Fundamentalist/Evangelical
August 16, 2008 4:41 AM Subscribe
What is the difference of belief system between conservative Christianity, evangical Christianity, and fundamentalism?
conservative Christianity
evangical Christianity
fundamentalism
posted by mpls2 at 4:54 AM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]
evangical Christianity
fundamentalism
posted by mpls2 at 4:54 AM on August 16, 2008 [1 favorite]
Fundamentalists believe that the following tenets are vital to Christian doctrine: Biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth of Jesus, his sacrificial death on the cross, his bodily resurrection, and his second coming. They believe that all true Christians hold to those five basic beliefs, and that anyone who doesn't accept all five isn't a real Christian.
Evangelicalism rests mainly on a view that sees the gospel as central to the Christian experience; the need to accept Jesus as your savior and have a changed life experience is considered the most important thing you can do. They tend to stress proselytization more than other sects of Christianity. There's usually quite a bit of overlap with fundamentalism here, but evangelicals are somewhat more likely to be a little more open-minded. Fundamentalism often carries with it the connotation of being more cut off from mainstream culture than evangelicalism.
Conservative Christianity is a broader term without as precise a definition, but generally implies churches who are socially conservative--no abortion, no gays, no women pastors. These overlap (a LOT) with fundamentalist and evangelical churches.
posted by EarBucket at 5:04 AM on August 16, 2008 [6 favorites]
Evangelicalism rests mainly on a view that sees the gospel as central to the Christian experience; the need to accept Jesus as your savior and have a changed life experience is considered the most important thing you can do. They tend to stress proselytization more than other sects of Christianity. There's usually quite a bit of overlap with fundamentalism here, but evangelicals are somewhat more likely to be a little more open-minded. Fundamentalism often carries with it the connotation of being more cut off from mainstream culture than evangelicalism.
Conservative Christianity is a broader term without as precise a definition, but generally implies churches who are socially conservative--no abortion, no gays, no women pastors. These overlap (a LOT) with fundamentalist and evangelical churches.
posted by EarBucket at 5:04 AM on August 16, 2008 [6 favorites]
My observation over the years has been that conservative Christianity is about proper behavior, evangelical Christianity is about spreading the gospels and gaining converts, and fundamentalist Christianity is about literal readings of the bible. They're not mutually exclusive though.
posted by headnsouth at 5:08 AM on August 16, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 5:08 AM on August 16, 2008 [3 favorites]
Actually, I don't know if this helps you or not, but Jerry Falwell was a fundamentalist, James Dobson is an evangelical. I know a lot of people don't seem much daylight between them, but in the evangelical church where I grew up, Falwell and Robertson were seen as pretty kooky, while Dobson was very well respected--to the point where his recent embrace of torture has honestly shocked me.
posted by EarBucket at 5:24 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 5:24 AM on August 16, 2008
Oh, one more. I know these are gross overgeneralizations, but they're the stereotypes that spring to mind: Fundamentalists carry a KJV Bible, evangelicals carry the NIV. Fundamentalists sing Rock Of Ages, evangelicals sing Awesome God. Fundamentalists walk like this, evangelicals walk like this.
posted by EarBucket at 5:45 AM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by EarBucket at 5:45 AM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
The main thrust of Fundamentalism is that the Bible is completely inerrant. Every single word is true. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You either believe it or you don't. There are a lot more tenets than what EarBucket listed that a Fundamentalist would have to believe such as the creation story and the miracles of Christ. When you believe the entire Bible is inerrant, you believe a lot of things.
From a Fundamentalist point of view, Evangelicals are more "liberal" even though they share the same core tenets as Fundamentalists. They use contemporary music and modern translations of the Bible in their worship services which to Fundamentalist is pretty terrible.
Conservative Christianity is really an umbrella term for, well, conservative Christians. From a Fundamentalist Christian point of view, a liberal Christian is someone who is Pro-Choice and Pro-Gay Rights. The beliefs of a conservative Christian are of course well known.
For a side by side comparison of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, check out Liberty University for the Evangelicals and Bob Jones University for the Fundamentalists. Check out their dress codes, their music styles and their core beliefs. It will give you a better understanding of the difference.
Note: I attend one of the universities listed above so I can pretty much answer any question you might have.
posted by bobber at 6:56 AM on August 16, 2008
From a Fundamentalist point of view, Evangelicals are more "liberal" even though they share the same core tenets as Fundamentalists. They use contemporary music and modern translations of the Bible in their worship services which to Fundamentalist is pretty terrible.
Conservative Christianity is really an umbrella term for, well, conservative Christians. From a Fundamentalist Christian point of view, a liberal Christian is someone who is Pro-Choice and Pro-Gay Rights. The beliefs of a conservative Christian are of course well known.
For a side by side comparison of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, check out Liberty University for the Evangelicals and Bob Jones University for the Fundamentalists. Check out their dress codes, their music styles and their core beliefs. It will give you a better understanding of the difference.
Note: I attend one of the universities listed above so I can pretty much answer any question you might have.
posted by bobber at 6:56 AM on August 16, 2008
Well, there is a MUCH broader spectrum of conservative versus liberal politics and practices in the evangelical community than the above answers would lead you to believe. My group of evangelical friends thinks that Falwell AND Dobson are kooks, while Jim Wallis is very well respected (God's Politics, Sojourner's). We also strongly support women pastors, radical acceptance of different sexual orientations, and social justice.
The conservatives and Fundamentalists believe that we progressives and "red letter Christians" are going to hell. But we all worship under the evangelical tent.
posted by jeanmari at 7:43 AM on August 16, 2008
The conservatives and Fundamentalists believe that we progressives and "red letter Christians" are going to hell. But we all worship under the evangelical tent.
posted by jeanmari at 7:43 AM on August 16, 2008
Yes, definitely, there's a large contingent of more liberal evangelicals--Jim Wallis is a good example, as is Rich Warren, who's hosting Obama and McCain at his church this evening. I would say, though, that they're (unfortunately) in the minority among evangelicals, although there does seem to have been more movement in that direction in recent years.
posted by EarBucket at 7:48 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 7:48 AM on August 16, 2008
If this helps, my (outsider) understanding is that a big part of many Evangelical's faith is a personal relationship with God. More so than with fundamentalist or mainline Christians.
posted by lunasol at 9:32 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by lunasol at 9:32 AM on August 16, 2008
Fundamentalists believe that the following tenets are vital to Christian doctrine: Biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth of Jesus, his sacrificial death on the cross, his bodily resurrection, and his second coming. They believe that all true Christians hold to those five basic beliefs, and that anyone who doesn't accept all five isn't a real Christian.
Actually, all evangelicals beleive these things as well. Both Evangelicals and Fundamentalist understand the Bible to be divinly inspired and inerrant. But Evangelicals interpret the Bible with a much more sophisticated hermenutic - meaning they tend to consider things such as genre and cultural context when trying to understand the Bible, whereas fundamentalists tend to read things more literally.
As an example, many evangelicals have no problem with topics such as evolution, for examples, whereas fundamentalists pretty much hold to a strict young earth creationist docterine.
posted by jpdoane at 9:57 AM on August 16, 2008
Actually, all evangelicals beleive these things as well. Both Evangelicals and Fundamentalist understand the Bible to be divinly inspired and inerrant. But Evangelicals interpret the Bible with a much more sophisticated hermenutic - meaning they tend to consider things such as genre and cultural context when trying to understand the Bible, whereas fundamentalists tend to read things more literally.
As an example, many evangelicals have no problem with topics such as evolution, for examples, whereas fundamentalists pretty much hold to a strict young earth creationist docterine.
posted by jpdoane at 9:57 AM on August 16, 2008
Ah, one more thing about the spectrum of evangelicals as I experience it. The fundamentalists that I know are NOT okay with doubt. They are relatively literal in their interpretation of the Gospels and associated texts. I can't imagine many fundamentalists being okay with doubt and questions that can't be answered clearly.
As a progressive Christian, I view doubt as part and parcel with my faith. I am always questioning and feel encouraged to question. As jpdonae mentioned, I believe wholeheartedly in evolution and science in general, and I am very comfortable with the tension that this sometimes creates with the text of the Old Testament, etc. I'm also very comfortable with others holding differing beliefs (or no beliefs at all) and I don't consider my beliefs as better than anyone else's as I believe pretty strongly that everyone is free to choose their own path in life. But that last point could just be me. :)
posted by jeanmari at 11:34 AM on August 16, 2008
As a progressive Christian, I view doubt as part and parcel with my faith. I am always questioning and feel encouraged to question. As jpdonae mentioned, I believe wholeheartedly in evolution and science in general, and I am very comfortable with the tension that this sometimes creates with the text of the Old Testament, etc. I'm also very comfortable with others holding differing beliefs (or no beliefs at all) and I don't consider my beliefs as better than anyone else's as I believe pretty strongly that everyone is free to choose their own path in life. But that last point could just be me. :)
posted by jeanmari at 11:34 AM on August 16, 2008
They're really overlapping categories.
Fundamentalist describes a christian, a church or a denomination that derives it's statement of faith from a movement that started near the beginning of the 20th century among mostly southern protestant churches. These churches were worried about the creeping secularism and ideas like evolution and the "social gospel" that were becoming predominant in the "old line" churches that were centered mostly in the north east. They made a manifesto of sorts that outlined core beliefs they wouldn't bend on, including: the inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ and the reality of Christ's miracles.
Evangelicalism is another separate but not exclusive movement that most "fundamentalist" christians would ascribe to as well. It has the same basic doctrinal beliefs, but gives more emphasis to the conversion experience as it's defining distinction. Evangelicals also tend to associate cross-denominationally, while fundamentalist groups tend to fellowship within defined denominations. This wouldn't be an effect of doctrine, but more an effect of the historical period in which they were ascendant and the regional/cultural habits of the members.
The distinction between the two is mostly a matter of emphasis and marketing, much like the difference between pentecostals and charismatics. The fundamentalist brand was a bit tarnished and couldn't penetrate new markets like the west and north east due to the associations with southern style protestantism.
A Christian that describes him or herself as evangelical or fundamentalist would usually be described as conservative. They are definitely conservative in their theology (ascribing to the fundamentals above) and, more as an accident of history, typically be conservative politically.
Outside of these movements, in the US at least, you would find the mainline protestants (Episcopalians, UCC, Presbyterians), some pentecostal groups, some historically black denominations and the outliers like Unitarians, Christian Scientists and Mormons.
Most of the TV preachers you see would describe themselves as evangelicals, if they're southern they might be comfortable with fundamentalist.
So, in summary:
Fundamentalism describes the doctrine.
Evangelicalism describes the marketing.
Conservative can be used to describe the doctrine (almost always) and politics (in the last 20 years almost always.)
posted by muddylemon at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
Fundamentalist describes a christian, a church or a denomination that derives it's statement of faith from a movement that started near the beginning of the 20th century among mostly southern protestant churches. These churches were worried about the creeping secularism and ideas like evolution and the "social gospel" that were becoming predominant in the "old line" churches that were centered mostly in the north east. They made a manifesto of sorts that outlined core beliefs they wouldn't bend on, including: the inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ and the reality of Christ's miracles.
Evangelicalism is another separate but not exclusive movement that most "fundamentalist" christians would ascribe to as well. It has the same basic doctrinal beliefs, but gives more emphasis to the conversion experience as it's defining distinction. Evangelicals also tend to associate cross-denominationally, while fundamentalist groups tend to fellowship within defined denominations. This wouldn't be an effect of doctrine, but more an effect of the historical period in which they were ascendant and the regional/cultural habits of the members.
The distinction between the two is mostly a matter of emphasis and marketing, much like the difference between pentecostals and charismatics. The fundamentalist brand was a bit tarnished and couldn't penetrate new markets like the west and north east due to the associations with southern style protestantism.
A Christian that describes him or herself as evangelical or fundamentalist would usually be described as conservative. They are definitely conservative in their theology (ascribing to the fundamentals above) and, more as an accident of history, typically be conservative politically.
Outside of these movements, in the US at least, you would find the mainline protestants (Episcopalians, UCC, Presbyterians), some pentecostal groups, some historically black denominations and the outliers like Unitarians, Christian Scientists and Mormons.
Most of the TV preachers you see would describe themselves as evangelicals, if they're southern they might be comfortable with fundamentalist.
So, in summary:
Fundamentalism describes the doctrine.
Evangelicalism describes the marketing.
Conservative can be used to describe the doctrine (almost always) and politics (in the last 20 years almost always.)
posted by muddylemon at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
It may also help to explore the meaning of the word evangelical, which has a few nuanced meanings that rely on context for interpretation.
Evangelical: [Low L. evangelicus, from evangelium, the gospel; Gr. well, good, to announce.] The origins of the word are in the term "Good News" which refers to the Gospels. The Gospels are the New Testament, the books of the Bible written before the birth of Christ are the Old Testament. Thus, evangelical, strictly speaking, the term refers to anything that is contained in the four gospels in the New Testament, or to the Protestant churches that emphasize salvation by faith rather than good works.
You can be evangelical about something other than religion because the general word also describes someone who is ardently enthusiastic about a cause.
Evangelical was a term also used to describe Protestants (as opposed to Catholics) after the Reformation.
Some evangelicals believe that you must witness your faith to others in a very obvious way, give testimony, and try to convert as many non-Christians as you can to the Christian faith. But some do not see this as central to their faith or even as something that they themselves would be comfortable with.
Some evangelicals believe in infant baptism and some do not.
Etc.
There are a lot of nuanced differences in how this stuff plays out beyond the basic "emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual."
posted by jeanmari at 11:53 AM on August 16, 2008
Evangelical: [Low L. evangelicus, from evangelium, the gospel; Gr. well, good, to announce.] The origins of the word are in the term "Good News" which refers to the Gospels. The Gospels are the New Testament, the books of the Bible written before the birth of Christ are the Old Testament. Thus, evangelical, strictly speaking, the term refers to anything that is contained in the four gospels in the New Testament, or to the Protestant churches that emphasize salvation by faith rather than good works.
You can be evangelical about something other than religion because the general word also describes someone who is ardently enthusiastic about a cause.
Evangelical was a term also used to describe Protestants (as opposed to Catholics) after the Reformation.
Some evangelicals believe that you must witness your faith to others in a very obvious way, give testimony, and try to convert as many non-Christians as you can to the Christian faith. But some do not see this as central to their faith or even as something that they themselves would be comfortable with.
Some evangelicals believe in infant baptism and some do not.
Etc.
There are a lot of nuanced differences in how this stuff plays out beyond the basic "emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual."
posted by jeanmari at 11:53 AM on August 16, 2008
It is never a given that an Evangelical Christian is conservative politically. Never has been. As much as certain conservative groups would like you to believe. The different generations of Evangelical Christians that I personally know have been deeply concerned with civil rights, have been anti-war though many wars, dedicated to ending poverty, committed to social justice and human rights issues, and so on through the 1960s until now. These are not popular issues for conservative politicians or voters.
posted by jeanmari at 12:19 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by jeanmari at 12:19 PM on August 16, 2008
But someone who is a self-described evangelical has been far more likely to be politically conservative than not over the past few decades--80% of evangelicals voted for Bush, after all.
posted by EarBucket at 1:06 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 1:06 PM on August 16, 2008
Earbucket--please cite your sources.
I'm pointing out that Fundamentalists and Political Conservatives have a lot in common and there is more of a spectrum in the Evangelical Christian community than many people realize.
posted by jeanmari at 1:17 PM on August 16, 2008
I'm pointing out that Fundamentalists and Political Conservatives have a lot in common and there is more of a spectrum in the Evangelical Christian community than many people realize.
posted by jeanmari at 1:17 PM on August 16, 2008
It LOOKS like you might be referring to a Pew Research Center statistic. Yes? (It's hard to tell, since you did not cite a source, but a Google search.)
I found this Pew study citing estimates of who might vote for either candidate in 2000, 2004 and 2008. This study examines the votes of WHITE evangelicals (which is very different than all evangelicals as you'll see). Unfortunately, the media seems to tend to refer to "evangelicals" when they really mean "white evangelicals". There are Asian, Hispanic and Black evangelicals too.
But I'm not finding a study that says that 80% of ALL evangelicals voted for Bush in 2000 or 2004. Or even a study that says of all evangelicals WHO VOTED at all, 80% voted for Bush. I'm not saying that study isn't out there. I'm just seeing a lot of media quotes but not the citation of the original research.
In any case, it looks like enough evangelicals do not reliably vote Republican (I'm talking about whites AND minorities here) to counter the impression that one can assume that evangelical= conservative.
posted by jeanmari at 2:49 PM on August 16, 2008
I found this Pew study citing estimates of who might vote for either candidate in 2000, 2004 and 2008. This study examines the votes of WHITE evangelicals (which is very different than all evangelicals as you'll see). Unfortunately, the media seems to tend to refer to "evangelicals" when they really mean "white evangelicals". There are Asian, Hispanic and Black evangelicals too.
But I'm not finding a study that says that 80% of ALL evangelicals voted for Bush in 2000 or 2004. Or even a study that says of all evangelicals WHO VOTED at all, 80% voted for Bush. I'm not saying that study isn't out there. I'm just seeing a lot of media quotes but not the citation of the original research.
In any case, it looks like enough evangelicals do not reliably vote Republican (I'm talking about whites AND minorities here) to counter the impression that one can assume that evangelical= conservative.
posted by jeanmari at 2:49 PM on August 16, 2008
If you'd like more specific data, the Barna Group is really the go-to place for polling on religion. They define an evangelical this way:
“Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church they attend. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
By that definition, they find that 8% of American adults fit the definition of evangelical, and 78% describe themselves as politically conservative. 16% say they're moderates, and 1% describe themselves as liberal.
Again, I'm not saying there aren't any moderate or liberal evangelicals. If those numbers are right, there are about three million of them in the USA. But they're outnumbered by their more conservative brethren.
posted by EarBucket at 3:17 PM on August 16, 2008
“Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church they attend. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
By that definition, they find that 8% of American adults fit the definition of evangelical, and 78% describe themselves as politically conservative. 16% say they're moderates, and 1% describe themselves as liberal.
Again, I'm not saying there aren't any moderate or liberal evangelicals. If those numbers are right, there are about three million of them in the USA. But they're outnumbered by their more conservative brethren.
posted by EarBucket at 3:17 PM on August 16, 2008
Now, according to Barna, there are approximately another 80 million Christians in the country who qualify as "born-again" but not evangelical. These are slightly more likely to be registered as Democrats than as Republicans, so the terminology there may be what we're disagreeing about.
posted by EarBucket at 3:24 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 3:24 PM on August 16, 2008
80% of evangelicals voted for Bush, after all.
This figure comes from CNN's exit polling of the 2004 election.
(White) Evangelicals were Bush's 3rd or 4th strongest deme, after billionaires, Hassidic Jews, and "WalMart Shoppers".
posted by yort at 3:34 PM on August 16, 2008
This figure comes from CNN's exit polling of the 2004 election.
(White) Evangelicals were Bush's 3rd or 4th strongest deme, after billionaires, Hassidic Jews, and "WalMart Shoppers".
posted by yort at 3:34 PM on August 16, 2008
The Barna Group is not an independent entity, unfortunately, as it is run by George Barna, who is a conservative market researcher who has an agenda. So, I would take their statistics with a (very large) grain of salt. They are not without bias, and this has always been an issue with the credibility of the Barna Group.
Yort has it. The 80% number comes from exit polling by a media organization and there are questions whether exit poll sampling accurately predicts voter intent. In this case, let's say it did. That would mean that 80% of WHITE evangelicals voted for Bush in 2004. That's leaving out an awful lot of evangelicals.
I'm not arguing that there aren't more conservative evangelicals than liberal evangelicals. I'm arguing that the split is most likely not as extreme as some people--and the media--believe. To the chagrin of the George Barna's and James Dobson's of the world who would like to influence politics more.
posted by jeanmari at 3:50 PM on August 16, 2008
Yort has it. The 80% number comes from exit polling by a media organization and there are questions whether exit poll sampling accurately predicts voter intent. In this case, let's say it did. That would mean that 80% of WHITE evangelicals voted for Bush in 2004. That's leaving out an awful lot of evangelicals.
I'm not arguing that there aren't more conservative evangelicals than liberal evangelicals. I'm arguing that the split is most likely not as extreme as some people--and the media--believe. To the chagrin of the George Barna's and James Dobson's of the world who would like to influence politics more.
posted by jeanmari at 3:50 PM on August 16, 2008
Fair enough. I can't find any information on what percentage of non-white Christians identify as evangelical. I'd be interested to find out.
posted by EarBucket at 4:06 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 4:06 PM on August 16, 2008
All are arbitrary terms with no meaning created by non-Christians so that they can put Christians into boxes in their minds and prejudge them.
posted by Autarky at 4:46 PM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Autarky at 4:46 PM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
For posterity, here is an excellent radio interview between Terry Gross (Fresh Air) and Randell Balmer (Christianity Today) that explores the origins of Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, how they interacted/diverged/overlapped, how politics has affected both groups, and how both groups have affected politics.
posted by jeanmari at 7:54 PM on August 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jeanmari at 7:54 PM on August 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by snap_dragon at 4:43 AM on August 16, 2008