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Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals?

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  • Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals?

    Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals?
    The editor in chief of Christianity Today did not have to wait for the votes to be counted to publish his essay on Tuesday bemoaning what the Alabama Senate race had wrought.

    The Biggest Loser in the Alabama Election
    No matter the outcome of today’s special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation. Christianity’s integrity is severely tarnished.

    I understand Mr. Galli's concern.

    I'm happy when folks confuse atheism with humanism, and less pleased when it's associated with the erstwhile USSR, proud when it's identified with Bertrand Russell, and embarrassed when it's confused with YouTube mythicists.

    On the masthead of a site I recently encountered is the phrase, "Pro Deo et ..."

    Tying up one's religious affiliation, or lack of it, to anything else is probably a mistake. It's certainly poor branding. You don't want your identity tarnished by someone else's actions, and that will happen, inevitably.

    Galli's wrong, of course. He's right that it's stained the evangelical movement, but that's hardly the heart of Christian integrity. Christianity is much larger than evangelicalism.

  • #2
    Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
    Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals?
    The editor in chief of Christianity Today did not have to wait for the votes to be counted to publish his essay on Tuesday bemoaning what the Alabama Senate race had wrought.

    The Biggest Loser in the Alabama Election
    No matter the outcome of today’s special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation. Christianity’s integrity is severely tarnished.

    I understand Mr. Galli's concern.

    I'm happy when folks confuse atheism with humanism, and less pleased when it's associated with the erstwhile USSR, proud when it's identified with Bertrand Russell, and embarrassed when it's confused with YouTube mythicists.

    On the masthead of a site I recently encountered is the phrase, "Pro Deo et ..."

    Tying up one's religious affiliation, or lack of it, to anything else is probably a mistake. It's certainly poor branding. You don't want your identity tarnished by someone else's actions, and that will happen, inevitably.

    Galli's wrong, of course. He's right that it's stained the evangelical movement, but that's hardly the heart of Christian integrity. Christianity is much larger than evangelicalism.
    Although Christianity Today is an evangelical periodical, so I suppose from his perspective what he means by christianity is, evangelical christianity.

    Comment


    • #3
      This is why moralizing in the age of chaos is pointless. Liberals have butchered tens of millions of unborn children, people shrug. Evangelicals vote for some guy who may or may not have tried to marry a 14 year old, lots of chest beating and hair pulling.

      There's a line from a verse I always remember from being forced to go to church when I was a small kid. I forget the context all the time, but the last part stands out: "Among whom I am chief". There's something to be said for branding yourself as the devil.
      "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

      There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

      Comment


      • #4
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #5
          Tell us Moore.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by JimL View Post
            Although Christianity Today is an evangelical periodical, so I suppose from his perspective what he means by christianity is, evangelical christianity.
            Sometimes you can gain valuable clues by actually reading the article linked in the OP.

            He said that his readers seemed to agree with the thrust of his essay. The main criticism he received, he said, was one he agreed with: that he should have made it clearer that he was referring not to all Christians, but to evangelicals in particular.
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #7
              Rumor has it that a Christianity Today editorial is in the works: What God needs to do next.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
                Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals?
                The editor in chief of Christianity Today did not have to wait for the votes to be counted to publish his essay on Tuesday bemoaning what the Alabama Senate race had wrought.

                The Biggest Loser in the Alabama Election
                No matter the outcome of today’s special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation. Christianity’s integrity is severely tarnished.

                I understand Mr. Galli's concern.

                I'm happy when folks confuse atheism with humanism, and less pleased when it's associated with the erstwhile USSR, proud when it's identified with Bertrand Russell, and embarrassed when it's confused with YouTube mythicists.

                On the masthead of a site I recently encountered is the phrase, "Pro Deo et ..."

                Tying up one's religious affiliation, or lack of it, to anything else is probably a mistake. It's certainly poor branding. You don't want your identity tarnished by someone else's actions, and that will happen, inevitably.

                Galli's wrong, of course. He's right that it's stained the evangelical movement, but that's hardly the heart of Christian integrity. Christianity is much larger than evangelicalism.
                It's sad that a surface glance is sufficient to stain anyone. Moore was damned in the court of public opinion, and anyone who supported him was tarred with the same brush. This despite the fact that Moore was not formally charged with anything, and that almost nobody supported him because he had allegedly done what he had been alleged to have done.

                That said, Christians hitching themselves to deeply flawed characters in hopes that they will enact parts of a Christian agenda are pretty much doomed to failure. We are in an effectively post-Christian culture, and the culture war has been lost for decades. See, e.g., Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option.
                Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
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                I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                  Sometimes you can gain valuable clues by actually reading the article linked in the OP.

                  He said that his readers seemed to agree with the thrust of his essay. The main criticism he received, he said, was one he agreed with: that he should have made it clearer that he was referring not to all Christians, but to evangelicals in particular.
                  Actually no, he needn't make a distinction, evangelicals are christians, they believe the same things that all christians believe, so they are representative of christianity. So when he says the only loser was the christian faith, he was speaking for christianity in general.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by JimL View Post
                    Actually no, he needn't make a distinction, evangelicals are christians, they believe the same things that all christians believe, so they are representative of christianity. So when he says the only loser was the christian faith, he was speaking for christianity in general.
                    How bout you go to your room and work on the difference between atheist and agnostic. When ya got that figgered out, then you can pretend you know what Christians believe.
                    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by mikewhitney View Post
                      Rumor has it that a Christianity Today editorial is in the works: What God needs to do next.
                      Are they going to let god know?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                        Sometimes you can gain valuable clues by actually reading the article linked in the OP.

                        He said that his readers seemed to agree with the thrust of his essay. The main criticism he received, he said, was one he agreed with: that he should have made it clearer that he was referring not to all Christians, but to evangelicals in particular.
                        "... because mainline churches never had any integrity to begin with."

                        Probably a bit harsher than he'd admit, but not far off the beliefs of many evangelicals. I've known evangelicals who allow that Anglicans, for example, are also Christians only grudgingly, and through gritted teeth. I think he wrote what was in his heart, originally.

                        Why are we whispering, Pete?

                        "There's baptists behind the wall. This is heaven; we're keeping them happy."

                        I've seen exit poll numbers out of Alabama that say 80 percent of evangelicals and/or born-agains voted for Moore. That's not just high, it's higher than for Alabama Republicans as a whole, so high I'm tempted to think it was a fluke in the polling.

                        My interest was piqued by seeing one of my "nieces" running circles around FB waving low quality debunkings of Moore's support amongst her fellow Christians. It was clear she, at least, found that support embarrassing. And then I saw the link to the CT article.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
                          Why are we whispering, Pete?

                          "There's baptists behind the wall. This is heaven; we're keeping them happy."
                          No, no, no.....

                          It's "Hey Pete, who's that group behind that wall?"

                          "oh, that's the Church of Christ crowd - they think they're the only ones here".

                          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                            How bout you go to your room and work on the difference between atheist and agnostic. When ya got that figgered out, then you can pretend you know what Christians believe.
                            In my experience, it's rare to hear a Christian describe the difference between atheists and agnostics in a way atheists and agnostics would endorse. To give yourself a decent chance of surprising me, you should start with the fact most atheists consider themselves agnostics.

                            And so does the occasional theist.

                            That said, I disagree with JimL. My primary source on American Christianity is the Pew Forum's Religious Landscape Study. There are significant differences in belief and practice between evangelicals and the remainder of American Christianity, on a host of issues, most due to differing views on the primacy of their sacred texts.


                            And CP, it should go without saying that I prefer we avoid disparaging other posters in my threads. If you disagree with JimL, please correct him, or ignore him.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                              No, no, no.....

                              It's "Hey Pete, who's that group behind that wall?"

                              "oh, that's the Church of Christ crowd - they think they're the only ones here".

                              The difference being their wall was put up to make everyone else happy.

                              Comment

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