Stereotyping Evangelicals
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about evangelical Christianity. In fact, the very word "evangelical" is a polarizing one in our culture. I have known people in my life who practically recoil when they hear "evangelical," and I have known others who wouldn't think of themselves in any other way than as evangelicals.
I was raised in a traditional United Methodist church - not the most evangelical of contexts. I admit that when I was first exposed to evangelical expressions of faith, I was turned off by them. But that was mostly because the evangelicalism I was first exposed to was the evangelicalism of 1980s televangelists (not the best examples of the label). In the past few years of my life, on the other hand, I have been very drawn to evangelical Christianity for a number of reasons. The high authority of Scripture is one. The vibrancy of faith in every aspect of an evangelical's life is another. And frankly, I see in evangelicals a greater willingness to "take risks for Jesus" than I do in other Christian bodies, especially when those risks put the evangelical at odds with friends, family, or the larger culture. In short, I think evangelicals take discipleship more seriously.
Of course, in the wake of the Ted Haggard scandal, many in the media are once again turning to "evangelical bashing," primarily in the form of equating evangelical Christianity with the politically-oriented Religious Right (and the two are most certainly not the same thing). That's unfortunate. But I did run across this article in the Washington Post today, entitled, "Let's Stop Stereotyping Evangelicals." It makes a good case as to why the larger culture should take evangelicals seriously on their own terms.
This article also points out that a relatively recent development in the evangelical Christian community is a growing interest in social justice - that is, working to change the root causes of injustice rather than simply ameliorating the sufferings of individual victims of it. You see that in the work of evangelicals to combat AIDS, genocide, global poverty, etc. This has been the one piece that I think evangelical faith has lacked in the past, and it is also the one piece that has kept me from self-describing as an evangelical in my own faith. But I see a change in that now, and I can think of no better term to describe a Jesus-loving, church-committed, Scripture-reading, neighbor-caring, salvation-centered, injustice-fighting Christian person.
Am I an evangelical? You bet I am.
I was raised in a traditional United Methodist church - not the most evangelical of contexts. I admit that when I was first exposed to evangelical expressions of faith, I was turned off by them. But that was mostly because the evangelicalism I was first exposed to was the evangelicalism of 1980s televangelists (not the best examples of the label). In the past few years of my life, on the other hand, I have been very drawn to evangelical Christianity for a number of reasons. The high authority of Scripture is one. The vibrancy of faith in every aspect of an evangelical's life is another. And frankly, I see in evangelicals a greater willingness to "take risks for Jesus" than I do in other Christian bodies, especially when those risks put the evangelical at odds with friends, family, or the larger culture. In short, I think evangelicals take discipleship more seriously.
Of course, in the wake of the Ted Haggard scandal, many in the media are once again turning to "evangelical bashing," primarily in the form of equating evangelical Christianity with the politically-oriented Religious Right (and the two are most certainly not the same thing). That's unfortunate. But I did run across this article in the Washington Post today, entitled, "Let's Stop Stereotyping Evangelicals." It makes a good case as to why the larger culture should take evangelicals seriously on their own terms.
This article also points out that a relatively recent development in the evangelical Christian community is a growing interest in social justice - that is, working to change the root causes of injustice rather than simply ameliorating the sufferings of individual victims of it. You see that in the work of evangelicals to combat AIDS, genocide, global poverty, etc. This has been the one piece that I think evangelical faith has lacked in the past, and it is also the one piece that has kept me from self-describing as an evangelical in my own faith. But I see a change in that now, and I can think of no better term to describe a Jesus-loving, church-committed, Scripture-reading, neighbor-caring, salvation-centered, injustice-fighting Christian person.
Am I an evangelical? You bet I am.
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 5:51 PM
4 Comments:
The distinguished American phychologist, William James, in his book "Varieties of Religious Experience," indicates a multitude of ways in which men have discovered God.
I have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be aquired, to do so only drives the prospect further away making it seem even more unobtainable. I feel like this is where the enthusiastic Evangelical becomes misunderstood. If what we have learned and felt and seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our race, creed, color, ect. are the children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.
As for the stereotyping goes, there is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance---
that principle is "contempt prior to investigation." (with kudos to Herbert Spencer)
a Jesus-loving, church-committed, Scripture-reading, neighbor-caring, salvation-centered, injustice-fighting Christian person.
wow :D imagine if we were all like that :)
be sure and check our Richard Foster's "Renovare" materials which seek to develop in people the best of all traditions
Two very important books which also deal with the work of evangelicals are
"Revivalism and Social Reform" by Timothy L. Smith
"Re-discovering an Evangelical Heritage" by Donald Dayton
Post a Comment
<< Home