The document An Evangelical Manifesto has been released (I first blogged about it here). The website offers visitors a full version (20 pages), a summary version (6 pages), and a study guide (29 pages). At the website you can also read who the steering committee and initial signers were. You can also sign the document yourself.

I have read the document and am very pleased. I had feared it would be little more than a watered-down statement against the politics of the religious right. Instead it is a very careful document that does far more than talk about religion and politics. The bulk of the document contains a discussion about what it means to be an Evangelical, with the writers talking about what makes Evangelicals distinct from other believers and other religions. The document then contains a section about ways Evangelicals have failed to live up to Evangelical ideals, and it presents some ways we can address those failings. Finally, the document contains a section presenting a good, balanced approach to living as a Christian while being involved in politics.

I plan to post more on the document later but I want to give it one more run-through to pick up some pieces I might have missed. In the meantime, I highly recommend that you read it.

Also, Justin Taylor has posted a good summary of the document. Like all summaries, it can’t cover everything. Be sure you also read the manifesto itself.