Evangelicalism is variously defined by various people. I define it as
the religion of Trinitarian Bible-believers who glory in Christ’s Cross
as the only source of peace with God and seek to share their faith with
others; and I note that in the West (to look no further) evangelicalism,
like Protestant liberalism, Roman Catholicism of all stripes, and
Eastern Orthodoxy, has a communal mindset of its own. Factors shaping
that mindset during the past half-century include the dogmatic,
devotional, apologetic and activist nurture given in evangelical
churches and parachurch movements; the reading matter (books, journals,
magazines) that evangelicals produce for each other; the feeling of
superior faithfulness to the Bible, its God and its Christ, which
evangelical institutions cultivate; a sense of being threatened by the
big battalions of the liberal Protestant, Roman Catholic, and American
secular establishments, leading to bluster when these ideological power
bases are discussed; a passion for effective evangelism; and an
idealizing of scholars and leaders as gurus, whence a sense of betrayal
and outrage surfaces if any of these are felt to be stepping out of
line. Within the distinctive corporate identity of evangelicalism an
awareness of privilege and vocation, a siege mentality, a low flashpoint
in debate, a certain verbal violence, and a tendency to shoot our own
wounded — all obtrude.
Whether the movement’s recent recovery of confidence and burgeoning intellectual life1
are mellowing this raw mindset is not yet clear; certainly, however,
the rigidities hinted at above have been apparent as evangelicals have
intramurally debated annihilationism during the past ten years. Keep Reading...
