The OLD Philosopher – John M. Miller
Until the 1970s, there were essentially three types of Christians in the USA: Mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Evangelicals. All three Christian constituencies lived in relative peace and harmony with one another.
In Europe the word “Evangelical” (with a capital “E”) historically did not connote conservative Protestantism. Instead it simply referred to sixteenth and seventh century Protestantism. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in America, the Evangelical and Reformed Church traced its theological ancestry back to Zwingli and Calvin, and the Evangelical United Brethren traced themselves back to the European Anabaptist tradition. The E&Rs merged with the Congregationalists to form the United Church of Christ, and the EUBs merged with the Methodists to become the United Methodist Church. But few if any of the Christians in pre-20th century America perceived themselves to be conservative “born-again” Protestants. The merger which produced the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is not at all “evangelical” like the capital-C Evangelicals.
Furthermore, highly respected evangelical colleges a century ago did not see themselves as representing a superior version of Christianity, but rather as a distinct version. Wheaton College in Illinois and Calvin College in Grand Rapids promulgated a particular kind of Christianity, but in the early years they were not triumphalist. Fuller Seminary in California was always relatively conservative, but it was not at all “Evangelical” in the same way as the fundamentalist Dallas Seminary in Texas or the Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
In the 1970s the Moral Majority, founded by Jerry Falwell, came on strong, and Evangelicals became not only a more recognizable religious force but also a political one as well. Mainline Protestantism began an undeniable decline, and Evangelicals experienced a major growth spurt. Roman Catholicism also grew, but primarily because of Latinos moving into the nation in large numbers.
As Evangelical influence increased, they began to make pronouncements as though they were speaking on behalf of all Christians. Back when it was acceptable to disparage homosexuality and same-sex relationships, many Evangelicals declared that “Christians” do not countenance such behavior or individuals. In fact, many Christians then and now do not frown on same-sex relationships, but almost none of them are Evangelicals.
Evangelicals insisted that “Christians” are pro-life. In fact, many Christians are pro-choice. Politically, Evangelicals identified more and more with conservative Republican politics, implying that that is what “Christians” do.
Christians have always been unified on some issues but are noticeably diversified on other issues. Thus there is no “Christian” position on many facets of Christianity. For many contemporary Evangelicals, however, their position, in their minds, is the definitive Christian statement. It isn’t. It may be a definitive statement of a majority of Evangelicals, but it is not the official position of all Christians, because such a thing does not now exist nor has it ever existed. Christians are too disparate for all of us to agree on everything, or even perhaps anything.
Then how is it that Evangelicals believe they have come to represent “Christians” on matters that not all Christians espouse? Basically that is the result of the tendency of many Evangelicals to perceive themselves as right on all issues while they suppose the rest of us within Christianity may be wrong on many issues. Humility used to be an Evangelical trait; now hubris may have taken its place for millions of conservative Christians.
Most Evangelicals generally have more ideological oomph than most Roman Catholics or Mainline Protestants, but that does not mean they have garnered a copyright on the world “Christian.” We would appreciate it that they would not take the word “Christian” in vain.
John Miller is Pastor of The Chapel Without Walls on Hilton Head Island, SC. More of his writings may be viewed at www.chapelwithoutwalls.org.