Conservative or evangelical Christians are anti-science, stupid, hateful hypocrites. The evangelical community consists of liars and the deluded, mindless followers of the liars who deny science.
That's the message I see day in and day out in everything from Facebook updates from people who are listed as my friends to tweets and television broadcasts from celebrities such as Bill Maher, and so many others.
Consider this recent tweet from actor Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) to film critic Roger Ebert:
The idea of an evangelical think tank is funny? I think it is safe to say McKean hasn't bothered to attend a conference of the Evangelical Theological Society or the Evangelical Philosophical Society, or check out Glenn M. Miller's Christian Think Tank.
Now, I might have the same opinions and so rudely state them, complete with sarcasm and derision and mocking of others, if I based my opinions on what I was told by sources with a demonstrable anti-evangelical bias such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, on CNN, MSNBC, Leftist books, radio and websites, depictions in primtetime television, and if my main exposure to "evangelicals" consisted of the likes of some of the more showy personalities on TBN.
But to judge evangelicals by watching a few minutes of TBN is like judging all athletes based on watching a few minutes of WWE.
There are serious evangelical thinkers whose work isn't difficult to find.
How many of these people, who do not hesitate to insult and dismiss a significant minority population of the nation*, have ever sat through a single service in an evangelical church? Anyone can listen to services online, though doing so does not allow one to mingle with the people attending the services, so one can still listen to the services while still assuming that everyone in attendance is a freak. How about listening to something from Chuck Swindoll or John MacArthur? How about reading just one issue of First Things, Touchstone, or the Christian Research Journal (go ahead and highlight the factually incorrect statements, the logical fallacies, and the unsubstantiated claims and tweet them)? How many of these people have ever bothered to read or listen to anything by any of the following when addressing what they believe and why, and what it means for how they live:
William Lane Craig
J.P. Moreland
Gary Habermas
Chuck Colson
Francis Beckwith
Greg Koukl
R.C. Sproul
Hugh Hewitt
Nancy Pearcey
Joni Eareckson Tada
Francis Schaffer
Josh McDowell
Frank Turek
Dinesh D'Souza
William Dembski
Hugh Ross
Peter Kreeft
Paul Copan
Max Lucado
N.T. Wright
All of these writers have their critics, of course, but will any of these famous people who so casually shout their disdain for the intellectual capacity of evangelicals please name which one of those listed is or was uneducated, illogical, or stupid? Which of them are hypocrites, hateful, or reject the scientific method as a way of gaining knowledge? Don't merely make assertions based on what someone else tells you; go to the source.
"Evangelical" is certainly not antintellectual, antireason, or antiscience. What makes someone an evangelical Christian? Generally, our beliefs can be boiled down to what is found in these three creeds, and we believe the Bible to be the authority in how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and be His disciples, we believe in serving others, and we believe in making disciples through proclaiming and defending the Gospel. We don't leave our faith in the pews six and a half days out of the week or only mention it during certain holidays, at our weddings, or at funerals - rather, we try to live by our faith in every aspect of our lives. How does any of that imply we don't think?
I'm an evangelical because of thinking, not because a lack of thinking. The Bible, and the leaders from whom I've learned, have encouraged people to use their minds – to be reasonable and use sound judgment, to discern truth from error; I'm to love God with all of my mind. Christianity is the only major religion that depends on events that either happened in history or they didn't; we are called to believe because those things happened, not to just believe blindly, or because of a feeling.
I have taken comparative religion courses. I graduated from a secular university after attending schools teaching anything but evangelical teachings for my entire formal education. It's not that evangelicals have ignored or irrationally dismissed what our critics have said. I'm barraged with assertions and claims that run counter to my beliefs many times every day, whether in the media or via social networking or anywhere out in public. Every Easter and Christmas season, we can expect another round of television broadcasts and features in periodicals that claim to debunk some core Christian belief or popular Biblical account.
Dear critics and mockers, we hear you and read you constantly. You're unavoidable. We've studied other faith traditions and claims. We have read the arguments of atheists. We've heard your claims of alleged fatal contradictions in the Bible, forgery and plagiarism, your assertion that miracles could never have happened, your claims that the God of the Bible is cruel, evil, or otherwise lacking. We've heard it all, and we'll keep hearing it.
We have thought things through, and we have arrived at a reasonable faith.
I don't automatically think that all Wiccans, Muslisms, observant Jews, people who identify as Christians but not evangelical, secular humanists, atheists, agnostics, New Agers, Buddhists, Hindus, or others are stupid or ignorant, or that they don't think. Why are there so many people like McKean that dismiss evangelicals as thoughtless?
Go ahead, Mr. McKean - why don't you try calling up Greg Koukl while he is doing his radio show, and expose him for the thoughtless man he must be. I'd love to hear that. Better yet, ask to join him in studio. I challenge you, and anyone else who thinks that evangelicals are not serious, careful thinkers, to do some reading and listening, attend some classes at a school like Biola, or otherwise see what serious evangelicals have to say. You might be a little more respectful, and enjoy some diversity while you're at it.
= = =
*About 40% of Americans have identified as born-again or evangelical Christians. (Anyone who follows the true Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is born-again and a Christian, so the terms are redundant.) And yet how often have we heard that these Christians are just like the Islamofascist terrorists? The mocking of such Christians and their beliefs demonstrates the comparison to be ridiculous and slanderous, as I have yet to see Christians rioting, doing suicide bombings, and doing decapitations on webcams in response to the mocking.
That's the message I see day in and day out in everything from Facebook updates from people who are listed as my friends to tweets and television broadcasts from celebrities such as Bill Maher, and so many others.
Consider this recent tweet from actor Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) to film critic Roger Ebert:
RT @ebertchicago Evangelical professors in trouble for doubting Adam and Eve//"evangelical think tank"=priceless!
The idea of an evangelical think tank is funny? I think it is safe to say McKean hasn't bothered to attend a conference of the Evangelical Theological Society or the Evangelical Philosophical Society, or check out Glenn M. Miller's Christian Think Tank.
Now, I might have the same opinions and so rudely state them, complete with sarcasm and derision and mocking of others, if I based my opinions on what I was told by sources with a demonstrable anti-evangelical bias such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, on CNN, MSNBC, Leftist books, radio and websites, depictions in primtetime television, and if my main exposure to "evangelicals" consisted of the likes of some of the more showy personalities on TBN.
But to judge evangelicals by watching a few minutes of TBN is like judging all athletes based on watching a few minutes of WWE.
There are serious evangelical thinkers whose work isn't difficult to find.
How many of these people, who do not hesitate to insult and dismiss a significant minority population of the nation*, have ever sat through a single service in an evangelical church? Anyone can listen to services online, though doing so does not allow one to mingle with the people attending the services, so one can still listen to the services while still assuming that everyone in attendance is a freak. How about listening to something from Chuck Swindoll or John MacArthur? How about reading just one issue of First Things, Touchstone, or the Christian Research Journal (go ahead and highlight the factually incorrect statements, the logical fallacies, and the unsubstantiated claims and tweet them)? How many of these people have ever bothered to read or listen to anything by any of the following when addressing what they believe and why, and what it means for how they live:
William Lane Craig
J.P. Moreland
Gary Habermas
Chuck Colson
Francis Beckwith
Greg Koukl
R.C. Sproul
Hugh Hewitt
Nancy Pearcey
Joni Eareckson Tada
Francis Schaffer
Josh McDowell
Frank Turek
Dinesh D'Souza
William Dembski
Hugh Ross
Peter Kreeft
Paul Copan
Max Lucado
N.T. Wright
All of these writers have their critics, of course, but will any of these famous people who so casually shout their disdain for the intellectual capacity of evangelicals please name which one of those listed is or was uneducated, illogical, or stupid? Which of them are hypocrites, hateful, or reject the scientific method as a way of gaining knowledge? Don't merely make assertions based on what someone else tells you; go to the source.
"Evangelical" is certainly not antintellectual, antireason, or antiscience. What makes someone an evangelical Christian? Generally, our beliefs can be boiled down to what is found in these three creeds, and we believe the Bible to be the authority in how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and be His disciples, we believe in serving others, and we believe in making disciples through proclaiming and defending the Gospel. We don't leave our faith in the pews six and a half days out of the week or only mention it during certain holidays, at our weddings, or at funerals - rather, we try to live by our faith in every aspect of our lives. How does any of that imply we don't think?
I'm an evangelical because of thinking, not because a lack of thinking. The Bible, and the leaders from whom I've learned, have encouraged people to use their minds – to be reasonable and use sound judgment, to discern truth from error; I'm to love God with all of my mind. Christianity is the only major religion that depends on events that either happened in history or they didn't; we are called to believe because those things happened, not to just believe blindly, or because of a feeling.
I have taken comparative religion courses. I graduated from a secular university after attending schools teaching anything but evangelical teachings for my entire formal education. It's not that evangelicals have ignored or irrationally dismissed what our critics have said. I'm barraged with assertions and claims that run counter to my beliefs many times every day, whether in the media or via social networking or anywhere out in public. Every Easter and Christmas season, we can expect another round of television broadcasts and features in periodicals that claim to debunk some core Christian belief or popular Biblical account.
Dear critics and mockers, we hear you and read you constantly. You're unavoidable. We've studied other faith traditions and claims. We have read the arguments of atheists. We've heard your claims of alleged fatal contradictions in the Bible, forgery and plagiarism, your assertion that miracles could never have happened, your claims that the God of the Bible is cruel, evil, or otherwise lacking. We've heard it all, and we'll keep hearing it.
We have thought things through, and we have arrived at a reasonable faith.
I don't automatically think that all Wiccans, Muslisms, observant Jews, people who identify as Christians but not evangelical, secular humanists, atheists, agnostics, New Agers, Buddhists, Hindus, or others are stupid or ignorant, or that they don't think. Why are there so many people like McKean that dismiss evangelicals as thoughtless?
Go ahead, Mr. McKean - why don't you try calling up Greg Koukl while he is doing his radio show, and expose him for the thoughtless man he must be. I'd love to hear that. Better yet, ask to join him in studio. I challenge you, and anyone else who thinks that evangelicals are not serious, careful thinkers, to do some reading and listening, attend some classes at a school like Biola, or otherwise see what serious evangelicals have to say. You might be a little more respectful, and enjoy some diversity while you're at it.
= = =
*About 40% of Americans have identified as born-again or evangelical Christians. (Anyone who follows the true Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is born-again and a Christian, so the terms are redundant.) And yet how often have we heard that these Christians are just like the Islamofascist terrorists? The mocking of such Christians and their beliefs demonstrates the comparison to be ridiculous and slanderous, as I have yet to see Christians rioting, doing suicide bombings, and doing decapitations on webcams in response to the mocking.
We are in agreement that salvation is a free gift from God, received in faith by the sinner, creating belief and repentance. What I am asking you to consider is the PURPOSE of Christian baptism. Is the purpose of baptism really only as an act of obedience/public profession of faith? If so, why doesn't the Bible, in clear language, state as such?
ReplyDeleteWhy is the term "born again" used only three times in the KJV Bible but the word "baptism" or one of it's variants (to baptize) is used over 100 times in the NT? Why are there so many passages of Scripture that if read in their simple, plain, literal interpretation state that God forgives/washes away sins in baptism? Did God really have that much difficulty explaining the exact purpose of baptism? Did God allow every translator of the Bible into every language on earth to mistranslate Acts 2: 38 and other baptism passages? If baptism is simply the after-thought that most evangelicals make it out to be, why did Jesus, his disciples, the Apostles Paul and Peter make such a big deal about it?
Is baptism really a work of man as Baptists and evangelicals claim...or is baptism a work of God?
Lastly, there is no historical evidence found anywhere on planet earth, including areas never under the control of the Catholic Church or the Roman Empire, in which ANY Christian in the first approximately 800 years of Christianity believed that baptism is simply and only an act of OUR obedience/OUR public profession of faith. All evidence from this time period points to early Christians, from the very disciples of the Apostles such as Polycarp onward, believed that baptism means much, much more.
I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the Truth of the Gospel and re-read the Bible without your denominational biases.
God bless!
Gary
http://www.LutherWasNotBornAgain.com
Gary, thank you for your comments.
DeleteI am familiar with this issue. Rather than typing out a response, I will simply refer anyone reading this to these links:
http://www.equip.org/articles/does-acts-238-teach-baptismal-remission/
http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/is-baptism-necessary-for-salvation-2/
http://www.equip.org/articles/baptism-theology/
My experiences with EV's has been filled with rudeness, hypocrisy, twisting my words, twisting scriptures, quote mining, yelling, condemning, and anything else that is negative. Oh yeah, was also told constantly I was going to h e double hockey sticks. EV's do not show love. Just the opposite - if one does not agree whole heartedly with EV's then one better watch out, because the EV gloves come off. EV's stab fellow EV's in the back if there is any deviation. Wow.
ReplyDeleteHow do EV's make it in a world that is not "black and white". EV's do not believe in science, biology, math and who knows what else. Some believe the world is flat, that atoms do not exist, and, oh yeah, every one is going to h e double hockey sticks except for EV's! Imagine that.
Anonymous, I'm terribly sorry that you have been treated so poorly by some I will not make excuses for anyone treating people wrongly.
DeleteI strongly suspect that, given the percentage of the population that identifies as evangelical or holds evangelical beliefs, you have had many positive and neuteral encounters with evangelicals - you just didn't know they were evangelicals.
Also, obviously (just check out the list provided), there ARE evangelicals who believe in and value science, biology, math, etc. and some even BASE much of their preaching on those things.
My main objection to Protestant Fundamentalists is that they are arrogant and presumptuous. I once heard a Baptist minister preaching on the radio. According to him, once you are "saved" and have "accepted Jesus," there is absolutely nothing you can do that will cause you to lose your salvation. He said the only thing that might happen is that God will call you home early.
DeleteIs that a true statement of the Baptist faith, or of "evangelical" Christianity in general?
If it is, the reaction against the Protestant Reformation is very easy to understand, because Protestant Fundamentalist are arrogant uneducated fools who think that they can commit any sin without fear of divine retribution and still go to heaven, while condemning everyone else to damnation. Such a group is a threat to public order and safety.
Please answer my question. Is the Baptist preacher correct?
There is disagreement within Protestantism over "once saved, always saved". However, even the people who hold to that theological position also say that if you're truly a Christian, you're not going to have the attitude of thinking you can do whatever you want because He will forgive. A true Christian seeks to follow Him, and when they sin, they repent, ask for forgiveness, and seek to avoid repeating their sin.
DeleteI've lost track of the number of times that a Baptist or evangelical has told me that Acts 2:38 was mistranslated; that the "for" in that passage of God's Holy Word should be removed and replaced with "because of".
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter to them that every English translation of the Bible translates this word in Acts 2:38 as "for" or "into" and never "because of", because these Christians know in their hearts that God would never, ever say that baptism has anything to do with the forgiveness of sins.
Below is an excellent article by Lutheran pastor, Matt Richards on this subject:
http://steadfastlutherans.org/?p=32616&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BJS+%28The+Brothers+of+John+the+Steadfast%29
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGary, let's say for the sake of discussion that the interpretation of Acts 2:28 you believe is correct. How does that fit in with the rest of Scripture, including all of the passages that indicate that repenting, accepting & following Jesus as Lord and Savior means someone is saved? What about all of the passages that indicate that no action on our part, no work, saves us, but rather it is all God's doing? Even "making a decision" isn't a work, but rather it is NO LONGER doing something - namely, no longer running from Him.
DeleteWhat kind of God is depicted in the Bible? One that would say, "Gee, you know, you sincerely repented and all and followed me in every other way, but you never got baptized because you got into a car crash on the way to that service. Too bad!"?
Baptism is a very important thing to do in obedience to Him, and I don't see why any true follower of Christ would not want to get baptized, but I do not see the baptism of John Doe as a requirement for his salvation.
On the necessity for baptism, we have the words of Jesus:
Delete"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
John 3:5
There might be an exception for the car crash case, on the principle of baptism by desire, but that requires interpretation, which is beyond the intellectual capacity of a lot of Protestant Fundamentalists.
There is no reason an obedient Christian would avoid baptism. However, isn't it possible that "water" in that passage can refer to the prenatal state of being in "water" (amniotic fluid)? In other words, you have to be "born again" supernaturally through the Spirit, just as you were born naturally.
Delete(Anyone who follows the true Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is born-again and a Christian, so the terms are redundant.)
ReplyDeleteIn your eyes. As usual, the evangelical think they are the saved ones, they are the true Christians, they are the ones who have the 'real' word of God. Everyone else is hell bound. My father's family was pentecostal evangelical, my mother's family was Mormon. The Mormon family NEVER ONCE put down my evangelical family. My Mormon family NEVER ONCE made me feel less than, unholy, going to some hell, and all the other crap the evangelicals did EVERY time I saw them. Yes, every time we got around the pentecostals they berated my Mormon family, told us they, the Mormons were hell bound, itchy ears, etc. The Bible says by their fruits you shall know them. If that's the case the Mormons are going to heaven and will be near to God and the pentecostals will burn in that hell that they LOVE sending others to who do not think like them. My Mormon family members had more love in one little finger than all the pentecostals put together. My parents didn't take us children to church, and when we went to see the pentecostals we were treated with quiet contempt and they didn't like us around our cousins. When we visited the Mormons we were loved, cherished and made to feel so very welcome. Never once did the Mormons make us feel less than. To this day I avoid the pentecostals for their hatred and judgmental attitude that stinks to high heaven. Oh, I forgot, don't touch my anointed. THAT is what the pentecostals will see when they read this. They are so stuck on themselves they truly think they are the ones in line with God. I spent years as an adult in the evangelical churches and it was the grace of God that DELIVERED me from ALL OF THAT and I will never sit foot in one of those churches again. Ever. I would rather burn in the hell they send us all to then go near them again. And, of course, they are saying, then so be it, hell is where you will go. Idiots.
Thanks for your comments, Anonymous. If you haven't done so already, please see this: http://playfulwalrus.blogspot.com/2013/11/with-ambassadors-like-these.html
DeleteMy exact experience too! Thank you for speaking out about how Evangelicals treat people who are not Evangelicals. And how EV's treat people of other religions they thinks are cults.
DeleteThere is a Baptist church that teaches and preaches racism, using the Scriptures to justify this behavior. I have yet to see any EV denounce this Baptist church and what it preaches. But yet the EVs will go after Mormons, JW's, Atheists, and gays with gusto. Bigots and hypocrites.
EG
I don't think anyone can deny that while evangelicals preach love, they are more prone to hate. Especially anything that falls outside of their beliefs, which given how backward many of them are, is a ton! I respect all religions and know that there are good evangelicals out there, I just haven't met any. Having lived in Georgia, I have been told that eating ethic food such as Lebanese or Indian is against the will of God, that yoga is spiritually dangerous, that Harry Potter fosters witchcraft. For among these reasons, while I respect all religions, I can't respect a religion that hates so much and denies science and hates anything it considers outside. Their message on Homosexuals is completey against their message of love, and their repression of women through their beliefs on contraception is rediculous and backwards. Their hating has turned me into a hater
ReplyDeleteI can't stand EV's. Long story short, the last straw in dealing with them came from my brother's wife, and a friend of his. All I will say is that these people have proven themselves to be some of the most ignorant, entitled, narcissistic, hypocritical, hateful and vicious individuals I've ever encountered. I, as a non-practicing Catholic, had attended a number of their churches in the past, but NEVER again. I even donated money, as I did to my church, charities, etc. Their churches will never see a dime again from me. When I hear someone profess their "born again" EV Christianity, instead of warming up and trusting them, I RUN THE OTHER WAY, or just tell them to beat it. It's so sad and tragic though, because these type of pseudo-Christians are the ones who've turned off others from getting to know, and following the true Christ. Love and mercy?! Apparently it doesn't apply to EV's.
Deleteevery encounter I've ever had with evangelicals have been horrible. One of the reasons I am a atheist. I have been treated very badly by christians since I was a young child for simply being born. Death threats, verbal abuse, lies, slander, ostricization(horrible for a child), have had christians wish for my suicide, been physically attacked. All because I was born, and refuse to be someone Im not. Im gay, can't be str8, and because of me being true to who I am, they made my life a miserable hell for years.
ReplyDeletePeople are growing against christianity, especially evangelical, because of what evangelicals have done to innocent people all over the world. To them, to their families, and friends as well. It exists to this day with evangelicals pushing for gay people to be imprisoned for life, tortured, or murdered because of who they are, for simply existing. Now tell me, how is trying to get people imprisoned, murdered, tortured not ignorant, stupid, and illogical? Before you spout off about how people views christians, especially evengelicals, maybe you should look deeper at the damage that has been done to them by evangelicals, either directly, or indirectly.
Evangelicals are ignorant, stupid, deluded, hypocritical, and anti-science. I'm very familiar with evangelical Christianity - I was raised as an evangelical, attended evangelical schools, and still work closely with evangelical xTians. The fact that you proclaim faith above all else is exactly the reason you are anti-science. The fact that you believe the Bible to be the word of God is why you are deluded and hypocritical. And the fact that you attempt to deflect legitimate criticism of your "beliefs" by questioning the knowledge base of the people raising the criticism is what makes you ignorant and stupid. Evangelicals can be very nice, especially to people like me, a white heterosexual man. However, the niceness is very shallow, as is the philosophical basis of evangelical beliefs. I hope you see the light, and leave the church. It is hard to do, but it is absolutely necessary. Christianity is bad for humanity. The Bible is an ancient book of fairy tales. Humans have learned a lot about how the world actually works in the past few millennia - we can do better than to have faith in the Bible, or any book for that matter. Faith is the enemy of rational inquiry, and rational inquiry is necessary for progress. Thus, faith is the enemy of rational inquiry. If you rely on faith, you are the enemy of progress. (And faith rooted in rationality is not faith at all, it's science, and scientific evidence is inconsistent or agnostic with many of the beliefs that evangelicals cling). I know my post is a bit rambling, but I'm really worried about you. You're wasting your life and your mental energy.
ReplyDeleteto the comment made by 'anonymous' on may 6, what you say is 80 % ignorant and full of arrogant assumptions. 20 % of it has some merit.
ReplyDeleteto the original subject matter of this whole post: i would have to agree that ignorance and stupidity does indeed often typify evangelical conservative christian thinking. i spent two decades hoodwinked by their nonsense, so in know first hand. and i only blame myself for not being more awake from the neck up. but thankgoodness, i did wake up. evangelicals for the most part, take ancient writings literalistically, then try to make that the hoop through which everyone and everything else must jump in order to be ok. its very small minded, and misinformed about the nature of the ancient writings, as well as religion in general.
to the comment made by 'anonymous' on may 6, what you say is 80 % ignorant and full of arrogant assumptions. 20 % of it has some merit.
ReplyDeleteto the original subject matter of this whole post: i would have to agree that ignorance and stupidity does indeed often typify evangelical conservative christian thinking. i spent two decades hoodwinked by their nonsense, so in know first hand. and i only blame myself for not being more awake from the neck up. but thankgoodness, i did wake up. evangelicals for the most part, take ancient writings literalistically, then try to make that the hoop through which everyone and everything else must jump in order to be ok. its very small minded, and misinformed about the nature of the ancient writings, as well as religion in general.
Y'all seem obsessed with the butt sex. What I do with my girl is our bizness.
ReplyDelete