Robert Schneider wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
> ............................................
>
> So, I’m asking for your help.I invite you to share your own
> understanding of what “evangelical” and “evangelicalism” mean, both
> generally and in this context, and would appreciate anyone providing
> me with a statement about it.I will be grateful for your help, and
> this might be an interesting topic for us on the listserv to reflect
> upon.
Bob -
I have a 2-fold take on this: What I mean if I call myself
"evangelical" (E1) and what I think most American Christians think
"Evangelical" means (E2).
E1:
I belong to "The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America", &
coupling "evangelical" with "Lutheran" has a long tradition. The
"evangel" is of course "good news", the gospel, and when we call
ourselves evangelical we mean that the Gospel in the narrow sense, the
the message of justification of the ungodly entirely by God's free gift
for Christ's sake is the defining note of the church, "the article by
which the church stands or falls." While the Law must also be taught
and preached, it must be clearly distinguished from Gospel and the two
must not be mixed or confused.
"Evangelicalism" in common American usage have a good deal in
common with E1 especially a focus on justication by faith. But there
are important differences. Here I'm just going to point out some of
those differences, realizing that doing so gives an evaluation of E2.
E1 often presents a "decision theology" that to E2 sounds
dangerously like making faith a human work which at least partially
earns justification. I saw a bumper sticker that said "God votes for
you, Satan votes against you. How will you vote?" Related to that is
the fact that E2 often expects evidence of a conversion experience or
born again experience of Christians.
E2 seems quite wary of belief in an objective efficacy of the
sacraments because of the belief that it will compromise justification
by faith. E1 agrees that faith is necessary, but it is faith in the
free gift that God gives in Baptism and Eucharist. If asked when I was
"born again" I give my baptismal date.
E2 seems to E1 often to mix law and gospel in inappropriate
ways. This really goes back to the Reformed idea of a "3d use of the
law", a distinctively Christian use in addition to (1) the civil use of
the law and (2) its role in pointing out sin. Lutherans agree that the
law applies to Christians because they live in society and continue to
need to have their sins pointed out (Luther's _simul justus et
peccator_). But there is no perculiarly Christian use: E1 really takes
Paul at his word in Galatians.
I think one consequence of this E2 mixture is the idea of things like
"Christian science" (not the Eddy variety) among some E2s, as if
Christians had a special way of studying the world.
This may seem provocative to some but it's just as well to have
differences set out clearly. & please note my use of the qualifications
"often", "some E2s" &c. I am not trying to characterize the views of
all who consider themselves Evangelicals in the second sense.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
"The Science-Theology Interface"
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