William Brackney has an outstanding essay on the Ethics Daily website that asks
"Are you Evangelical? Or Just evangelical?" Count me out of the puffed-up right wing political movement that capitalizes their "E," I'm a little "e" evangelical. I'm also one of those genuine "evangelicals" who are embarrassed by "Evangelical" labels:
Strange that, as one interprets the re-emergence of "evangelical," it is marked mostly by cultural manifestations rather than by its doctrinal or religiously experiential identities. A whole new phenomenon has arisen in political evangelicalism that is identified with anti-abortion, opposition to same sex unions, anti-big government, anti-socialism, anti-Islam, racial profiling as well as pro-individualism, pro-capitalism and various degrees of neo-nationalism.
Some genuine "evangelicals" are embarrassed by some or all of these labels.
I'm also one of those "evangelicals" who can agree with
Simon Critchley in finding a measure of faith among non-christians that is more genuine than the faith of some "E"vangelicals:
The New Testament Greek for "gospel" is euaggelion, which can mean good tidings, but can also be thought of as the act of proclamation or pledging. On this view, faith is a proclamation or pledge that brings the inward subject of faith into being over against an external everydayness. Such a proclamation is as true for the non-Christian as for the Christian. Indeed, it is arguably more true for the non-Christian, because their faith is not supported by the supposed guarantee of baptism, creedal dogma, regular church attendance or some notion that virtue will be rewarded with happiness if not here on earth, then in the afterlife. Thus, paradoxically, non-Christian faith might be said to reveal the true nature of the faith that Christ sought to proclaim. Even — and indeed especially — those who are denominationally faithless can have an experience of faith. If faith needs to be underpinned by some sort of doctrinal security, then inwardness becomes externalized and the strenuous rigor of faith evaporates.
2 comments:
I'm fascinated by how beliefs tend to group. So for instance if one identifies themselves as Evangelical then it seems like you can predict their beliefs on a whole host of issues from immigration reform, gun control, climate change, medical reform, etc.
Hello. I just came across your blog. I'm glad I did. I became a follower and would hope you'd like to check out my blog sometime. I go to a Baptist Church.
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