Let's Stop Stereotyping Evangelicals

[NewJersey]

Yep, I agree with this. There are many christians, even some who are evangelical christians. who are fine, moral, upstanding people who truly embody the love and life of christ. Sadly they are usually outshouted and overshadowed by the wackier and more extreme elements of the religion.

to all our non-wacky christians.

Two thumbs up!

 

[Aidensmom]

First, I just wanted to say that it is great to finally see what Joy looks like! (I remembered what Mike looks like from a picture he used to have in his sig.)

Now...on to the topic. Sorry if I am throwing in a more serious post, but I just want to give my thoughts on the original post.

I consider myself evangelical, not as a denomination or member of a group, but in that I don't make it a secret I am a Christian, and I will talk about Christianity to anyone that has an interest.

The one thing, though, that I really don't get that I read a lot here on this board is about these people that are supposedly in power and are my leaders. Many discussions I have been in here have had at least one person tell me that MY leaders are doing such and such. Well, I have to say, MY leader is God, not a human being. I don't watch any of those TV shows or listen to the radio programs, etc. To me, there is no 'power' over me, and I really am not sure exactly what it is I am supposed to be doing to change what these adults are choosing to do. It seems to me sometimes that these people have more "important" in the lives of non-Christians than in the lives of Christians, at least in the lives of Christians I personally know.

My church does not preach about anything political, and never talks about any of these people that are supposedly our leaders. I do think, however, that some people on this board (not necessarily on this thread) not only assume, but believe they are 100% correct, that my church does indeed exist for the sole purpose of politics and legislating religion. I do believe that is a stereotype some people hold.

I do realize that not all churches are like mine, heck, there are some people here who have told me I am not a real Christian, and I know there are some people in real life who believe I am too liberal of a Christian (not meant politically but in the fact I am not as 'strict' as some). But there are an awful lot of people whose beliefs are similar to mine, and as soon as we say we are Christian, the automatic assumption is that we are extreme right wing buzzkills hellbent on making everyone's lives miserable.

 

[Amity 3]

First, I just wanted to say that it is great to finally see what Joy looks like! (I remembered what Mike looks like from a picture he used to have in his sig.)

Now...on to the topic. Sorry if I am throwing in a more serious post, but I just want to give my thoughts on the original post.

I consider myself evangelical, not as a denomination or member of a group, but in that I don't make it a secret I am a Christian, and I will talk about Christianity to anyone that has an interest.

The one thing, though, that I really don't get that I read a lot here on this board is about these people that are supposedly in power and are my leaders. Many discussions I have been in here have had at least one person tell me that MY leaders are doing such and such. Well, I have to say, MY leader is God, not a human being. I don't watch any of those TV shows or listen to the radio programs, etc. To me, there is no 'power' over me, and I really am not sure exactly what it is I am supposed to be doing to change what these adults are choosing to do. It seems to me sometimes that these people have more "important" in the lives of non-Christians than in the lives of Christians, at least in the lives of Christians I personally know.

My church does not preach about anything political, and never talks about any of these people that are supposedly our leaders. I do think, however, that some people on this board (not necessarily on this thread) not only assume, but believe they are 100% correct, that my church does indeed exist for the sole purpose of politics and legislating religion. I do believe that is a stereotype some people hold.

I do realize that not all churches are like mine, heck, there are some people here who have told me I am not a real Christian, and I know there are some people in real life who believe I am too liberal of a Christian (not meant politically but in the fact I am not as 'strict' as some). But there are an awful lot of people whose beliefs are similar to mine, and as soon as we say we are Christian, the automatic assumption is that we are extreme right wing buzzkills hellbent on making everyone's lives miserable.

religion is intangible, it's just a thought process. church is supposed to be a club where you go to share the same thoughts as those who think along the same lines.

somewhere along the way it moved from a private belief into something you could go and practice in public and force onto others without fear of retaliation.

now, it's platform for voting or suicide bombing.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I've posted some pix of me before. Since others are showing their faces, I'll show another one of me. This was taken on my b-day on 8/1.

 

[WDWHound]

religion is intangible, it's just a thought process. church is supposed to be a club where you go to share the same thoughts as those who think along the same lines.

somewhere along the way it moved from a private belief into something you could go and practice in public and force onto others without fear of retaliation.

now, it's platform for voting or suicide bombing.

Thats an interesting defintion of Church, and it maybe accurate for some faiths or denominations. If you don't mind, let me share with you my definion of the Chrirstian Church, which is (not surprisingly) very close to the understanding of the Methodist and most other Protestant denominations.

The Church is the Body of Christ. It exists, not just as a "club" where members share a common beleif, but as a means of sharing goods love on earth. Becuase each of us has different spiritual gifts, we understand that only as the church can we bring those gifts together into one body to serve God and our fellow man. Alone, our gifts, talents and abilities are limited, so they ways in which we can help others is limited. Together, we combine our gifts talents and abilities to help others, to support each other and to share Gods love with every one.

That said, it should be noted that the Protestant understanding of the Church means the all Christians everywhere, regardless of denomination or local church affiliation. This mean all Christian should work together to love and help others together, teach each other and worship God together. Christianity was never meant to be a solo experience. Each of us is a only a part of the Body of Christ. Alone we loss so much of our potential. Yes, We are called to times of solitude, but we are also called to combine our gifts, to come together as the church. As in everything else, its a matter of balance.

These ideas are not new. The idea of the church being the Body of Christ come's from Pauls teachings on spiritual gifts. Jesus' 2 mentions of the Church in Matthew also tell us that he saw the Church as a needed element. It is not new. It has always been a cornerstone of Christian thought. Many people distrust organized religions and churches, but I beleive they are necessary, for they are the most reliable way we have found to come together to become the Body of Christ.

As I understand it, this is what most Christian Churches teach today. Nothing about force or public displays (though that does happen in some cases), but just an understand that God meant us to share our gifts in commmunity with each other.

 

[Saxsoon]

I am a United Methodist, and I would say, if my youth group is any indication, a Evangelical branch of Christianity. At least my at my church, to us, faith without works is pointless, they both need to work together to mean something. So we do those works in the name of God. I know if someone told me to shut it, I would without thinking twice. Though, on the hot topic issues, they aren't discussed, and if they are, I probably missed them.

 

[WDWHound]

As long as we are sharing pictures, this was me 4 years ago at Disneyland (sunburned and with a bad haircut).

 

[ead79]

Hey y'all. It's great to see some folks that I haven't seen for a while here (hi Don!) plus all the regulars.

I too have often felt that I'm painted with the same broad brush and lumped into groups with the likes of Pat Robertson. There aren't words to express how angry he makes me, and I'll gladly tell that to anyone who will listen, LOL! But then I realize that many non-Christians probably also feel lumped into a group and judged too. I think it's something we should all be aware of and guard against.

I agree with Aidensmom too--Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and the like are NOT my leaders. God is my leader. In every circle I know, those tv evangelists are looked at with great disdain and anger. I don't know what more I can do personally to try to show that we are not all like those men other than to act differently than they do and speak out against them.

Speaking of stereotypes, I can speak to the one that probably hurts me the most. I would say that it's the assumption that some people make that I haven't fully and rationally thought out my choice to believe. Sometimes I feel like evangelical Christians are thought to be folks who just "leave their brains at the door" and go on into church. While my beliefs are based on my own faith and experience, I have absolutely thought them through and examined them critically. I realize that many people have examined their beliefs and choose not to have the same faith as I do, and that's certainly their choice to make for themselves.

I have a picture of myself in my signature, but here's a little bit bigger one:

 

[Amity 3]

Thats an interesting defintion of Church, and it maybe accurate for some faiths or denominations. If you don't mind, let me share with you my definion of the Chrirstian Church, which is (not surprisingly) very close to the understanding of the Methodist and most other Protestant denominations.

The Church is the Body of Christ. It exists, not just as a "club" where members share a common beleif, but as a means of sharing goods love on earth. Becuase each of us has different spiritual gifts, we understand that only as the church can we bring those gifts together into one body to serve God and our fellow man. Alone, our gifts, talents and abilities are limited, so they ways in which we can help others is limited. Together, we combine our gifts talents and abilities to help others, to support each other and to share Gods love with every one.

That said, it should be noted that the Protestant understanding of the Church means the all Christians everywhere, regardless of denomination or local church affiliation. This mean all Christian should work together to love and help others together, teach each other and worship God together. Christianity was never meant to be a solo experience. Each of us is a only a part of the Body of Christ. Alone we loss so much of our potential. Yes, We are called to times of solitude, but we are also called to combine our gifts, to come together as the church. As in everything else, its a matter of balance.

These ideas are not new. The idea of the church being the Body of Christ come's from Pauls teachings on spiritual gifts. Jesus' 2 mentions of the Church in Matthew also tell us that he saw the Church as a needed element. It is not new. It has always been a cornerstone of Christian thought. Many people distrust organized religions and churches, but I beleive they are necessary, for they are the most reliable way we have found to come together to become the Body of Christ.

As I understand it, this is what most Christian Churches teach today. Nothing about force or public displays (though that does happen in some cases), but just an understand that God meant us to share our gifts in commmunity with each other.

all said, it still sounds like a club.

 

[LukenDC]

The one thing, though, that I really don't get that I read a lot here on this board is about these people that are supposedly in power and are my leaders. Many discussions I have been in here have had at least one person tell me that MY leaders are doing such and such. Well, I have to say, MY leader is God, not a human being.

I understand your frustration and recognize that the leaders of conservative religious political organizations do not represent all evangelicals. However, people like Pat Robertson and James Dobson claim to represent evangelical Christians and that is what contributes to the confusion among non-Christians. Heck, Robertson even named his political organization the Christian Coalition. It reminds me of how they claim to support "family values," yet do not espouse values held by my family.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell et al. have absolutely no leadership over me. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Aidensmom summed it up better than I ever could.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Showing off my ignorance again...

What is the difference between regular old Christians and evangelical Christians?

And, Amity, church was never a club. It's not like the flippin VFW. It's a place to go and gain strength and peace, for those who get things like that there. Also a place to go for weekly fufillment of rule #3 of the Top Ten.

 

[Amity 3]

Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell et al. have absolutely no leadership over me. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Aidensmom summed it up better than I ever could.

so why subscribe to a particular religion or it's teachings if all you need to do is read a Bible?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Christianity is not a solo religion. We are not called to a life of solitary navel-gazing, but rather a life of community and fellowship. If I'm left up to my own devices I make a pretty pitiful and challow Christian. I need others to teach me, hold me accountable, love me, rejoice with me, cry with me, chare my burdens etc. As a part of that I am being made whole.

 

[WDWHound]

Christianity is not a solo religion. We are not called to a life of solitary navel-gazing, but rather a life of community and fellowship. If I'm left up to my own devices I make a pretty pitiful and challow Christian. I need others to teach me, hold me accountable, love me, rejoice with me, cry with me, chare my burdens etc. As a part of that I am being made whole.

It took me 5 paragraphs, and you just said it better in 3 sentences. (Sigh) I really must learn ecomomy of phrase .

 

[Amity 3]

?
And, Amity, church was never a club. It's not like the flippin VFW. It's a place to go and gain strength and peace, for those who get things like that there. Also a place to go for weekly fufillment of rule #3 of the Top Ten.

science has outlawed that 'rule' already.

 

[Aidensmom]

I understand your frustration and recognize that the leaders of conservative religious political organizations do not represent all evangelicals. However, people like Pat Robertson and James Dobson claim to represent evangelical Christians and that is what contributes to the confusion among non-Christians. Heck, Robertson even named his political organization the Christian Coalition. It reminds me of how they claim to support "family values," yet do not espouse values held by my family.

It would help if people would remember that just because someone claims something, it doesn't necessarily make it true. The "power" that these people have is driven by the people that believe that claim.

 

[Amity 3]

It would help if people would remember that just because someone claims something, it doesn't necessarily make it true.

there are no truths in religion, only faith.

 

[LukenDC]

It would help if people would remember that just because someone claims something, it doesn't necessarily make it true. The "power" that these people have is driven by the people that believe that claim.

Well said. I have always been puzzled about the role of televangelists and pastors of "mega churches." They seem to develop a celebrity/cult status that takes the focus off of Christ. I know that is a big part of the reason why many evangelicals do not care for them.

 

[Aidensmom]

Christianity is not a solo religion. We are not called to a life of solitary navel-gazing, but rather a life of community and fellowship. If I'm left up to my own devices I make a pretty pitiful and challow Christian. I need others to teach me, hold me accountable, love me, rejoice with me, cry with me, chare my burdens etc. As a part of that I am being made whole.

I think that sums it up well. I don't believe church membership is a requirement of being a Christian, but it is a more difficult journey without it. It even comes in handy on these threads sometimes, I have emailed my pastor before (his wife is a good friend of mine) to ask him something someone has asked about on this board.