Evangelical acquaintance of mine loses job for leaning toward ‘liberal’
I just found out one of the finest Christians and all-around finest, nicest people I’ve had the privilege of meeting in my checkered past is out of a job for expressing somewhat “liberal” views regarding homosexuality and regarding his support for Barack Obama.
This good man’s name is Richard Cizik, and resigned Thursday as VP for governmental affairs with an organization called the National Association of Evangelicals. The NAE, as I’ve always known it, represents more than 40,000 conservative/fundamentalist/evangelical churches throughout America. It was formed back in the 1940s as a reaction to the more liberal (or perhaps “mainline,” depending on the religious circles you hang out in) National Council of Churches.
From what I’ve read, Rich had been with the NAE since 1980, and has served as their primary Washington lobbyist for evangelical religious concerns. He also worked as an editor of their various publications, I think.
He has been in and out of hot water with some of the more prominent NAE members and influential figures in recent years because he has publicly challenged individuals and member churches to more actively live out their role of stewardship in relation to the creation, among other things. That is, he has become somewhat active with environmental causes — and more vocal than some leaders within the NAE wanted him to be. The final blow, however, was when Rich was being interviewed by NPR a few days ago and said this to a question regarding gay rights issues such as civil unions and gay marriage:
“I’m shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say I believe in civil unions. I don’t officially support redefining marriage from its traditional definition, I don’t think.”
Later, on the NAE website, the organization’s president, Leith Anderson, said of Cizik, “Although he has subsequently expressed regret, apologized and affirmed our values there is a loss of trust in his credibility as a spokesperson among leaders and constituents.” Anderson added in the website statement that he and Cizik had met following the NPR interview and the two had “mutually concluded that his resignation is a difficult but appropriate decision.”
I had occasion to meet Rich and work with him on two or three occasions in my past life as a news editor for a major evangelical denomination’s weekly magazine. The group sent me to three or four of NAE’s annual conventions over a seven year period. Rich is a great guy, and a delight to know. I wish him well and my prayers are with him as he deals with this sudden “career change,” caused by his honest answer to an honest question.
I won’t get any further into the religion and “religious politics” involved in all this stuff. Been there. Done that.