[Sly Fox]

From one of the SBC fishwraps here in Texas ...

Posted: 3/14/08
Will evangelical center emerge to rival waning Christian Right?

By Greg Warner
Associated Baptist Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—If the Religious Right is losing its influence, as many pundits predict, will it be replaced by the “other” evangelicals—a center-and-left coalition with a broader social agenda and a kinder, gentler brand of cultural engagement?

Advocates say centrist evangelicals are a bona fide constituency that is re-emerging after three decades spent underground—or at least ignored by the media and society at large.

Junior gets mentioned midway through the story as a point of reference ...

The term “evangelical” has a rich history that predates the Religious Right, Olson says, but “it is a very problematic term right now” for those who don’t consider themselves fundamentalist or conservative.

“Many ‘former’ fundamentalists are calling themselves theological evangelicals,” he said, citing Jerry Falwell Jr., the 47-year-old chancellor of Liberty University, founded by his fundamentalist father.

And he concedes that centrists may lose the battle over language: “I don’t want to say that conservatives will win, but they are winning.”

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[phoenix]

What we're probably going to see is a louder center, supported by some on the right that are tired of confining themselves to two or three "core issues" and ignoring a lot of others that are important. Evangelicals seem to be skewing more right-center than hard right anymore.