That's interesting, I would have thought Piper would have been on that list too. And I don't know the majority of the people on the list either. Thank goodness I'm not alone.

I'd be more interested in having Time do a counter-balance and going to the pastors and the pews of Evangelical churches and seing how we view ourselves and who we think are important people in our clique.

I'd also like to add that some people are already waning in influence and some are rising stars, for instance, much of the Evangelical church is unaware of the Emergent movement, yet I really do believe that it is the way of the future.

Did you see this list, where 614 pastors cite the most influential and most trusted spokesmen for the church? Top 4:Graham, Warren, Bush, Dobson...
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUp...
Falwell and Robertson are in there too somewhere, but still no Campolo.

I was feeling a little weird about not knowing a bunch of people on the list myself, but I guess even Tim LaHaye said he didn't know some of them too. CNN has a transcript of a Larry King show with McLaren, the LaHaye's, TD Jakes, and Franklin Graham at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/01/....

Poor Brian seemed a little bit in the minority with Larry King talking about evangelicals and Republican politics, gay hating, etc. but he seemed to do a good job presenting a different view.

Yes, those are good points. I'm just not sure that if you asked your average Evangelical in the pew who the influential people are, you'd get some of these political hacks. I think you hit on something with Tony Campolo. What about Al Mohler at Southern Baptist Seminary? And is it only my proximity to (and six year stint at)his church that makes me think John Piper has had a much more lasting impact on Evangelicalism than David Barton or almost any of those other political people?

I don't know...just sorta thinking out loud.

But you may be right that the rank and file Evangelicals are the ones promoting these people as the "Golden Boys (and Girls)." In a few of the cases, that's sad...

Pat, does the article really show more of what Time thinks matters or who Evangelicals portray as people who matter within their own movement?

In today's politicized environment, it's natrual that Evangelicals will try to promote those within their group who are political in order to appear "relevant"

I was a bit peeved that there wasn't a single mention of a DEMOCRAT in the entire article, or even someone like Tony Campolo who is at least questioning the blind obedience Evangelicals have to the right.

This is my last comment: Looking over the list, I think this says more about Time's view of what ultimately matters - politics - than it does about evangelicalism.

But having said that, I'm not sure who I'd put on the list - I just don't think I'd arrange them in the same order.

Jesus would definitely be there, though.

Oh - I mean "Howard," and oh, I just looked them up by following your link. And oh, sorry for the snotty tone - I didn't realize they were financiers.

Seriously, it's sort of weird to be an evangelical and not know some of these people. I guesss I just haven't progressed far enough in the movement to be let in on some of this stuff.

I was about to make the same comment, except I do know a few more than 6. I've liked the things I've read by Mark Noll and Richard John Neuhaus (although I wonder what it means to be an "evangelical" in Neuhaus' case - I'm not questioning the definition, it's just interesting).

Who the Sam Hill are Robert and Roberta Ahmanson?

I guess I'm even less evangelical than I thought. I only know 6 names on this list and only one that I would "emulate."