The term "conservative Evangelical" covers a broad spectrum of the most diverse branch of American Protestantism that is set apart from mainline Protestants by its own definition of the term "liberal" when it comes to comparing and contrasting its doctrine and theology with the latter. It is also set apart from those denominations and churches that are historically African-American, or predominantly Latino or Asian, by both the racial makeup of the congregations as well as the predominance of Democrats among the membership of the congregations of color. So when I use the term "conservative Evangelical," or just "Evangelical," I'm referencing those who are mostly white, and who include right wing extremism as part of their doctrine and theology.
They've come up with some really convoluted, and outlandish excuses to try and disassociate themselves from his open moral bankruptcy that only make their heretical twisting of the Christian gospel, and the text of the Bible they claim is "inerrant and infallible," even worse. I've heard everything from, "I'm not voting for a pastor in chief, I'm voting for a commander in chief," to "Well, King David wasn't perfect either, and God still used him." These are fallacies that can't be reconciled to any legitimate, historical interpretation of the Bible, or practice of the Christian gospel. They look Christian, but there is no theological or doctrinal foundation to distinguish this intrusion of a licentious, ungodly intruder who perverts the word of God [see the book of Jude, verse 4].
I've dealt with these fallacies in multiple other places in The Signal Press and there are multiple articles in the archive which point this out.
Flawed Theology and Doctrine Lead to Flawed Faith Practice and That Leads to Flawed Politics
The political "religious right" has grown out of the more theologically and doctrinally conservative, mostly white, segment of American Protestantism identified as "Evangelical." They are separated from other Protestants by a specific set of theological and doctrinal beliefs, and also set apart racially from Black, Latino and Asian members with similar doctrine and theology by their cultural practices, which include the lack of distinction between conservative interpretations of church doctrine and right wing political extremism.
Evangelicalism--I will stop short of using the term "Christian" as an identifier because their doctrine and practice identifies them more as a cult than anything traditionally, historically or theologically Christian, by a biblical definition--is broadly defined by a few specific doctrines and practices their churches hold in common:
1. In addition to their acceptance of the Doctrine of Biblical Authority, which states that the sixty-six books widely accepted by Protestants as the canon of scripture known as "The Bible" are authoritative in matters of theology, doctrine, faith and practice of the Christian church, that they are inerrant, or without any human error in either their transmission, or in their content, and they are thus infallible in their establishment of doctrinal and theological interpretation. This also includes an insistence on a literal rendering of any interpretation of scripture, as opposed to considering the nuances and meanings of the original languages, the historical context in which it was written and the audience to which it was directed, and any other circumstances affecting the meaning it held for its original audience.
2. They do not accept any form of ecclesiastical authority over any local church. Most of the conservative, predominantly white, Evangelical churches in the U.S. aligned with right wing political extremism are independent and either not affiliated with a denomination at all, or they are affiliated with groups like the Southern Baptist Convention or the Assemblies of God, in which each church is independent and autonomous in its governance and cooperation with the denomination is strictly voluntary. This includes determining how the Christian gospel will be interpreted and practiced within each local church.
3. They have a perspective of eschatology, the study of the "end times" that leads them to conclude their mission and purpose is to win as many converts to Christ as they can in order to prepare the world for the return of Christ, followed by its physical destruction as judgment for its sin. This is where the various forms of Christian nationalism work their way into the doctrine and politics of most Evangelicals. One group believes that winning more converts will make America more Christian, and will prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. The other group believes that America's continuing secularization and decline into sinfulness [abortion rights, same sex marriage, transgender identity, etc.] will lead to God's judgement removing the blessings of our prosperity and our security and power in the world and the only way to save that, in preparation for the return of Christ, is to make it Christian again.
4. They have an anti-education, anti-media, anti-information bias. The ability to observe, think critically, use reason and intellect to solve problems runs counter to the authority of the word of God, delivered by a pastor or preacher interpreting the text of the Bible literally. Some Evangelicals,, mainly Pentecostals or Charismatics, rely on a phenomenon they call "speaking in an unknown tongue" for confirmation of preacher's messages.
5. Though they claim that the Christian conversion experience is not one of a series of works, the faith practice of most Evangelicals is heavily dependent on what they call "holiness," or following a set of behaviors they have determined are evidence of life transformation brought about by conversion. Most of these behaviors involve their interpretation of living a life of purity, such as abstaining from sex before marriage, avoiding alcohol or addictive drugs, not using foul language, and avoiding entertainment that encourages or promotes this kind of worldliness.
But it also goes into the realm of personal conviction and judgment. Disagreement with the consensus of a local church with regard to holiness behaviors can result in that person being judged for not being a true Christian. I've felt relationships I had with a few church members grow cool when they found out that one of our favorite Mexican restaurants had a bar and served alcohol, even on Sunday. I remember a group of women in one church where we attended briefly organizing a boycott of all Heinz food products because John Kerry was married to Theresa Heinz.
Evangelicals Follow Flawed Doctrine Down the Path Toward Right Wing Extremism, Leading to Their Own Apostasy
Getting caught up in that, and the temptation that comes when the structure of the church permits a small oligarchy to control the lives of the congregation, over-rides the core principles of the Christian gospel which Jesus not only preached and taught, but to which he accorded the highest priority of faith practice. The Evangelical interpretation of the Bible is completely flawed because of its failure to acknowledge and apply to its interpretation of scripture, the pre-eminent authority of God, placed on the life and teachings of Jesus, making his teaching and life example the primary criterion for Christian theology, doctrine and practice.
The specific theological position that separates Christianity from is roots in Judaism is its "Christology," the belief that Jesus was the fulfillment of all of the Messianic prophecies, hundreds of them, in the Old Testament. The claim he made is recorded in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." So the core, foundational theological principle of Christianity is that Jesus was the Messiah, the fully divine, fully human Son of God, sent for the purpose of revealing God to humanity in order to redeem their eternal souls, created in his image.
The words of Jesus, recorded in the gospels, form the criteria for interpreting all of the rest of the Bible. They are the first context that must be considered, and some form of stating this principle is found in the theological and doctrinal statements of most Christian churches and denominations today, except among those identified as conservative Evangelicals. Their doctrine of Biblical Authority, which proclaims the Bible as inerrant and infallible, considers the whole Bible subject to literal renderings of specific passages singled out by verse number. And that's where they miss the point.
Christianity lost the essence of its own gospel when it became an institution of the Roman government during the third century reigns of Emperors Constantine and Theodosius. Since then, the institutional church has done just about everything contrary to the principles and values of the Christian gospel present in the teachings of Jesus, if his words are considered the interpretive standard for the rest of the scripture, including the Apostolic works and the Old Testament, which Jesus re-interpreted through a series of statements beginning, "You have heard that it was said," and concluding with "But I say unto you." Christian theology does indeed become systematic when what Jesus taught is the criteria by which the rest of the Bible is interpreted.
This Isn't the First Time the Christian Church Has Been Captured and Distorted by Secular Politics
Christian nationalism started in 380 CE, when Emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. At that point, the church went from being the "ecclesia," or the called-out body of Christians, to being an institution of the state. The theology and doctrine of the Christian church were codified, influenced by Roman ideology and cultural practices while other sects of Christians who existed in various parts of the empire remained outlawed and persecuted, along with the destruction of pagan temples and the persecution of pagans.
The martyrdom and suffering of Christians through almost three centuries of various levels of persecution by the Roman emperors that was "the seed of the church," producing literally tens of thousands of converts, leading to the establishment of thousands of local churches, meeting wherever they could escape detection, including in the catacombs of Rome itself, resting on the core values of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which included the admonition to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," disappeared as political power replaced spiritual power. Christianity has struggled to restore its true essence ever since.
The first amendment of the United States Constitution gave it one of the best chances it has had since 380 CE, with an establishment clause separating the church from the state, setting both free to pursue their conscience, with Christianity as a pervasive influence, but not an institution of the state.
Evangelicals claim to be a "true" restoration of Christianity to its biblical roots. Their local church autonomy and congregational polity are attempts at rejecting the institutional church. But they've been unable to protect themselves from intruders who intend to use them as a political tipping point in their favor. Many of their number once shunned involvement in secular politics, because they saw it as a worldly intrusion and interference with the ability to compromise their integrity and distort their doctrine.
And now, here we are, distorted doctrine and all.
I don't think it is very likely that any kind of "revival," will be coming soon, though under the current political circumstances, it is likely that some form of Christian nationalism will become the predominant influence in American politics. The intrusion of Trump and his brand of right wing extremism, which has become part of the doctrine, theology and practice of most white Evangelicals, has turned it into a cult, and far away from any resemblance to the kind of Christianity that Jesus introduced to the world through his gospel. They have discredited their beliefs by a wholesale departure from the holiness doctrine they have imposed on their members for decades, embracing Trump and his brand of worldly licentiousness bowing their knee to him as their leader.
And while they are paying for this intrusion, in losses of massive numbers of members, financial stability and credibility, they seem oblivious to the damage, and willing to accept the benefits of having secular political power, rather than waiting for their pie in the sky by and by to materialize.
No comments:
Post a Comment