Has American Christianity changed, or is it being replaced?

Question

Followers of the religious movement currently booming in America are calling themselves "born-agains" and "evangelicals" rather than the historically tainted term "fundamentalist." This is supposedly a sect of Protestant Christianity, but observation and research prove that it is no such thing.

This religion is more like a cross between hyper-Calvinism, civil patriotism, and Adam Smith-style economics. It believes only in the bloodiest parts of the Old Testament and almost totally ignores the New Testament. Its only requirements to entry are hatred of abortion, evolution and homosexuality. It doesn't care about the poor and thinks corporate America should be able to run wild. Its followers don't know or care about Jesus' teachings. They praise his birth and death, but never his life. They hold George W. Bush up as a Pharoah: God on Earth, or God's direct representative. They call hate, greed and violence "faith."

Is this a new kind of Christianity, or a whole new religion?

Answer 1

It certainly bears very little resemblence to the Christianity of "God is Love" that I was raised in.

In a way I think Fundamentalism is a new religion which goes beyond traditional religious definitions. The born-again Christian has a greater resemblence to the ultra-orthodox Jew, the Islamist extremist, and the militant Hindu or Sikh than to the traditional Christian. All of these groups believe fervently that only they are right and that it is okay to wage war against anyone who disagrees. Their creed has little to do with what was preached by Jesus, Mohammed, Moses et al; it is all about intolerance and hatred of anyone who disagrees in any way. It is a very troubling worldwide cross-cultural problem.

Answer 2

I'm not sure how Evangelicalism is hyper-Calvinistic, but neither does it commit someone to foregoing the New Testament (I'm not sure how one can conclude this).

But Evangelicalism as I understand it doesn't oppose evolution per se, but Naturalistic philosophy as a description of ultimate reality.

I also think people are confused about the ways in which politicians have tried to court evangelicals for the vote on the one hand, and then the politician's separate views on what to do with the poor and corporate America on the other. It's a mistake to think that because elected officials push policies that may even run contrary to the Biblical mandate that we ought to give care to the poor, that therefore the source of this push is from strictly Evangelical reflection on the matter. There is much in the words of Jesus about ethics in business finance and social concern for the needy (search for passages concerning Zaccheus in Luke 19).

There have also been relatively successful smear campaigns by those resentful of an increasing evangelical influence in society to paint their views as narrow, hateful, etc.. But this hardly seems like the regime of tolerance that we are often promised is the inevitable result of a democratic civilization that celebrates diversity.
What we see instead is a regime in which the pejoratives of "homophobe", "narrow-minded", "fundamentalist", etc., receives the backing of the government as labels that may be ascribed to one's fellow citizens for no other reason than that they happen to believe that it is true that marriage is an institution with a particular unchanging nature, a sexual community that includes one man and one woman.
If one doesn't think that this is becoming a reality, we need only bring to the reader's attention that recent comments by several political pundits who have described the reelection of President Bush and the overwhelming passage of the eleven referenda that banned same-sex marriage as the beginning of a theocracy forced on us by the ignorant bigots in the "red states," which one writer referred to as "Jesus land."

Apparently, honey is not the only thing that attracts flies.

Answer 3

Have to kind of agree with you.

Q. If Jesus was reborn in the USA today, woud the modern American Christian have him crucified for being a Bleeding Heat Liberal.

Q. What's the difference between spending eternity in heaven with Christians & going to hell ? Is there a difference ?

I just want to live MY life according to MY moral values - I don't want to harm anyone. But they just won't let me.

Answer 4

to me...this is christianity.. believe in jesus.son of God..then your saved..or "born again"
if you dont believe in jesus..son of God...you go to hell..simple as that..why are yall looking so deep into all this.. if they dont believe whats in the actual bible and they change it or whatever...then thats like a new religion..which is fake. why do ppl study so deep into all this..why cant yall be content and trust the truth. goodness..

Answer 5

That is bull and you know it. Lies and hate speech. You are a horrible person and a bald faced liar. If you can't find something to "dirty" someone, you'll make something up. What brilliance, just like the nazi propaganda machines in the 30s.

Answer 6

Zionist Christianity also known as Satanism.

Answer 7

Do you really know any of these people or are you just making sweeping generalizations about them? Historically that's called prejudice, close-mindedness, and hate.

But really I think it's just pettiness.

Answer 8

ouch, while I agree with most of your points I think you do gloss over the few (I said few) good points about evangelical Christians.

Answer 9

its changed alot, more people become cafeteria christians, they pick and choose what is a forgivable sin and what is not, on behalf of god