As Hanna Rosin notes, social science statistics show that people who describe themselves as "evangelicals" don't differ from other Americans in rates of divorce, teenage sex, and abortion.

Does this mean that wherever we see the word "evangelical", we can now substitute "self-righteous hypocrite"?

Perhaps there are two other reasons why evangelicals have had limited success in practical politics:

1. They always seem to be smugly disparaging the "values" of everyone else;

2. One can't help but suspect what the statistics demonstrate - evangelicals don't abide by the morality they preach to others.

I think "evangelical" can easily be confused with "fundamentalist" but not all evangelical Christians take the Scriptures literally, as the Word of God. From what I've learned about the Christian faith, Evangelicals tend to emphasize personal faith and community activism. Being an active Christian means proselytizing...gaining other members, being a missionary. Spreading the Word. Making Christianity "current" and "relevant" for the young flock. And so the meshing of conservative religion and conservative politics seems understandable, even desirable. Makes a strong alliance.

The concept of "delta force" brings in a militant quality to the activism...Christian Soldiers, the Crusades, Christian Rock (groan)....very unusual to value war and bloodshed and upsetting one's parents with loud music under the name of Jesus Christ...but makes an interesting contrast to the meek and mild image of Christians: showing love, compassion, and turning the other cheek when insulted.

You make a good point about the distinction between evangelicals and fundamentalists. The work of an evangalist involves spreading the word, rather than imposing it on others, and people who call themselves evangelicals when they are lobbying government and running campaigns seem to be misappropriating the word.

Jesus was pretty clear about what kind of acts would ensure the faithful a place in the kingdom of heaven: feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, nurse the sick, and visit the prisoner.

Apart from that, he always seems to emphasize the importance of the individual's relationship with God, and downplay any kind of involvement in this world. He certainly didn't advocate political activism.

It is therefore curious that many Christians seem to feel that politics is a kind of religious calling.