There is no RationalWiki without you. We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. We will never allow ads because we must remain independent. We cannot rely on big donors with corresponding big agendas. We are not the largest website around, butwe believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity. | Fighting pseudoscience isn't free. We are 100% user-supported! Help and donate $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can today with  ! |
Evangelicalism
 | This article requires expansion. Pleasehelp. Though not astub by pure word count, this article lacks depth of content. |
| Christ died for our articles about |
 |
| Schismatics |
| Devil's in the details |
“”For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes. Nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition ofslavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary evangelicals have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from theRepublican Party platform. |
| —Randall Balmer, 2006[1] |
Evangelicalism originally meantProtestantism,[2] though the term is sometimes loosely defined. Over time, evangelicalism among English speakers has come to mean a branch ofChristianity which is centered on the following:
- The need to be "Born Again" as an adult.
- A strong focus on theGospel as good news, on bringing Christianity to others.
- A renewed focus on theresurrection aspects ofJesus in both one'sspiritual life and in one's personal day-to-day expressions of life.
- Strong belief in the authority of theBible.
Evangelicalism is often contrasted with "liturgical" Christianity (e.g.,Roman Catholicism,high-churchAnglicanism), which puts more emphasis on liturgy, religious ritual, and churchtradition and is often derided by the practicioners of the former as"law" and "religion".
History[edit]
There have always beenPietist movements within more traditional church structures. Evangelicals claim that this goes all the way back to theBook of Acts in the New Testament, but earlyChurch fathers seem more Catholic than happy clappy. Modern evangelicals stem fromAnabaptists,Puritans, and men likeJohn Wesley (the founder ofMethodism) in America, particularlyJonathan Edwards &Dwight Moody.
Fundamentalism[edit]
In the 1940s, there was a split between evangelicals who wanted to engage with wider society and culture, andfundamentalists who believed in separating themselves from the wider modern culture.[3]
From the 1980s on, evangelicalism backtracked from its more progressive roots and became associated with dauntingly conservative causes, supporting the Americanright with the informal formation of thereligious right. Because of this conservative push — emphasizing such things asbiblical literalism, an increase in the teaching ofcreationism in schools, and politically "pro-life" stances, etc. — people generally associate evangelicalism with fundamentalism, especially in theUnited States, due in no small measure to the large influence of the television, and the dominance from the 1980s forward offundamentalists on television. Pundits sometimes refer to the religious right as the "evangelical vote", though this may not be accurate, as a sizable minority of evangelicals (African-Americans in particular) voteDemocratic.[4] Many evangelicals are also fundamentalists and supporters of the religious right, but not all.
Other evangelicals have associations with groups like theMethodists who supportsocial justice, and evangelicals do not necessarily support the American religious right.[2] For example,Randall Balmer
considers himself an evangelical but believes that the religious right are hijacking evangelicalism.[1][5]
In short[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑1.01.1Randall Balmer,Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America: An Evangelical's Lament, Basic Books, 2006. ISBN 0465005195
- ↑2.02.1Evangelicalism, theopedia.com.
- ↑"The fundamentalist-evangelical split".Beliefnet.
- ↑Chip Berlet,Religion and Politics in the United States: Nuances You Should Know. publiceye.org, 2003.
- ↑Evangelical: Religious Right Has Distorted the Faith.NPR, 23 June 2006.