republican party is imploding and shows little hope of making a real comeback. Many of the "old guard" leaders of the Christian right have either died (Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy) or have suffered from seriously diminished credibility (Pat Robertson and James Dobson). Yet from the shadows, Florida megachurch pastor Dr. Joel Hunter issues a vital clarion call which my be just the answer they need. In his insightful book "A New Kind of Conservative," Hunter calls for the conservative Christian community to rethink the political tactics that have defined it in recent decades. While maintaining the traditional conservative views on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, he rightfully says that the church must expand its thinking to include issues such as poverty, justice and the environment. As we read further, it becomes obvious that Hunter has his finger on an important pulse. He examines how numerous religious activist groups on both the left and right have ultimately failed to produce lasting change. He further exhorts evangelicals not to fear those with whom they disagree, and to seriously think about issues rather than to simply react out of emotion. An especially provocative section is the "Pilate Process" outlined in chapters seven and eight. Here Hunter uses the trial of Jesus to show how the various parties involved were so focused on both religion (the angry mob) and politics (the cowardly Pilate) that both sides missed the larger picture. In contrast, "Jesus quietly and calmly told the truth when under fire. The truth was His strength. He did not need any other justification." The book also contains a very helpful "FAQ" section in which Hunter thoughtfully addresses such "hot-button" issues as church-state relations, Just War theory and whether or not a Christian should support a non-Christian candidate. His answers may surprise some, but they always provide food for thought. Even the concluding "Recommended Reading" section contains a very balanced selection of works from both the right (David Barton, Richard John Neuhaus) and the left (Ron Sider, Jim Wallis). One need not agree with all of Hunter's ideas to appreciate his refreshingly civil approach to faith and politics. Seeking to expand the conservative base without compromising key principles is not an easy task, but he does a masterful job. Most of all, he always come back to the fact that God is ultimately in control, and that politics is not the only avenue through which believers can make an impact: "Live a life of Christian integrity and service-in other words, `vote with your life'-and you will change the world." Amen, Pastor.

Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (8/08) My first thought when I picked up Dr. Hunter's book, "A New Kind of Conservative," was, "Here we go again; another ultra-right wing, evangelical preacher on his soap box, ranting and railing against the sins of our society and the failures of our secular government." But I soon realized that he is nothing of the sort. Instead, in this thoughtful and extremely well-written book, he challenges the status quo among conservative Christians by asking such questions as: can a Christian/biblical world view effectively mesh with postmodern society and secular government?, and, should Christians be involved in political action and if so, how? The role of Christian conservatives, or "the Religious Right," in the political process surfaces regularly in the public consciousness, especially when such hot button issues as abortion and gay rights are debated. How effective are they in promoting their cause within government and society? According to Dr. Hunter, they are not as effective as they could be. To make his case, he provides a list of five myths and three truths all imbedded in their efforts. Christian conservatives who continue to promulgate the former become less effective over time, while those that ignore the latter miss valuable opportunities to influence the political process in a more productive way. Dr. Hunter is eminently qualified to address Christian conservative issues. He is the pastor of a church that administers to approximately 12,000 people who worship together in real time at multiple distribution sites throughout Central Florida and at hundreds of smaller sites throughout the world via the internet; he is an internationally known spokesman for compassion issues outlined in scripture; and he serves on the board of six organizations, including the National Association of Evangelicals. And while he speaks to, rather than for, Christian conservatives his ideas merit close attention; for what he is proposing is a shift away from the extreme right of the political spectrum, to a place less confrontational and more conducive to productive dialogue with other players in the political arena. So, where is this place Doctor Hunter suggests Christian conservatives go and how do they get there? It's all spelled out in the chapters describing the "Pilate Process," so named because the goal of this process is to learn from the mistakes Pontius Pilate made when judging Jesus. What could today's Christian conservative possibly learn from the Pontius Pilate of biblical times? As it turns out, quite a lot can be learned. After describing the process in precise and very understandable detail, Doctor Hunter summarizes by listing six easy-to-remember principles that will make us "good at politics" when we follow them. It all made good sense to me; and, my gut feeling is that he is on to something profound. The Bible says ""Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God

Not speaking of the traditional religious right of politics, pastor Dr. Joel C. Hunter preaches a new brand of politics in his book "A New Kind of Conservative". Religion and Politics have been intertwining constantly in recent years, and Hunter takes a new stance widening the scope of the bible on politics. While he shares the typical conservative viewpoints on topics such as abortion and homosexuality, he brings focus to topics like the environmental, justice, and social welfare. Highly recommend to Christian Studies and politics collections alike.

Dr. Hunter is my Pastor; his speaking and teaching is beyond compare--he nails me every week and it is glorious. This is a rough book to read for he talks much better than he writes. I do agree with all of his points of how to be the "new Conservative"; and I totally agree with his opinion of those so called conservatives who when they dont get their way in politics, they whine, call Rush, cry, yell, cuss and then of all the stupid unpatriotic statement say that they will "sit out this eletion". American was never a "Christian" nation for we were founded for freedom of any religion; our laws are based on Judeo-Christian law and principles; but the Founders made us a MORAL nation. THAT is what we have lost and either MUST regain within the next 10 years or find ourselves the United Countries of North America and one currency. This book will teach you better than Coulter or Rush what the TRUE agenda is for Conservatives and how to look at candidates then voting for the one who has the most characteristics, values of Christ Himself--Black, white, Mormon, Jew, Catholic, Protestant. Look at the candidate NOT as a certain party but what he favors, believes in, fights for, look at his wife, and especially the children. Then you will know where your vote goes. This year, this once a 60's left-wing demonstrator and became a Conservative when Reagan appeared will vote for Obama this year. Just look at his values, his family and get your Bible you Conservatives so hide behind and start checking the values, virtues, principles; and then look as his relationship with his wife but more important with his children. He wins 3 to 1. Does not win all the checklist but he wins MORE than any other. And I NEVER stay home from voting.

Quote from PBS' NOW program: "The new generation of evangelical leaders is best symbolized by two well known pastors. One is Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in California, who was the author of The Purpose Driven Life, a best selling book about spiritual matters. And the other is Joel Hunter, who is a pastor of a church in Florida, who has also written books about religion and politics. "And both of them have a very different style. To them the word of God applies to all aspects of life and not just to the conservative social issues, where, in fact, they are quite conservative. But they believe that the church ought to be speaking out on things like AIDS in Africa and ought to be speaking out on economic questions and ought to be urging Christians to be good stewards of the environment. There's a stylistic difference. These are individuals who grew up in a world where evangelicals were active in politics. They didn't have to be brought to that idea, but their idea of being a good citizen and being active in politics is broader, and it's less confrontational and more cooperative. "These are gentlemen that would like to see evangelicals cooperating not just with each other, but with other religious communities and even with people who don't necessarily share their faith in order to achieve certain goals through the political process. So this generation has a different style and a different set of priorities and a much broader agenda than the leaders that preceded them."