The Chronicle's decision to use only a portion of the statement I submitted in response to your question about young evangelicals and their impact on this year's election has had some unfavorable results, casting me in a false light and discomforting those who have misunderstood my statement. The full statement made my intent much clearer: That today's young evangelicals still hold conservative positions. These include abortion, which they oppose, just as I have for all of my adult life. As I have observed in my classes at Rochester and Lipscomb, however, young evangelicals understand "pro-life" to include other matters which have deep roots in Scripture, such as issues related to justice for the poor, poverty and health care.

Further, an additional intent of my full statement was to assess the political impact of these young evangelicals' views on the upcoming election, which I believe will benefit the Democrats.

I deeply appreciate your long tradition of excellent journalism.

Your attention to setting this record straight is important and will be appreciated.

David Fleer | Professor of Bible and Communication and Special Assistant to the President, Lipscomb University

Editor's Note: The online version of the story has been edited to include Fleer's full statement.


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