Evangelical

[mark kennedy]

I associate fundermental with foundation.

When building a house first the foundation/funderment is laid.

It has to be true and square, otherwise the building may end up like that tower, leaning tower of p-something.

There are usually five fundamentals; virgin birth, inerrancy of Scripture, final judgment... It's commonly believed that emphasizing the fundamentals of the faith is what sparks revivals. Evangelicals are a little different, they emphasis the whole testimony of Scripture including the Old Testament. Now certainly you can be both and the two are closely associated by discernibly different.

 

[hedrick]

I associate fundermental with foundation.

When building a house first the foundation/funderment is laid.

It has to be true and square, otherwise the building may end up like that tower, leaning tower of p-something.

This comes out of a conflict early in the 20th Cent between conservatives and liberals, specifically within the Presbyterian church, although similar conflicts were happening elsewhere. A set of books called "The Fundamentals" was published advocating the conservative position.

Wikipedia says "The term fundamentalism was coined by Baptist editor Curtis Lee Laws in 1920 to designate Protestants who were ready "to do battle royal for the fundamentals", apparently inspired by the books.

Of course if you accept their position, what they advocate actually is the foundation of Christianity.

 

[hedrick]

There are usually five fundamentals; virgin birth, inerrancy of Scripture, final judgment... It's commonly believed that emphasizing the fundamentals of the faith is what sparks revivals. Evangelicals are a little different, they emphasis the whole testimony of Scripture including the Old Testament. Now certainly you can be both and the two are closely associated by discernibly different.

The list (from Wikipedia) is

• The inerrancy of the Bible
• The literal nature of the biblical accounts, especially regarding Christ's miracles and the Creation account in Genesis
• The virgin birth of Christ
• The bodily resurrection and physical return of Christ
• The substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross

That's a commonly quoted list, but this article has the table of contents of the original Fundamentals: The Fundamentals - Wikipedia. You'll see that there are more items.

 

[mkgal1]

There's always been a spectrum among evangelicals. Both Billy and Franklin are within the traditional spectrum. I'm not sure it indicates a change.

What that article was pointing out is the change from Billy Graham's willingness to engage with all political parties - and NOT identify personally with any particular party - in efforts to not exclude. Today - in America - "Evangelical" = Republican. Billy Graham was against a marriage of religion and political party.
Google Image Result for https://www.snopes.com/tachyon/2018/01/billy-graham-meme.jpg

 

[WolfGate]

"Evangelical" is a word with 2 meanings these days at least in the US. There are those who are theologically evangelical. Theological Evangelicals span the spectrum of Christianity on most issues, with commons tenants around a high view of scripture, focus on the gospel message including individual choice to accept, and reaching the lost. They may be 5 point Calvinists though Armenian, span denominations from Pentecostal to Baptist to Lutheran to Catholic...

The other meaning is the commonly seen in media "politically evangelical". They tend to be theologically conservative and heavily engaged in conservative political issues. JMHO, but I think many of their leaders have fallen into sin of choosing political influence over doing the work Jesus commanded.

I have been theologically evangelical for years. I was head of an Evangelical Free Church of America congregation that was culturally diverse and apolitical as a church but had members spanning the political spectrum. However, while my theology has not changed, I do not call myself "evangelical" because the political evangelical meaning is all most people now know and what they assume when they hear "evangelical".

 

[WolfGate]

What that article was pointing out is the change from Billy Graham's willingness to engage with all political parties - and NOT identify personally with any particular party - in efforts to not exclude. Today - in America - "Evangelical" = Republican.

Absolutely. Haven't read the article, but without doubt there has been a change in the Graham family from Billy (who I respect tremendously) to his son (who I believe has abdicated the calling he claimed to have).

 

[mkgal1]

Better than Trumpburgers? Haha.

Just kidding.

Trump serves "hamberders" not hamburgers.


Google Image Result for https://peopledotcom.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/donald-trump-tweet.jpg

 

[Robban]

Well, if the rightwing "Evangelicals" are going to continue with their phoney prophecies, of regime change and destruction,

And "It,s time for him to go" dramatizing,

Something will have to give.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Better than Trumpburgers? Haha.

Just kidding.

You mean hamberders.

 

[Robban]

You mean hamberders.

He would make a great telegrafist.

Or rather not the kind of person one would want as telegrafist.

 

[FireDragon76]

Billy Graham and John Stott co-opted the meaning of this term after WWII, to describe their brand of revivalism. Originally, Evangelical was a term devised by Martin Luther to describe his religious reform movement. It means our message or proclamation is centered on the good news of the redemption of the world in Jesus Christ, in contradistinction to the Roman Catholic emphasis on their religious hierarchy.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Billy Graham and John Stott co-opted the meaning of this term after WWII, to describe their brand of revivalism. Originally, Evangelical was a term devised by Martin Luther to describe his religious reform movement. It means our message or proclamation is centered on the good news of the redemption of the world in Jesus Christ, in contradistinction to the Roman Catholic emphasis on their religious hierarchy.

Yeah, the term "evangelisch" still means "(Lutheran) protestant" around here, whereas the re-patriated "Evangelikal" denotes (American) fundamentalist churches most often categorized by literalism, creationism, homophobia and far-right political agendas (just to mention a few) .

 

[Zoness]

The term may have many uses but my mind always jumps to it's meaning as conservative to fundamentalist Protestants. Even if used in conjunction with things like "evangelical Catholic" I picture a more conservative (theologically) than average Catholic. It's meaning as a political identifier is very ingrained in our society.

 

[FireDragon76]

Originally, modern Evangelicals were simply fundamentalist Protestants who were willing to engage with liberal Christians and the outside world. Billy Graham first used the term to distinguish his brand of religion from old-time fundamentalism. He was willing to associate with theological liberals in a way that Fundamentalists would not traditionally have done so.

Now days, the term has come to mean a socially conservative, white, Protestant Christians who usually hold fundamentalist attitudes towards their religion.

 

[WolfGate]

Originally, modern Evangelicals were simply fundamentalist Protestants who were willing to engage with liberal Christians and the outside world. Billy Graham first used the term to distinguish his brand of religion from old-time fundamentalism. He was willing to associate with theological liberals in a way that Fundamentalists would not traditionally have done so.

Now days, the term has come to mean a socially conservative, white, Protestant Christians who usually hold fundamentalist attitudes towards their religion.

I guess that timeline hinges on what is meant by "modern". Evangelicalism (started 18th century) preceded fundamentalism which separated out of evangelicalism in early 20th century as a response to concerns over liberal theology in some of the mainline Protestant churches. The Great Awakening revival movements in the US and Britain during the 1700s - 1900s is generally considered the birth of theological evangelicalism.

The political definition is a different matter and a much newer adaptation. That does encompass political conservatives though not necessarily fundamentalists.

 

[Robban]

I suppose it would be too far fetched to suggest that evangelium could also mean message.

If angel is a messenger, then ev-angel-ium could be seen as message
It woiuld mean,
the message according to Matthew etc.

In which case evangelical would lose it,s meaning.

 

[FireDragon76]

The term evangelion is Greek in origin, and it refers to not just any message, but it refers specifically to good news, the sort of news that would be delivered after a victory (like the famous run at Marathon).

This is one of the primary points made by Lutheran theologians in their debates with Catholics in the 16th and 17th century. The term Gospel had come to mean a religious system or law to be obeyed.

 

[juvenissun]

What does it mean?

Because I do not have a clue.

Thought it had to do with Matt, Mark, Luke and John.

How about make it simple:
Evangelists read the Bible literally.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

How about make it simple:
Evangelists read the Bible literally.

"Evangelist" is not the same as "Evangelical", which is not the same as "literalist".

Evangelist = announcer of the Good News, particularly the authors of the four canonical gospels (or euangelion= good news).

Evangelical = member of a worldwide, transdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity which maintains the belief that the essence of the Gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's atonement; more colloquially and recently: a fundamentalist, but with a nicer-sounding name

literalist = a sub-set of Evangelicalism; fundamentalist believer who claims to take the Bible literally (even though that aspiration is usually proven wrong, as even these radicals have to interpret the text and do so to tweak it in the direction they want).

 

[Radagast]

Evangelical = member of a worldwide, transdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity which maintains the belief that the essence of the Gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's atonement;

Not a bad definition. And that meaning goes back to the Reformation.

more colloquially and recently: a fundamentalist, but with a nicer-sounding name

That would be the pejorative misuse of the term.

The common meaning of "fundamentalism" is itself a pejorative misuse of a term that originally referred to someone who held to "the fundamentals" of Christianity, outlined a century ago in a series of books. These included things like the Virgin Birth, the Deity of Christ, and the Deity of the Holy Spirit. The term "fundamentalism" was coined around 1920.