I rad across this very interesting book by socialogist Christian Smith. He taught at UNC for 12 years and now teaches at Notre Dame. The book is entitled "Christian America?: What Evangelicals Really Want" and I haven't read it, but here is a link to a book review. Pretty interesting stuff. The Link This might also help answer a question on West Mall about being fearful of an Evangelical President.
The author seems spot on. A few bad apples ruined the word and it's a word that isn't even well defined in the first place. To a non-evangelical, about the only experience they have with evangelicals are the friendly neighbors and the noisiest and nuttiest of evangelicals. People see fire and brimstone preachers, preachers who seem more interested in collecting money than preaching, preachers who seem more interested in fame than preaching, corrupt preachers and so on. People see the coworker or neighbor who turns every conversation into a religious conversation. And when one runs for president, someone like Mike Huckabee does evangelicalism a huge disservice, even as there likely many other politicians who are evangelical and sane. And so, to many, that's what evangelicals are. The friendly neighbor is seen as an exception or is seen as just kind of weird when you aren't around them. Obviously that view is incorrect. There aren't that many crazy people in this country. Still, the word is now a charged word. The review makes the points in the book seem painfully obvious. Like any other group of people, evangelicals are stereotyped. It happens to be a negative stereotype.
A lot of "crazy people" see people who aren't there. Is that much different than sensing a God who isn't there?
I had a criminal law professor, when we were talking about the insanity defense, say something like "You can see angels and be perfectly sane. But if the angels want to have sex with you, then you're crazy."
I grew up Catholic and until recently thought all protestant groups were the same. What's the difference between regular Protestants and Evangelicals?
Our congregation has been discussing evangelism recently, and the first part of the conversation has been overcoming the negative connotation of the word. We have noted that evangelism, in a broad sense, is spreading the Word. And the best way to do so is to live the Word. As for fear of evangelicals, I would state that many of us, more accurately, fear fundagelicals. In short, I fear anyone who would impose their will upon me, whatever that will may be (religion, national socialism, forcing me to wear OU gear, etc.). Feel free to tell me what I should believe. Face a fight that I will never abandon if you try to tell me what I MUST believe.
"Evangelical" is like the new faddish word to use. I don't mean the word itself is new, I mean atheists and Non-christians who want to scare everyone are now using it as the "codeword" to demonize the opposition. Before the word they used was "fundamentalist" but that is losing its shock power and isn't working anymore.
Not entirely true JJ. The term 'fundamentalist' first referred to people who believed in what was termed the 5 fundamentals of the faith in a 12 volume set "The Fundamentals" that came out in 1910-1915. These were written in response to liberalism and higher criticism that entered into the American landscape via Germany around 1900. I am writing this off of the top of my head so I will see how many of the 5 I can remember. 1) The inerrancy of the Scriptures in the original autographs 2) The virgin birth 3) The miracles 4)the bodily resurrection and I think the 5th is substitutionary atonement... These 5 are actually generally believed by both Fundamentalists and Evangelicals today, but 1910 is when the term really came into being. Later on there became a wider split when Billy Graham was holding a revival in NYC and he allowed pastors from mainline denominations who were considered liberals were allowed to sit on the platform. This began a series of groups known as 'seperationists' Evangelicalism is in many ways a middle ground between the two that grew up. As liberal protestantism became increasingly modern and fundamentalism increasingly seperatist, there was a middle ground known as evangelicalism. This middle is pretty far from uniform as the study of Christian Smith states. It is in many ways a hodge podge of theologies that are related only in that they are neither liberal nor fundamentalist. Evangelicalism sprouted and grew up really in the 1940's as Harold Ockenga addressed Fuller Seminary in 1948. According to him 'new evangelicalism' differed from fundamentalism in 3 major areas. 1) a repudiation of the doctrine of separation 2)a summons to greater social invovlement and 3) a determination to engage in theological dialogue with liberalism This is just a snap shot of the historical differences between the 3 major areas. I need to cite the work "In Pursuit of Purity: American Fundamentalism Since 1850" as a source for some of this information. Written by David Beale.
As uaual, Brisketexan says exactly what I wanted to say, and better than I would have said it. Bravo, Brisket!
Everyone is an atheist towards something. Christians are atheists with regard to Allah, Buddha and Zeus.
Interesting perspective Ryan. I have never thought of an atheist in anything approaching those terms. I usually think of Bertrand Russell first. And I think about the professor type much more than what you described. When I read your description I thought of an anarchist or a wiccan. NOT equating those two, just parts of what you said reminded me of each.
An atheist believes in NO god. Therefore, a Christian, Buddhist, etc. are not atheists, by definition. Evangelism is a fruit of the Spirit. It's by no means a calling to every single Christian out there. But in politics, if you're a Christian, you're referred to as an "Evangelical". I take it as a compliment.
I certainly don't fear Evangelicals, but I would probably try to avoid them. If for nothing else their proselytizing.
Evangelism is a fruit of the Spirit. Hmm. We all know how fruit and the Bible get along. Just see Adam and Eve.
