We’ve written a good bit over the years about Richard Cizik, who was until a few days ago policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals. (Here’s an interview Amanda did in 2005, a video interview we did earlier this year, a special series I put together on God & the Environment, and lots more.)
Cizik has been tirelessly pushing evangelicals to address climate change in a serious way, and he’s gotten plenty of blowback. Last year a coalition of some two dozen (old-school) evangelical leaders led an effort to oust him from NAE.
But it wasn’t successful, because hey, it’s just climate change. His co-religionists may not like what he’s saying, but it’s all between friends, right?
Teh gays, however? That’s a bridge too far!
On Dec. 2, in an interview with Terry Gross on the NPR show Fresh Air, Gross asked Cizik about his position on gay marriage. He said:
I’m shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say that I believe in civil unions. I don’t officially support redefining marriage from its traditional definition, I don’t think.
This would seem to be a rather milquetoast, careful position to, um, me. But Cizik’s fellow evangelical leaders flipped out, and as of last Wednesday, Cizik has been forced out of NAE.
I don’t get it. I guess it’s all the arugula and lattes and heathenism clouding my brain.
