I tend to define "evangelicalism" in the historical sense, looking at America's history of revivals, and the way that both the politically right-leaning evangelical movement and the politically left-leaning "social justice Christian" movement rose out of a frustration with the seeming pallor of the (for that time) normal, confession-based Christianity. (Confession as in, "if you're in this denomination then you're agreeing with these basic doctrinal statements," whether that's the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the Augsburg Confessions.) There was a sense that people had to be more involved, and that meant both making sure people believed things fervently and that they were putting that faith into practice. Both trends, really, are actively trying to transform the world.
Aside from the more reformed, "making a choice for Jesus" stuff that can often crop up in evangelicalism, my main problem with it is that the focus becomes so much on faith, the strength of said faith, and the objects of said faith, that there's a real danger of... well, putting your faith in faith rather than your faith in Jesus. I think that's why "Mountain Dew churches" are so strongly associated with evangelical church bodies, because their focus is a) on getting as many butts in the seats as possible, sometimes without explaining to them exactly what you believe and why, and b) making sure that the congregation FEELS Christian enough because they've gotten a nice spiritual high...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 06:05 pm (UTC)Aside from the more reformed, "making a choice for Jesus" stuff that can often crop up in evangelicalism, my main problem with it is that the focus becomes so much on faith, the strength of said faith, and the objects of said faith, that there's a real danger of... well, putting your faith in faith rather than your faith in Jesus. I think that's why "Mountain Dew churches" are so strongly associated with evangelical church bodies, because their focus is a) on getting as many butts in the seats as possible, sometimes without explaining to them exactly what you believe and why, and b) making sure that the congregation FEELS Christian enough because they've gotten a nice spiritual high...
...even if they haven't gotten as much substance.