Political trends in the last fifty years have nearly erased two centuries of American evangelicals’ contributions to progressive social accomplishment. Evangelicals helped lead the charge in the abolition of slavery, the ordination and elevation of women in the church, conscientious objection to war and the death penalty, concern for the poor and immigrants, and workplace reform, including the eradication of child labor. However, in recent decades, it seems as though evangelicals have largely abandoned these social concerns. This abandonment coincides roughly with the ascendency of the Southern Baptist Church, which, until the late 1950s, would not identify as “evangelical.” In fact, to this day, the SBC has not sought membership in the National Association of Evangelicals. Still, as the largest conservative Protestant religious body in the U.S., a wayward Southern Baptist value system acts to overwhelm and dominate the evangelical space.
But the tide is changing as a renewed stream of old-world evangelical values is surfacing in groups like the Evangelical Network of Equal Justice USA. Sam Heath, a theologian and activist, directs EJUSAs outreach to a new generation of social justice-oriented evangelicals. Though a minority among American evangelicals, Sam and his cohorts are calling evangelicals back to the same justice-oriented gospel Dietrich Bonhoeffer sought to reclaim for the German Evangelical Church of his time.
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In this podcast episode, TDBI president Rev. Rob Schenck talks with Sam Heath. Sam offers listeners a biblical and dogmatic rationale for opposing the death penalty, standing in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, and opposition to the racism that animates too much of more recent right-wing Christian nationalist politics and public engagement. Many of the points Sam makes connect directly to Bonhoeffer’s writings and actions, especially when it comes to our treatment of “the other,” the suffering, the underclass, and the despised.
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Sam has a history of working as an activist in both religious and non-religious to bring about reform, particularly in the criminal justice system. As both a high school educator and independent writer, Sam has had the opportunity across several venues to take his specific knowledge of American History, Art & Culture, Ethnicity & Race, and Western Civilization, to a diverse group of learners. Sam regularly writes and publishes on Medium, has contributed to Vinegar Hill Magazine, and leads various classes and book discussions within the community of Charlottesville. Before coming on board with EJUSA in 2021, Sam taught high school history for 10 years in North Carolina and Virginia. He has a B.A. in education and psychology from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a master’s in theology, ethics, and culture from the University of Virginia.
Follow Sam on Twitter
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