Americans Are Clueless About Evangelicals and Other Interesting Stuff from Around the Web

Since it is now commonplace that evangelicals themselves can't tell us what they believe, why should we be surprised that Americans in general don't know what evangelicals believe.  Why is there so much animosity toward them?  Why do words like "idiot" and "nutcase" appear in the public's responses to questions about evangelicalism.  Bill Hybels' and Rick Warren's theological chicks are now coming home to roost.  Click here: Americans have difficulty defining 'evangelical' (OneNewsNow.com)

I'm a "two-kingdoms" guy.  While I love the spirit of it, this is not what we are getting at when we insist that in addition to being Americans, we are also citizens of heaven.  Click here: TaxProf Blog: Heaven Can Wait ... But the IRS Won't 

More sad proof that libertarian Joe Farah's Worldnet Daily is rapidly becoming the National Enquirer of conservative/evangelical news websites.  Farah himself endorses this video which will tell the viewer the date when Jesus is coming back.  The Old Testament feasts are the key.  We've never heard this before . . .  Christian eschatology apart from Christ . . .  I'll save you the effort--don't make any big plans in the Fall for the next couple of years. Click here: Want to know day of Jesus' return?

Here's yet another reason to be very excited about the release of the ESV Study Bible in October.  Click here: Between Two Worlds: ESV Study Bible: The Bible and World Religions, and An Interview with Harold Netland

Comments

[PB]

One consequence of the devolution of the meaning of "evangelical" is found in the political sphere: when mention is made of Gov. Palin's "independent evangelical Bible church", her opponents can label her a "fundamentalist nut" and her supporters automatically assume she's on the side of the angels!

[Zrim]

Our man who thinks he's exempt from taxes reminds me of that exchange in O Brother Where Art Thou (the one Hart uses in A Secular Faith):

Pete: The Preacher said it absolved us [referring to his baptism].

Ulysses Everett McGill: For him, not for the law. I'm surprised at you, Pete, I gave you credit for more brains than Delmar.

Delmar O'Donnell: But they was witnesses that seen us redeemed.

Ulysses Everett McGill: That's not the issue, Delmar. Even if that did put you square with the Lord, the State of Mississippi's a little more hard-nosed.

Let's give our man a break, though. It's hard understanding what it means to have a foot in both kingdoms.

[Zrim]

PB,

Actually, I wonder if that owes more to the more deeply seated Constantinianism of western religion than the breakdown of the term "evangelical." Then again, insofar as "evangelical" has come to include the notion that true religion is relevant to the cares of the world on the world's terms it could be six-of-one....

[Alberto]

I once told a philosophy professor that I was not an evangelical; he responded by saying something like good, they along with Roman Catholics are the worst. I then added that I don't consider myself an evangelical as is often defined today, but that I am evangelical in the classial sense of the term. I don't know if it made much difference with him, since he seemed to be a devout leftist or liberal. He also seemed to have the idea that Presbyterians are in general politically liberal or on the left; I guess he's only heard of PCUSA.

[Cheryl]

Kim,

Is there any chance of your posting your commentary on the Canons of Dordt in pdf format as was the Belgic Confession???

["lee n. field"]

>Gov. Palin's "independent evangelical Bible church", her opponents can label her a "fundamentalist nut" and her supporters automatically assume she's on the side of the angels!

Saw something yesterday or the day before that averred links from her church (the current one or the AoG congregation she was in, I don't know) with the New Apostolic Reformation soi-disant apostolic types. Makes me want to not join the Sarah-fest quite so readily. Bears looking into.

[George]

Keep in mind that "Evangelical" was the name originally applied to the post-reformation church in Germany started by Martin Luther (what!!??? they weren't called "Lutheran???) Then, later in the 18th/19th century it came was "legally" applied to the "state" religion in which the "Lutheran and Reformed" churches were forced to combine, the result of which led to many emigrants coming to this country.

Somehow, in the midst of all of that, the Pietists seemed to have picked up the term and then, thanks (IMO) to the "Christian" media in this country, it came to be applied to born-again-fundamentalist types in a way that badly obfuscated the original meaning of the word. Kind of like the way the term "hacker," which originally mean an electronic hobbyist who liked to play around with various chip-sets and "breadboard" his own personal computer got warped into meaning a bad and evil criminal-type who ferrets private information out of other people's computers - thanks to the secular media.

So...although a rose by another other color might still smelleth sweet, "evangelical" as come to produce a rather foul odor in many people's minds....

[PB]

lee, I was even reconciled to voting for a Mormon if I had to (under Luther's dictum "rather a wise Turk than a foolish Christian"), even given the LDS ambitions to control the civil government...so whatever Gov. Sarah's past or present church might be affiliated with doesn't scare me politically. Thankfully, I am not voting for pastor in chief (or vice pastor in chief).

[Lloyd]

One of our retired pastors told me about a recent conversation that he had had with a Christian lady at the grocery store.

They were talking about Christ, when he asked her what denomination she was. She said, "Oh, I'm a non-denominational Christian. We hold to all of the various Christian beliefs, and we accept all of the Christian beliefs of all Christians, regardless of their denomination."

He said, "Great, can I visit your church?" She said, "Sure!" Then he asked her if he could bring his two baby grandchildren and have them baptized? She, responded, "Oh no, we don't believe in baptizing babies."

The retired pastor asked her, "But, I thought that you accept all Christian beliefs and practices?" Then he told her in a nice way, "That you are not a non-denominational Christian, but a Baptist!"

[plw]

Cheryl,
Hold your horses.............you ask him the same question I did! He is going to do something. Something we all are going to like...........a lot! He'll post it I'm sure when he is done with the last article on the Canon of Dort.

[Chris Sherman]

Even if the "citizen of heaven" guy didn't have a ssn , birth certificate nor drivers license you still can't get around giving unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Something about death and taxes....

[Philip Walker]

Chris, as one commenter on the blog pointed out, if this guy is a citizen of heaven, then the American authorities could have him deported. Now, what was that about death and taxes?

[hb]

My ESV is already on order. Can't wait to receive it!
And I thought the end of the world has already been calculated according to the Mayan calendar...
hb

[plw]

Our ESV is also on order already. We are excited about it.

["lee n. field"]

>And I thought the end of the world has already been calculated according to the Mayan calendar...

They know the day, but not the year. Or something like that. What part of "no one knows the day or the hour" is difficult to understand?

Not, BTW, the first religious oddity Worldnetdaily has pushed. I remember someone advocating strict 7th day sabbatarianism a few months ago.

[Charlie]

Maybe it's time for us Reformed to be truly evangelical; Gospel-based, liturgical, and Sacramental!!!

[Joe]

LLoyd,

What's your point?