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It has been suggested that Evangelical Catholic be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
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This article or section deals primarily with the United States and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
In contemporary usage, the word evangelicalism refers to a collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions typified by an emphasis on evangelism Dictionary.com. Evangelical Christians describe evangelicalism as a "personal experience" of conversion (described in the Gospels by Jesus as being "born again").[citation needed]
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The term \'evangelical\', in a lexical but less commonly used sense, refers to anything implied in the belief that Jesus is the Messiah. The word comes from the Greek word for \'Gospel\' or \'good news\': ευαγγελιον evangelion, from eu- "good" and angelion "message". In that strictest sense, to be evangelical would mean to be merely Christian, that is, founded upon, motivated by, acting in agreement with, spreading the "good news" message of the New Testament.
The word \'evangelical\', is often used both in the United States and in other parts of the world to refer to a Christian outlook which is in accord with the beliefs put forth by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation, following the German word \'evangelische\'. However, this usage has been extended in the United States to include a much broader view.
In American cultural usage the word "evangelical" has been used in relationship to not only a common set of beliefs that distinguish adherents from the Liberal and Progressive movements, but also in relationship to the coalition that was reacting against the Fundamentalist movement, as well as to a set of religious traditions that encompass both ends of that spectrum. In a doctrinal sense, the term is typified by several characteristic beliefs, including an emphasis on the Bible, an emphasis on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, an emphasis on conversion (that one must be "born again"), and an emphasis on evangelism (spreading the "gospel").Larry Eskridge (1995). Defining Evangelicalism. Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
The Catholic Church has a long history of evangelical and missionary work.CatholicEvangelism.orgCatholics United for the Faith Today, Catholics have responded to Pope John Paul II’s call urging the laity to become more active in the Church’s primary mission of evangelization. Catholic Society of Evangelicals
Historically, Evangelical Christians in the United States were prominently active in political movements which are now popularly considered to be important social advancements, such as Women\'s Rights and Suffrage, and Abolitionism.
Typically, members of the evangelical left affirm the primary tenets of evangelical theology, such as the doctrines of Incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, and also see the Bible as a primary authority for the Church. Unlike many evangelicals, however, the evangelical left are often opposed to capital punishment and supportive of gun control. In many cases, they are pacifist or pacifist-oriented. They also often support and utilize modern Biblical criticism, whereas some other evangelicals reject it. Many belong to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
Mainstream, or "mainline," denominations include, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the United Church of Christ, the The Episcopalian Church and the Presbyterian Church.
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Chinese evangelic church in Madrid, Spain, a traditionally Catholic nation.
In controversies with those who favor a more highly structured liturgy, the evangelical party is usually the one in favor of a relatively more simple, casual and participatory form of worship, centered on preaching and sometimes the Lord\'s Supper (Eucharist), rather than more elaborate ceremony.
Especially toward the end of the 20th century the news media have tended to describe literal Christian believers, including most evangelicals, as fundamentalists. However, fundamentalists and evangelicals are not identical; the labels represent very distinct differences of approach which both groups are diligent to maintain.
In the United States, evangelicals tend to be "socially conservative," and as a result, are against marriage laws granting the ability for gay and lesbian Americans to marry. They are also anti-abortion. (See below for more details)
The Post-Evangelical is the name of a book by British author Dave Tomlinson [1] The Post-Evangelical published in 1995, in which he characterizes as a movement various trends of dissatisfaction among evangelicals. The term is used by others with comparable intent, often to distinguish evangelicals in the so-called emerging church movement from ex-evangelicals and anti-evangelicals. Tomlinson argues that "linguistically, the distinction [between evangelical and post-evangelical] is similar to the one that sociologists make between the modern and postmodern eras."The Post-Evangelical, Dave Tomlinson, ISBN 0310253853, p 28
On a worldwide scale evangelical Churches are (together with Pentecostals) the most rapidly growing Christian churches. The two are even beginning to overlap, in a movement sometimes called Transformationalism.[citation needed] Growth in Africa is rapid, and because it is not dependent on European and North American evangelical sources allowing greater diversity. An example of this can be seen in the African Independent Churches. The World Evangelical Alliance is "a network of churches in 127 nations that have each formed an evangelical alliance and over 100 international organizations joining together to give a worldwide identity, voice and platform to more than 420 million evangelical Christians" History. World Evangelical Alliance (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-24.. The Alliance (WEA) was formed in 1951 by Evangelicals from 21 countries. It has worked to support its members to work together globally.
The 2004 survey of Religion and politics in the United States identified the Evangelical percentage of the population at 26.3%; while Catholics are 22% and Mainline Protestants make up 16%. This is the fourth survey undertaken by Dr. Green to measure political attitudes and religion in the United States. In the 2007 Statistical Abstract of the United States, the figures for these same groups are 28.6% (Evangelical), 24.5% (Catholics), and 13.9% (Mainline Protestant.) The latter figures are based on a 2001 study of the self-described religious identification of the adult population for 1990 and 2001 from the Graduate School and University Center at the City University of New York. Kosmin, Barry A.; Egon Mayer, Ariela Keysar (2001). American Religious Identification Survey. City University of New York.; Graduate School and University Center. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
The National Association of Evangelicals is a U.S. agency which coordinates cooperative ministry for its member denominations.
Evangelical influence was also evident in past movements which are now unpopular, such as prohibitionJason S. Lantzer. From Temperance to Prohibition..
Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision rendered in 1973 preventing states from making laws that prohibit abortion, is the most prominent landmark of a new era of conservative evangelical political action, unprecedented in its intensity and coordination. It was not until 1980 that the evangelical movement came to oppose abortion.NPR.org "Church Meets State in the Oval Office" on Fresh AirNPR.org "Charismatic Movement"
Before 1980, the Southern Baptist Convention advocated for abortion rights.They Kindgom Come pg. 15, a book by Randall Herbert Balmer, Professor of Religion and History at Barnard College. During the 1971 and 1974 Southern Baptist Conventions, Southern Baptists were called upon "to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother."They Kindgom Come pg. 12, a book by Randall Herbert Balmer, Professor of Religion and History at Barnard College. W. Barry Garrett wrote in the Baptist Press, "Religious liberty, human equality and justice are advanced by the [Roe v. Wade] Supreme Court Decision."They Kindgom Come pg. 12, a book by Randall Herbert Balmer, Professor of Religion and History at Barnard College.
In the U.S. the Religious Right is especially influential in the Republican Party. George W. Bush, elected president of the U.S. in 2000, is a self-identified born-again Christian who received strong support from evangelical voters. The Bush Administration is guided by the President\'s values which do not necessarily reflect core evangelical beliefs. Often, criticism of controversial conservative political stances frequently falls on the U.S. evangelical movement as a whole.[citation needed]
The mass-appeal of the Christian right in the so-called red states, and its success in rallying resistance to certain social agendas, is sometimes alleged as an attempt to impose theocracy on an otherwise secular society.New York Times Review of Books \'American Theocracy,\' by Kevin Phillips There are indications that the belief is widespread among conservative evangelicals in the USA that Christianity should enjoy a privileged place in American public life according its importance in American life and history.Fresh Air A Political Warning Shot: \'American Theocracy\' Accordingly, those evangelicals often strenuously oppose the expression of other faiths in schools or in the course of civic functions. For example, when Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala became the first Hindu priest to offer an invocation before Congress in 2000, the September 21 edition of the online publication operated by the Family Research Council, Culture Facts, raised objection:
While it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all, that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country\'s heritage. The USA\'s founders expected that Christianity--and no other religion--would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples\' consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference.
However, the Christian Right is not made completely (or even a majority) of Evangelical Christians. According to an article in the November 11, 2004 issue of The Economist, entitled "The Triumph of the Religious Right", "The implication of these findings is that Mr Bush\'s moral majority is not, as is often thought, composed of a bunch of right-wing evangelical Christians. Rather, it consists of traditionalist and observant church-goers of every kind: Catholic and mainline Protestant, as well as evangelicals, Mormons, and Sign Followers. Meanwhile, modernist evangelicals tend to be Democratic." Although evangelicals are currently seen as being on the Christian Right in the United States, there are those in the center and Christian Left as well. In other countries there is no particular political stance associated with evangelicals. Many evangelicals have little practical interest in politics.
According to recent reports in the New York Times, many evangelicals have tired of Republican politics and seek to expand their movement\'s social agenda to include poverty, combating AIDS in the Third World, and protecting the environment.The Evangelical Crackup, cited from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/magazine/28Evangelicals-t.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin Christian Right activist Terry Fox, who stepped down from his pastorate when his congregation told him to stop dwelling on right-wing issues in his sermons, told the Times:
“I don’t mind telling you that I paid a price for the political stands I took,” Fox said. “The pendulum in the Christian world has swung back to the moderate point of view. The real battle now is among evangelicals.”
Look up evangelical, evangelicalism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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