Know Your Christians
Ted RosePosted Monday, March 6, 2000, at 10:22 PM ETThe Christian right is clearly going to be a presence, and an issue, in the presidential campaign. Here are some clarifying distinctions.
Fundamentalist is a term used to describe American conservative Protestants, often Baptists. It is not pejorative. Fundamentalists have three defining attributes:
a. Belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. The Bible is literally true. If it states that God created the world in six days, a fundamentalist believes it was six 24-hour days.
b. Faith in charismatic leaders. A fundamentalist looks to charismatic preachers such as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson to interpret the Scripture and provide guidance for the community. More mainstream Protestant denominations place less emphasis on the power of individual ministers.
c. The nation-state as a reflection of God. Fundamentalists are very concerned about civil society. They are encouraged to be politically active and work to improve the moral quality of the nation and its political leaders.
The term fundamentalist is also used, confusingly, to describe non-Christian conservative religious movements in other parts of the world--the ayatollahs of Iran, for example--that have little or nothing in common with American Christian fundamentalists.
An Evangelical is an American Protestant who believes in using the teachings of the New Testament gospels to transform the world. It is not a pejorative term. Evangelical Christians will become missionaries, found schools, and perform other good works. Many people consider themselves both fundamentalists and evangelical Christians. Others (such as Lutherans) may call themselves evangelical Christians, but not fundamentalists. These people disagree with the first tenet of fundamentalism (inerrancy of the Bible).
Born Again (or "Saved"): Unlike a baptism, which is a formalistic ritual, the process of being "born again" is a deeply personal experience. In order to be born again, one must be open to the idea of dedicating one's life to Jesus and then accept Jesus as one's savior. Conservative Lutherans and Baptists believe in being born again, while adherents to more mainstream denominations such as Methodists and Presbyterians do not. The term Christian is sometimes used to mean only those who are born again.
The Moral Majority was founded by Jerry Falwell in 1980 to translate the fundamentalist goal of improving civil society into a nuts-and-bolts political operation. Falwell closed his organization in 1989, declaring it had accomplished its mission. The Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by Pat Robertson with the same mission.
Next question?
Explainer thanks Richard Hecht, Professor of Religious Studies at University of California at Santa Barbara, and Erin Roscoe and Jennifer Kimlaw of Florence, S.C.
Highlights from The Fray:
Re: "Born Again," and the contention that mainline Protestants like Methodists and Presbyterians "don't believe in it." That's news to this Southern Baptist turned Presbyterian. Note that both the Methodists and (American) Presbyterians are rooted in the Second Great Awakening, and thus are basically evangelical themselves. The difference between them and more evangelical groups is one of degree, not kind. Methodists and Presbyterians place more emphasis on the nurture of the church, and less on individual experience as the be-all and end-all; Presbyterians also distrust open displays of emotion as shallow and possibly fraudulent. But I know of no mainline Protestant denomination that rejects the clear command of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospel of John, to be "born again." Many present-day Methodists and Presbyterians may find the doctrine an embarrassment--but that's a function of class rather than theology.
--David L. Carlton
(To reply, click
here.)
"Lutherans" come in different types. Some Lutherans DO believe in the inerrancy of the Bible (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, or LCMS; Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or WELS; Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or ELS). Lutherans embrace a six-word summary of the Protestant Reformation: Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone.
Martin Luther taught a view called "the doctrine of two kingdoms": he called the Church the Kingdom of God's right hand and the State the Kingdom of God's left hand. He can be seen as the original teacher of the "separation of church and state". Both are instruments of God. But the state uses "the sword" to punish sinners and protect the innocent, while the church can only use "the gospel" to motivate people. As a result, Lutherans often tend to be much less politically active than other Christians, and more obedient to government policies -- even those with which they disagree.
Because Lutherans downplay the importance of individual pastors, they are generally uncomfortable with the designation "fundamentalist", even though conservative Lutherans do share the inerrant view of Scripture. Lutherans also believe that being "born again" is something that happens in baptism, including infant baptism. Lutherans do NOT believe in "making a decision for Jesus", which is commonly associated with being "born again" -- they believe that God chooses us, we don't choose him. We cannot "accept" Him, but we can reject Him. Lutherans tend to be more comfortable with paradoxical statements that are supported by the Bible than other Christians, and feel less urgency to resolve paradoxes through logical reasoning.
--Paul Nus
(To reply, click
here.)
I think it's important to point out that a Christian fundamentalist emphatically does NOT seek a charismatic leader to explain the scriptures -- one of the very basic tenets of Fundamentalism is that each individual Christian is free, indeed encouraged, to interpret the scriptures for him or herself. Many fundamentalists do seek charismatic leaders, but in the same manner as people in any area of human activity; many people just like to have a leader.
--Tom Hankin
(To reply, click
here.)
You have forgotten a quiet majority of diverse Christians that fill a spectrum from Christian Marxist to Christian Socialists to the larger Christian Left - from the Sisters of Mercy to Daniel Berrigan to anti-rightwing Christians.
--Robin
(To reply, click
here.)
Surprising oversight! Catholics are Christians too! There are lots of social conservatives that are Catholics and lots of liberals that are Catholics.
Traditional Democrats think Catholics are died-in-the-wool liberal Democrats as in Mass. (The state, not the church service!) This is a big misconception and becoming more so daily. Many Catholics are highly offended by social liberalism, Clinton, Hollywood, etc. As the Catholic population ages and more family-oriented, church-oriented Catholics immigrate from South America, the odds are that the center of the Catholic population will shift toward the Republicans.
--Chuck Flink
(To reply, click
here.)
(3/7)
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Highlights from The Fray:
Re: "Born Again," and the contention that mainline Protestants like Methodists and Presbyterians "don't believe in it." That's news to this Southern Baptist turned Presbyterian. Note that both the Methodists and (American) Presbyterians are rooted in the Second Great Awakening, and thus are basically evangelical themselves. The difference between them and more evangelical groups is one of degree, not kind. Methodists and Presbyterians place more emphasis on the nurture of the church, and less on individual experience as the be-all and end-all; Presbyterians also distrust open displays of emotion as shallow and possibly fraudulent. But I know of no mainline Protestant denomination that rejects the clear command of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospel of John, to be "born again." Many present-day Methodists and Presbyterians may find the doctrine an embarrassment--but that's a function of class rather than theology.
--David L. Carlton
(To reply, click here.)
"Lutherans" come in different types. Some Lutherans DO believe in the inerrancy of the Bible (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, or LCMS; Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or WELS; Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or ELS). Lutherans embrace a six-word summary of the Protestant Reformation: Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone.
Martin Luther taught a view called "the doctrine of two kingdoms": he called the Church the Kingdom of God's right hand and the State the Kingdom of God's left hand. He can be seen as the original teacher of the "separation of church and state". Both are instruments of God. But the state uses "the sword" to punish sinners and protect the innocent, while the church can only use "the gospel" to motivate people. As a result, Lutherans often tend to be much less politically active than other Christians, and more obedient to government policies -- even those with which they disagree.
Because Lutherans downplay the importance of individual pastors, they are generally uncomfortable with the designation "fundamentalist", even though conservative Lutherans do share the inerrant view of Scripture. Lutherans also believe that being "born again" is something that happens in baptism, including infant baptism. Lutherans do NOT believe in "making a decision for Jesus", which is commonly associated with being "born again" -- they believe that God chooses us, we don't choose him. We cannot "accept" Him, but we can reject Him. Lutherans tend to be more comfortable with paradoxical statements that are supported by the Bible than other Christians, and feel less urgency to resolve paradoxes through logical reasoning.
--Paul Nus
(To reply, click here.)
I think it's important to point out that a Christian fundamentalist emphatically does NOT seek a charismatic leader to explain the scriptures -- one of the very basic tenets of Fundamentalism is that each individual Christian is free, indeed encouraged, to interpret the scriptures for him or herself. Many fundamentalists do seek charismatic leaders, but in the same manner as people in any area of human activity; many people just like to have a leader.
--Tom Hankin
(To reply, click here.)
You have forgotten a quiet majority of diverse Christians that fill a spectrum from Christian Marxist to Christian Socialists to the larger Christian Left - from the Sisters of Mercy to Daniel Berrigan to anti-rightwing Christians.
--Robin
(To reply, click here.)
Surprising oversight! Catholics are Christians too! There are lots of social conservatives that are Catholics and lots of liberals that are Catholics.
Traditional Democrats think Catholics are died-in-the-wool liberal Democrats as in Mass. (The state, not the church service!) This is a big misconception and becoming more so daily. Many Catholics are highly offended by social liberalism, Clinton, Hollywood, etc. As the Catholic population ages and more family-oriented, church-oriented Catholics immigrate from South America, the odds are that the center of the Catholic population will shift toward the Republicans.
--Chuck Flink
(To reply, click here.)
(3/7)