The New York Times’ liberal columnist Nicholas Kristof this morning advocates “hugging an evangelical.”

Kristof is unable to grasp some doctrines, but seems to hope for some civility and understanding:

“There’s also an odd lack of intellectual curiosity within the secular left about the Christian right. After 9/11, intellectuals rushed out to buy books about Islam. But on many campuses, it’s easier to find people who can discuss the Upanishads than the “Left Behind” books about Jesus’ Second Coming ? which, with more than 40 million copies, are the best-selling American novels of our age. To be worldly, one should understand not only Tibetan Buddhism but also red-state Pentecostalism.

“Liberals often protest that they would have nothing against conservative Christians if they were not led by hypocritical blowhards who try to impose their Ten Commandments plaques, sexual mores and creationism on society. But that’s a crude stereotype, and it ignores the Christian right’s accomplishments. Polls show that evangelical Christians are more likely to contribute to charities that help the needy, and in horror spots in Africa Catholics and other Christians are the bulwark of the health care system.”

I don’t think I’ve ever read one of Kristof’s columns before, so I don’t know his history other than I know he is liberal. This is at least an encouraging sentiment coming from him.