This is a response to the letter “Taking issue with far-right Christianity,” from Feb. 1.

There really is no such thing as “far-right Christianity.”

Also, evangelical Christians and evangelical churches are not the cause of a potential American republic collapse.

Evangelical Christians are actually “centrists.”

They are not right wing, left wing or moderate-compromiser wing.

An evangelical (meaning attempting to live the good news) is centered (centrist) on the Bible in all of its parts as God’s word to human beings.

Many, of course, have left the historic Christian centeredness and adopted the relatively new notion that the Bible is only the attempt by people in ages gone by to say something about God.

This is the group that truly left the Historical Christian Center in order to justify their own views or desires in opposition to the historical Christian Center.

In order to justify vows contrary to the Biblical teachings, those who left the basics like to caricature centrist Christians holding to all of scripture as God’s word as far right or Christian nationalists or Christian extremists.

In addition, the caricature charges evangelicals as being haters — haters of women, haters of LGBTQ+ adherents, etc.

At least the folks behind the caricatures do not accuse evangelicals of being haters of God or haters of unborn babies.

All evangelicals I know are clear that “hating the sin but loving the sinner” is the norm and rule.

Evangelical Christians are clearly not the ones causing America’s dilemma. I suggest the culprits may be the ones using the caricatures.

Rev. Roy A Steward, Jr.

Altoona

(Note: The writer is an evangelical Lutheran pastor of three congregations in Blair and Bedford. He is also the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Conference and Ministerium of North America.)