Christianity Today vs. the Myth
of Monolithic Evangelicalism
National Review,
by
Nicholas Frankovich
Original Article
Posted By: Pluperfect,
12/23/2019 4:47:42 AM
“Christianity Today exposed the reality of Evangelical division,” reads the headline to David French’s column today for The Dispatch. He notes “the malleability of the definition” of “Evangelical”:
Not all self-described “Evangelicals” share the same beliefs or the same faith habits. Exit poll questions about religious identity are far too imprecise to provide true insight into a complex community. Many people . . . describe themselves as “Evangelical” simply because it’s the best option in a limited exit-poll menu. When they hear “Evangelical” they often interpret it as “politically conservative Christian.”
Thirty-five percent of Americans identify as Evangelical,
Reply 1 - Posted by:
ARKfamily 12/23/2019 6:45:39 AM (No. 269600)
Too many people (even in churches) are leaning on their own understanding of things. If a person is not reading the Bible from beginning to end, limited understanding occurs. If that is the case, limited understanding is filled in with other kinds of interpretations. Also, the Bible should be a study Bible like the "Life Application Bible" to get footnotes and commentary. It assists with knowing historical times and events.
17 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Rinktum 12/23/2019 7:07:09 AM (No. 269621)
What the author fails to recognize is that “evangelicals” or whatever label you want to give us understand that,we are voting for President are not a Pastor in Chief. We get it. What we do is look for the candidate that most agrees with our values and beliefs. Therefore, it is no surprise that 77% of us voted for President Trump who represents more than any candidate in the near future our values. We understand he may or may not have the same beliefs but his policies are more in line with ours.
We are not stupid sheep either who will follow blindly. Just because a person can talk the talk does not mean that they are who they profess to be. President Trump has walked his talk. He has initiated policies that are appealing to us unlike the democrats who actually booed God at their convention, President Trump invokes His name and makes a place for Him in the public square. What democrats don’t understand about Christians is that we are not as critical and closed minded as they believe. We understand sin, forgiveness and repentance. Our faith is not about pointing fingers in order to make ourselves feel superior. It is about the recognition that we all sin and that none of us is righteous. The President is not perfect but neither are we.
What we do understand is that under democrats our faith will be in danger. They will move to shut us out of the public square because they are no friend of the Christian Faith or anyone who professes a belief in God. Today’s Christians are very similar to those that came her seeking religious freedom long ago. It is not intention to impose our beliefs on anyone else, but we do expect to be able to worship without government breathing down our backs. We expect our beliefs to be respected and not subject to government regulations.
Evangelicals love this country because we are free to worship here. We believe the Judeo-Christian values that were the basis of our founding should not be discarded. They have served us well and we will not allow the democrats to rewrite the history that served as a guiding philosophy that created this wonderful experiment of ours. While we may not agree on every point of doctrine, on the big issues we are united. No President in modern history has done more to assure that our founding remains rooted in accuracy and our religious freedoms are affirmed. This is a belief that many people have, not only Christians. Democrats have made a grave error in their treatment of Christians. It is going to cost them at the ballot box. Count on it.
60 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
MickTurn 12/23/2019 7:24:48 AM (No. 269630)
TDS, Hmmm, does that mean Total Dog Schiff?
5 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
JrSample 12/23/2019 7:54:28 AM (No. 269664)
Christian Evangelical support for Trump can easily be explained: his opponent.
Trump was running against Hillary Clinton, not RC Sproul. The editorial writer pretended that she is some paragon of moral virtue. She moved far to the left embracing outlandish policies (ex. repealing the Hyde Amendment) that quashed any chance of appealing to moderate republicans or conservative Christians.
14 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
franq 12/23/2019 8:03:56 AM (No. 269679)
Christians should be engaged, not pretenders. The Babylon Bee is successful because it points out the inconsistencies of both sides, but mostly the left. Smiling and saying, "can't we all just coexist?" will not get us to the Promised Land.
7 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Kafka2 12/23/2019 8:39:14 AM (No. 269705)
Evangelical Christianity is a movement within Protestant Christianity which maintains the belief that the essence of the Gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace, solely through faith in Jesus's atonement for our sins.
The beliefs any Evangelicals have about subjects like sports, politics, or bird watching is not part of Evangelicalism.
14 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
rsgonner 12/23/2019 8:53:38 AM (No. 269722)
An extremely interesting article....but not for the reasons in its title. The author is apparently as mystified by who Evangelicals really are as is Mark Galli. I have no doubt that at its inception, CT was aimed at professing Evangelicals. However, it has become a magazine for elitists--those who, as Mark Galli wrote in the book, "Still Evangelical?" a year ago, imagine those who support Trump as those who "often haven’t finished college, and if they have jobs (and apparently most of them don’t), they are blue collar jobs or entry level work." Sounds a lot like Clinton's basketful of deplorables, doesn't it?
In those comments, and in the referenced editorial, Galli seems to confuse "knowing about God" with "knowing God". One only has to look at the original Christians--many of whom were fisherman and those who had at the time "blue collar jobs or entry level work"--to see the error in that judgment.
I will not presume to judge whether Galli actually knows God or just a lot about God, but I am convinced he knows nothing about Evangelicals. There is absolutely nothing elitist about being an Evangelical. As a matter of fact, that is an oxymoron. Just take it from the teachings of the Founder of Christianity. It is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago. A degree in theology is not necessary. Having the faith of a little child is.
19 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 12/23/2019 9:32:57 AM (No. 269778)
I think what bothers me most about Christianity Astray is that they are exploiting the memory of a good man to push their hate and resentment. Billy Graham knew his Bible and he would have some very choice words for those who try and use his name to push their hate. Good on Franklin for coming out swinging in defense of his father and Trump. All the numpties at this publication need to do is read their Bible and see what kind of people God called friend or man after God's heart. For the heart is where it all happens. Trump has the biggest God heart I have ever seen. Are these people going to condemn Jesus next for choosing to associate with sinners
and prostitutes? For that is what they are doing when they accuse Trump of various 'sins'.
10 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 12/23/2019 9:34:57 AM (No. 269780)
Kind of a weird article. NR on its last legs, too?
6 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
msjena 12/23/2019 10:22:12 AM (No. 269852)
Evangelicals are non-denominational Christians who believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and the only authority, and that Jesus died for the sins of mankind and offers eternal life to all who accept forgiveness through belief in Him. The term evangelical is used because of Jesus's command to spread the gospel throughout the world. There are evangelicals of all races and ethnicities and some are even Democrats. But the hostility that the liberals and Democrats have to believing Christians drives most evangelicals away. Good on Galli if he had reconcile his open dislike for Trump with the alternative.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
jacksin5 12/23/2019 10:48:37 AM (No. 269878)
Living by the tenets and morals put forth in the Holy Bible is a form of Evangelism. I believe living the Bible has a greater effect on others than simply preaching the Bible.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
fairplay 12/23/2019 12:31:09 PM (No. 269946)
Soros supports "Christianity Today"!
2 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 12/23/2019 12:35:31 PM (No. 269947)
George Soros controls "Christianity Today" as part of his globalist dream to destroy traditional cultures and faiths - exchanging them with his One World ideal of universal slavery to the "one true leader" - him, or his progeny.
Deport Soros 2020
3 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
kono 12/23/2019 12:47:04 PM (No. 269956)
The tit-for-tat continues as Left and Right try to fracture each other's traditional voting blocs, while desperately trying to hold their own intact Like a game of political demolition derby, or a couple of rivals swinging hammers at each other in a china shop they share...
Who's going to clean up the mess they leave behind when they're done?
1 person likes this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Luandir 12/23/2019 12:55:24 PM (No. 269960)
CT is following the drift of the Establishment denominations into social-justice relativism. Not surprising.
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 12/23/2019 1:42:07 PM (No. 269993)
#17 is correct. It's also pretty insidious. I have seen in my UMC. Looks like we are heading for a split.
0 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Faithfully 12/23/2019 4:34:43 PM (No. 270062)
The problem is the new U.S. Christianity of "Once saved, always saved" means these monsters can do what they want without Godly retribution.
0 people like this.
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