Mainline, charismatics, fundamentalists and evangelicals: my take

Okay, now that I've freed up my UA blogger site (my little spiritual journey will continue on Wordpress) I can tend to some other things more in tune with this particular blog.

As I moved through my spiritual life, I went from mainline protestant to charismatic to fundamentalist to evangelical where I spend most of my spiritual time. I notice folks confusing these various labels so I'll go ahead and define what I mean by each.

Mainline denominational churches are the big ones. Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and who am I missing? These are large denominations with many churches scattered throughout the U.S. and even around the world. They are characterized by having a fairly centralized governing body that runs relatively democratically. People in leadership are picked and elected mostly by the membership. While often characterized as being liberal, the character of each congregation can vary widely. The national voices may have a socially liberal agenda but local churches can be very conservative and some even may have a fundamental or charismatic flavor. Even though the governing structure and polity is radically different than most protestant churches, I'm sort of lumping Catholics into this category as well. What essentially makes a mainline denomination mainline is the level with which it assimilates into the mainstream culture. The vast majority of Americans feel comfortable going to mainline churches as the worship experience is reverent yet fairly relaxed. Each denomination had spiritually radical elements in their day, but those days appear to be past. Much nondenominational church growth today is at the expense of mainline denominations whose congregations age and dwindle, at least in the U.S. Aphron and Submissive Husband are two blogging friends who seem to fit into a mainline description. I do not mean to make such affiliation less in any way, but these two just seem very comfortable where they are.

Let's talk about charismatics for a bit. These probably represent the sharpest departure from the mainline church experience. While charismatics can be found in any denomination, they seem to be mostly found in certain Baptist churches and Pentecostal Churches. The prevailing theology revolves around the Holy Spirit and His manifestations. This is where you will hear people speaking in tongues, see healings and meet people claiming to be prophets. And yes, people having been slain in the spirit and looking like they are having psychotic episodes. Let's just day that these services are never dull! Lots of movement and lots of emotion. There is an appeal of the collective consciousness and the feeling of the Holy Spirit resting on people like tongues of fire. There is a freedom of expression that exists in these services that exists no where else. Worship is not just a passive event that congregants observe. Everyone is a participant. The charismatic experience is a very passionate one.

Our typical (white) U.S. church attendee has difficulty with the emotionality of a charismatic service. However, our black American brothers and sisters flourish in various charismatic-type church communities. No one falls asleep. Can I get an AMEN? These churches are governed more from the top-down and often a single person may hold most of the power within a particular church congregation. Discipline is going to be enforced and congregants are expected to tow the line.

Hmm. I don't know if I have any blogging friends who might be charismatics. I would suppose not, as they would have jumped in here a while back.

Okay, so let's go to the Fundamentalist side of things. You will find fundies in any denomination but more often in Baptist churches and nondenominational churches. Many charismatics are fundamentalist, but the reverse is not often true. Fundamentalists are known for subscribing to the view that the Bible is without error and is to be taken literally. Not always as literally as the larger culture may think, but very radically different from our mainline friends. Fundamentalists maintain fairly strict discipline. Whereas a mainline church will almost never kick a member out and readily accept anyone who wants as a member, fundamentalists are more restrictive in their membership and broader in their expectations. Our Amish friends represent a fairly strict representation of fundamentalism. However there are those who are more contemporary and more culturally and technologically literate. These are the folks most likely to clash with popular culture because they are relatively absolute and black & white in their thinking. Unlike charismatics who are governed by emotion, fundamentalists tend to be more rule-based. This makes them look intolerant and judgmental. These are the folks most likely to have descended from the folks who were ready to stone the adulteress or burn the witches. The Pharisees and puritans were fundamentalists.

I'm really working them over and shedding some harsh light on them. Let me soften it just a bit. Fundies serve an important function within the religious community. They are the most apt to retain those most basic and critical elements of the Christian faith. They are not afraid to talk about sin and consequences and true repentance. They are also not afraid of confrontation. No avoiders, here. They often do say some things that need to be said. My experience within modern fundamentalist congregations is that these folks are sharp and educated. They have Bibles and know how to use them. The Word of God is truly their sword. There are no true fundamentalists who have dull blades. Christian Husband is the best fundamental example among blogger friends I know. He is a sharp one.

But the most Bad-to-the-Bone fundie preacher I ever met was Bother Jed Smock and his wife, Sister Cindy. They traveled college campuses in the 1980's and they knew how to stir things up. If you ever knew him and listened to him, his story is free and worth reading. The man knows how to convict or at least plow up a reaction. He had absolutely no problems calling the young women on campus whores and the guys whore mongers. He had no problems looking a kid straight in the face and telling him he was destined for the LAKE OF FIRRRRE. I'll have to do an entry about him later. Actually you can visit a Wiki on him and learn an interesting thing or two about him. You'll never guess what denomination he belongs to. I surely wouldn't have.

A church service in a fundamentalist church will not look a lot different from say, an evangelical church. But the church service is not the sole focal point. The biggest differentiation I experienced was the...er...differentiation. Accountability is HUGE and so the demands and responsibilities are quite heavy. There are prayer groups, small groups and regular meetings amongst the members. The community was truly a close-knit one and it was rare to socialize outside of the fundamentalist circle. People could be invited in but stepping out socially (like dating someone from the outside) was very much discouraged.

My story is very close to getting into that part of my life, so I’ll save some of this for later. But my feelings are decidedly more mixed here than with any other group.

Finally there are what I identify as evangelicals. They can be found in any denomination and nondenominational churches. There may be elements of fundamentalism with the evangelical movement such as a fairly strict interpretation of scriptures. However, there is a more tolerant attitude towards the culture at large. Whereas a fundamentalist is more concerned with the Truth and Justice, and evangelical will emphasize getting people into the presence of God. The mainline experience is confined mostly to Sunday mornings, with significant amounts of social justice thrown in. My mainline friends are good Lutherans, Catholics and Methodists where evangelicals identify most with being good Christians. They are less closely tied with any particular denomination although I tend to see many of them gravitate towards the Baptist churches or nondenominational churches similarly aligned in theology. I have many internet friends that I recognize as probably being evangelical in orientation but FTN probably embodies as many of these characteristics as anyone else. Plus everyone who reads me knows him because he's much more popular than me. FTN can hold a firm line for himself while not alienating a diverse audience and being exceedingly accessible. The orientation is more enticement more than coercion. I see many of my Christian blogger friends fitting an evangelical description.

But the most Bad-to-the-Bone evangelical I've ever seen was the one and only Billy Graham. He has traveled every continent and around the world with the message of the gospel. He convicts without making a body feel accused. He brings the message of hope by going out into the world. No one has to become a member of his denomination to get saved. I do recognize his fundamentalist nature regarding scripture, and he does use it effectively. He has a gift.

I feel like I need to make some sort of chart or something comparing and contrasting these various flavors of Christianity. There are blends and blurs within these. My division of one type from another is a bit arbitrary and artificial. For instance I identify myself with evangelicals while also identifying with Methodists. However, my Methodism does not run terribly deep. I do like the Wesleyan set up, but the UMC theology is becoming less and less Bible based and more and more culturally subjective. Perhaps a Free Methodist church would be a good choice if one were close by. And I do know of one that is more charismatic that isn't too far away.

I have tried not to be too harsh on any of these four types even though I have definite preferences at the moment. But all played some important roles in my growth as a Christian and each contributed some measure of knowledge and wisdom.

D.