Moderate Evangelicals?

[Battlehymn Republic]

Are there any big-name, high-profile evangelical American Protestant leaders who aren't political abrasive, bigoted, or offensive to non-social conservatives?

Such a person may seem self-contradictory: why would they be known to the mainstream if they don't say anything shocking or have political clout?

I'm guessing... Billy Graham? He was a friend of Nixon who made anti-Semitic comments, but I don't know if he really said anything as hateful as the likes of Robertson and Fawell.

[tharkûn]

According to Time the only political position Billy Graham ever took in the limelight was against racial inequality.

Jimmy Carter was a big name evangelical, but was not a religious leader.

Jim Wallis is a leading liberal evangelical, though I'm not sure how bigoted or abrasive his positions on abortion and gay rights are. He is mainly a "Jesus said to help the poor" liberal.

[Darth Wong]

Any evangelical who publicly spoke out in favour of gay marriage, secularism, liberalized rules on nudity in the media, etc. would be disowned by his own followers.

[Surlethe]

Are there any big-name, high-profile evangelical American Protestant leaders who aren't political abrasive, bigoted, or offensive to non-social conservatives?

To be a Protestant evangelical leader is to be politically abrasive, bigoted, and offensive to people who disagree with you.

[Jew]

Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church because they didn't want to be subject to the Pope. Do you really think that any good Protestant wants to set up a high-profile church leader for millions of people to follow? No no no no no. That smacks of Catholicism. The real leaders in Protestant denominations don't enter the political or public arena. It's only the self-appointed spokesmen who thrive on the media spotlight who get publicity. So of course you don't see many moderates making the news. Moderates wouldn't hold themselves up as leaders.

There are plenty of moderate well-respected theologians and pastors. You just don't hear about them because they don't make waves and they don't pretend to be spiritual leaders of more than their own church congregation.

[Wicked Pilot]

Would Barry Lynn count?

[Battlehymn Republic]

Any evangelical who publicly spoke out in favour of gay marriage, secularism, liberalized rules on nudity in the media, etc. would be disowned by his own followers.

True, but there must be non-fucktards who are more moderate than Robertson and Falwell. Yes, evangelicals usually are against gay marriage and nudity in media, but there must be some who are non-abrasive or even believe in the separation between church and state.

Seriously, is Billy Graham anything like Pat Robertson or his son?

[UCBooties]

Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church because they didn't want to be subject to the Pope. Do you really think that any good Protestant wants to set up a high-profile church leader for millions of people to follow? No no no no no. That smacks of Catholicism. The real leaders in Protestant denominations don't enter the political or public arena. It's only the self-appointed spokesmen who thrive on the media spotlight who get publicity. So of course you don't see many moderates making the news. Moderates wouldn't hold themselves up as leaders.

There are plenty of moderate well-respected theologians and pastors. You just don't hear about them because they don't make waves and they don't pretend to be spiritual leaders of more than their own church congregation.

While I tend to agree with you on the general discussion of protestantism, be careful with that argument. It could easily slide into the "no true scottsman falacy." This doesn't just deal with protestants generaly, but evangelicals specificaly. Their entire doctrine is based on being vocal, well known, and abrasive. It doesn't quite ring true to say that no ture evangelical would want to be a national personality, because obviously, many of them do. And it is not right to say that they are not truly protestant because of it, because simply by not being catholic or orthodox, they are protestant.

[tharkûn]

Any evangelical who publicly spoke out in favour of gay marriage, secularism, liberalized rules on nudity in the media, etc. would be disowned by his own followers.

He also would not be a moderate in the current US political spectrum.

Unfortunately supporters of gay marriage, secularism, nudity in the media, etc. is firmly in the left of the American political spectrum. You can normally find an evangelical moderate who supports any one or maybe two of the hot button issues, finding someone who supports them all is rare even outside a broadly conservative Christian sect.