A standard story goes like this: After the Scopes trial evangelicals/fundamentalists disappeared from the political scene and avoided the public forum. Until Carl FH Henry’s famous uneasy conscience book when the neoevangelicals re-engaged the public forum and then formed into a robust aligned-with-Republicans movement. Thus, they reemerged as a political force with Reagan.
Thanks, Scot, for this little run through some "ancient" but critical history. In the 1980s we women were also in the fray, led by Cathie Kroeger and others - as we began Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) in 1987. A small personal detail: in 1990 I was fired from a job because I signed the CBE doc.
I have seen this at work in my own Christian journey. Came into the Church in the mid-1970's when things were about "one another"; concern for building the Kingdom on earth as in heaven for Jesus. The evangelical sector had not gone to their corners yet to duke it out. By the end of the 1980's, all that was gone. The "aha" people had come out to try to pigeon hole everyone they suspected of not supporting a very narrow agenda; "Aha, you are this, you are that! You are not one of us. You are not a Christian." That and the fortress (to become the silo") mentality took over within churches themselves. "We are outnumbered, the secular humanists are coming to take over!" The fight was on to bring Christ into government, back into schools, back into everyday American life. Only, it backfired. Capitalism in all its ugly forms invaded the church and turned it's pastors into "leaders", (executives, CEO's, and tyrants) and the church of Jesus into a money making enterprise. Now, if you don't have a tyrant in charge and a ton of money, you aren't blessed of God.
I’m struck by the way in which evangelicals created a political identity - one of the pushbacks I get from my family around progressive/liberal political choices is this very thing, that they reject the idea of “identity politics”, meaning race or sex or gender as a way to see the world and make decisions based on that. But that’s the pot calling the kettle black...
Thank you . It breaks my heart as a Christ follower that “evangelism “ has changed the way “Christians” see Yesuha and His teachings. I remember being in the early days of the “Jesus Freak movement “ it was so different and wonderful especially with Jesus People Group in Chicago then it all changed with Falwell and that group. When I was at North Central Bible College in the mid 1970’s things seemed to really change their were 2 groups there , one was really strict with the Gospel and the other group was more towards liberal and did a lot good things in the community. I see now many who were apart of the Jesus freak movement have changed to more conservative “ the right” . Sorry to go on .
Thank you for this review. Biblical teaching from the pages of The Other Side, Sojourners and The Wittenberg Door was for me a gift that still gives: a more coherent and compressive understanding of scripture than a mainstream evangelical reading, confirmation of the wisdom of embracing orthodox Christianity, and a deeper personal faith in Christ. My youthful encounter with radical evangelicalism continues to inform, inspire, and nurture my discipleship. I’m grateful.
Thanks, Scot, for this little run through some "ancient" but critical history. In the 1980s we women were also in the fray, led by Cathie Kroeger and others - as we began Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) in 1987. A small personal detail: in 1990 I was fired from a job because I signed the CBE doc.
I have seen this at work in my own Christian journey. Came into the Church in the mid-1970's when things were about "one another"; concern for building the Kingdom on earth as in heaven for Jesus. The evangelical sector had not gone to their corners yet to duke it out. By the end of the 1980's, all that was gone. The "aha" people had come out to try to pigeon hole everyone they suspected of not supporting a very narrow agenda; "Aha, you are this, you are that! You are not one of us. You are not a Christian." That and the fortress (to become the silo") mentality took over within churches themselves. "We are outnumbered, the secular humanists are coming to take over!" The fight was on to bring Christ into government, back into schools, back into everyday American life. Only, it backfired. Capitalism in all its ugly forms invaded the church and turned it's pastors into "leaders", (executives, CEO's, and tyrants) and the church of Jesus into a money making enterprise. Now, if you don't have a tyrant in charge and a ton of money, you aren't blessed of God.
I’m struck by the way in which evangelicals created a political identity - one of the pushbacks I get from my family around progressive/liberal political choices is this very thing, that they reject the idea of “identity politics”, meaning race or sex or gender as a way to see the world and make decisions based on that. But that’s the pot calling the kettle black...
Thank you . It breaks my heart as a Christ follower that “evangelism “ has changed the way “Christians” see Yesuha and His teachings. I remember being in the early days of the “Jesus Freak movement “ it was so different and wonderful especially with Jesus People Group in Chicago then it all changed with Falwell and that group. When I was at North Central Bible College in the mid 1970’s things seemed to really change their were 2 groups there , one was really strict with the Gospel and the other group was more towards liberal and did a lot good things in the community. I see now many who were apart of the Jesus freak movement have changed to more conservative “ the right” . Sorry to go on .
Thank you for this review. Biblical teaching from the pages of The Other Side, Sojourners and The Wittenberg Door was for me a gift that still gives: a more coherent and compressive understanding of scripture than a mainstream evangelical reading, confirmation of the wisdom of embracing orthodox Christianity, and a deeper personal faith in Christ. My youthful encounter with radical evangelicalism continues to inform, inspire, and nurture my discipleship. I’m grateful.