Thinking for Ourselves

Well, in a sense, we’re all unique. What comes to mind is someone who is part of a “tribe” but who doesn’t just blindly follow those around him. They think for themselves, which makes them unique.

When I was a teenager, punk rock was big. So many groups just wanted to be punks and jump on the bandwagon. I remember going to see U2 in late 1979. I thought that the lead singer was a little odd because he didn’t seem to have the “nasty” demeanor that most vocalists in the punk/new wave movement had. He was pleasant and enthusiastic. But then, they went on to be the most successful band that emerged out of that movement. They certainly were a little unique.

In spiritual terms, I would classify myself as an evangelical Christian, with a preference for reformed theology. Evangelicalism can be seen as a movement within Christianity, which emphasizes a literal understanding of Scripture. And there are different trends within evangelicalism. So, a unique person might largely adhere to one movement but wouldn’t necessarily go along with everything. They think of themselves, guided by the Scripture.

I used to be very quick to apply labels to people and only buy books from, or listen to, people who shared my theological opinions. I probably still do that to some extent, but I like to be more open to other opinions and not allow myself to be pressurized into holding only certain opinions. It’s not that people are pressurizing me. It’s more that I feel that I’m letting down my earlier self by admitting that I was wrong about something or other.

A good example is these newer worship songs that I tended to despise for about 25 years. I didn’t despise them all, but if I were watching Songs of Praise (a BBC hymns show that I used to watch on Sundays), and a new one came on, I’d want to change the channel 😀. And just because a particular movement or fad might have some silly people in it, I shouldn’t dismiss everything that emerges from it. Every movement has silly people in it. I can be a little silly myself.

Here are ten of the trends/movements in evangelical churches that emerged in the 20th Century.

• Fundamentalism
  • This was a reaction to liberal churches changing their outlook on biblical authority, science, and modern culture. Evangelical churches are generally more fundamentalist that liberal, though there is a spectrum of opinion among evangelicals just as liberal churches have a spectrum of opinion on issues. You might get a liberal vicar who doesn’t believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus or doesn’t believe in God, but they’re not all as extreme as that. And likewise, though evangelicals accept biblical authority, opinions might differ on what’s to be taken literally.
• Neo‑Evangelicalism
  • This emerged in 1940s–1950s and sought to be more culturally engaged and intellectually serious. Some might have seen it as a betrayal of fundamentalism, but it didn’t necessarily drift into the radical thinking of liberalism and modernism.
• Mass Evangelism
  • Billy Graham is the name that comes to mind for this movement. Some were uneasy because it was felt that marketing and psychological tactics were used to gain converts. And some believed that many of the converts would have been superficial or false. Yet I’ve met and heard of many who came to Christ as a result of this form of evangelism. Some evangelical churches tend to be a bit cautious or skeptical of anything innovative. I’m probably like that myself because some of my favourite leaders were skeptical about Billy Graham crusades. But I should rejoice nonetheless. Nothing in this world is perfect, apart from me😀.
• Pentecostal & Charismatic Renewal
  • This emphasizes spiritual gifts, such as prophecy and speaking in tongues, healing, and expressive worship. This was a big influence on me for my first few years as an evangelical Christian. Later, I moved in circles that were critical or skeptical of the movement. And because I met some silly people from it, I was happy to steer clear of it. But I also met some wonderful people, and almost all of the worship music that emerged in my lifetime has come from that movement. Whatever about the specifics, I agree with the spirit of the movement – the desire to be enthusiastic and model ourselves on the New Testament churches rather than post-reformation traditions. It also spread evangelical thinking among the mainline Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. In fact, it’s the fastest growing movement in Christianity across the world.
• The Jesus Movement (1960s–1970s)
  • I don’t understand how this differs from the charismatic scene. I suppose rather than being removed from worldly culture, this became a sort of a Christian version of hippy culture and became the birthplace of much of the contemporary worship music. There was a big emphasis on Jesus. You wouldn’t often hear the Father mentioned. But when Jesus gave us our model prayer (Our Father), it’s directed to the Father, though New Testament broader worship is directed to both Jesus and the Father. Perhaps familiarizing myself with hymns from different eras helps me to get the balance right.
• Megachurches (1970s–present)
  • A key part of these is seeker-sensitive services and attempting to make churches less “churchy”. I’m uneasy about the corporate feel that they have. I am happy with seeker-sensitive services though. But not all seekers necessarily want what’s offered. Some seekers might prefer traditional services. But where in the Bible does it tell us that our services need to align with 16th, 17th, 18th, or 19th century culture? Still, some people like a “timeless” feel to churches rather than modern “pop-up” churches.
• The Religious Right (1970s–1990s)
  • This was a reaction against secularism, where liberal, atheist or “woke” university professors and politicians sought to shape society on issues such as abortion, education, and family values. Ireland has certainly changed radically in the last 40 years in that respect, though there’s not much of a religious right here. Many evangelicals that I know take little interest in politics. And those who do might be either left or right wing.
• Prosperity Gospel Movement
  • The idea here is that if you give more money to churches, God will bless you and make you more prosperous. I’ve never met anyone from this movement. There is an element of truth to it. I even remember Tweety Bird singing this song:
    • If you do a good deed every day every day,
      You will succeed every way every ways,
      And if you are thoughtful in what you do,
      Only the best things will happen to you
  • I don’t necessarily think that Tweety Bird was totally right, but you’ll find much in Scripture that suggests that God blesses those who do good. Yet, some of the best people suffered greatly, including Jesus Himself and so many of the prophets and apostles. And when someone like the Apostle Paul appealed for money, as he did in 2 Corinthians 8, he was appealing for funds to help those who were suffering in a famine. He wasn’t looking to make himself wealthy or to build some megachurch empire for himself, as often happens with leaders in the prosperity gospel movement.
• Dispensationalism
  • This isn’t easy to explain. I see it as similar to fundamentalism. Israel and the Church are distinct in God’s plan—God has separate purposes for each. And there’s a heavy emphasis on the end times and a specific outline of what will happen in the end times, with Israel playing a key part. In my experience, people from this movement are often very supportive of missionary work and show great general commitment to living godly lives. But I would wonder if those attending such churches would have less “wiggle room” to have their own opinions about the end times or would they have to adhere precisely to their church’s teaching on it? Most other evangelical churches allow much freedom of opinion on such matters.
• Modern Reformed Movement
  • This would be broadly conservative with a big emphasize on predestination and God’s sovereignty. It would resist modernism and liberalism but wouldn’t be anti-intellectual. Most of my favourite preachers and theologians would be from this movement. They have a deep interest in theology, particularly developments at the reformation from the likes of Luther, Calvin and the Puritans.

But sometimes, when we observe another movement within evangelicalism, we focus on the worst rather than the best things about the movement. So, I’m trying to be unique in my outlook rather than just adopting the views of all the people that I respect in the reformed movement. It’s a little more time-consuming but it’s worth it. But I wouldn’t want to be so arrogant as to dismiss all opinions or pick and choose as suits me. If I find a good theologian, such as Wayne Grudem, I like to spend time learning from them, though I wouldn’t necessarily agree with everything they say.

Getting back to U2, I remember many evangelicals back in 1981 being pleased that they were a Christian band. Bono, Edge, and Larry were part of a charismatic Christian group called Shalom. I have a friend who remembers them coming along to a fellowship here in Limerick. They did play the Greenbelt evangelical pop festival in 1981, but they distanced themselves from the evangelical scene, though you can see some Christian influences in their music.

Maybe they came across some heavy or extreme views. And maybe by publicly identifying as Christian, you wouldn’t be as successful, but it’s not for me to judge motives.

But I sometimes use Bono as an illustration of the fact that you don’t need to align to a particular evangelical trend to be a believer. I was quite impressed with Bonos appearance on The Meaning of Life.