Poverty: Not One of the "Most Important Issues", Say Christian Leaders

This is...well, read it for yourself:

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.

More than that, though, it looks like a calculated appropriation of a historical figure for political purposes. Which isn't particularly uncommon, but using a deceased civil rights leader to support an movement against civil rights strikes me as extremely bold and disrespectful, to put it politely.

But this statement isn't just about pressing dead legends of social justice into service to promote homophobia. Certainly not. There is a broader message here:

They [the manifesto signers] say they also want to speak to younger Christians who have become engaged in issues like climate change and global poverty, and who are more accepting of homosexuality than their elders. They say they want to remind them that abortion, homosexuality and religious freedom are still paramount issues.

“We argue that there is a hierarchy of issues,” said Charles Colson, a prominent evangelical who founded Prison Fellowship after serving time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. “A lot of the younger evangelicals say they’re all alike. We’re hoping to educate them that these are the three most important issues.”

See, the problem with the youth is that they think global poverty is a more pressing issue -- more important to Christianity -- than homosexuality. All Colson wants them to understand is that Christianity isn't about helping the poor or preserving the environment for future generations.

Colson's view of The Serious Issues probably looks a little more like this:

STEP 1: Control wimminz
STEP 2: Hate gays
STEP 3: Maintain freedom to do numbers 1 and 2
STEP 4: ???
STEP 5: PROFIT (high-five Jesus?)

Can we pinpoint the moment at which disliking the gays exploded into apparently one of the three most important issues for certain strands of US evangelicalism? At which point did social justice (fighting global poverty, say) become a distraction from the more pressing topic of gay folks getting married or women having access to abortions?