What Defines American Evangelicals These Days? by Frank Schaeffer

[Shallah Kali]

http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-defines-american-evangelicals.html

What Defines American Evangelicals These Days?

The key to understanding the Evangelicals is to understand the popularity of the Left Behind series of books about the "return of Christ" (and the whole host of other End Times "ministries" from the ever weirder Jack-the-Rapture-is-coming!-Van-Impe to the smoother but no less bizarre pages of Christianity Today magazine). This isn't some new or sudden interest in prophecy, but evidence of the deepening inferiority complex suffered by the evangelical/fundamentalist community.

Left Behind

The words "left behind" are ironically what the books are about, but not in the way their authors intended. The evangelical/fundamentalists, from their crudest egocentric celebrities to their "intellectuals" touring college campuses trying to make evangelicalism respectable, have indeed been left behind by modernity. They won't change their literalistic anti-science, anti-education, anti-everything superstitions, so now they nurse a deep grievance against "the world."

This has led to a profound fear of the "other." Jenkins and LaHaye (the Left Behind authors) provide the ultimate revenge fantasy for the culturally left behind against the "elite." The Left Behind franchise holds out hope for the self-disenfranchised that at last soon everyone will know "we" were right and "they" were wrong. They'll know because Spaceship Jesus will come back and whisk "us" away, leaving everyone else to ponder just how very lost they are because they refused to say the words, "I accept Jesus as my personal savior" and join our side while there was still time!

The bestselling status of the Left Behind novels proves that, not unlike Islamist terrorists who behead their enemies, many evangelical/ fundamentalist readers relish the prospect of God doing lots of messy killing for them as they watch in comfort from on high. They want revenge on all people not like them--forever.

Generations Of Indoctrination

We are several generations into the progeny of leaders such as James Dobson and his radio show Focus On The Family. These offspring extol the virtues of corporal punishment, patriarchy, applying biblical law to public governance and so forth. Millions of evangelicals have been raised in homes where they've been isolated from the wider culture, home schooled and/or sent to "Christian schools" where they have been indoctrinated to believe that the Federal Government is the enemy of all true believers, that the "End" is near, that secular society is their enemy as is art, learning and culture.

http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-defines-american-evangelicals.html

[OHdem10]

1. Excellent analysis!!!

[LynnTheDem]

2. And yet these very same American talibornagains despise the likes of Iran,

the Taliban, etc.

No difference betwixt them.

[izquierdista]

8. Oh there IS a difference

As this story illustrates:

I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this guy who looked like he was ready to jump off. So, I thought I'd try to stall him until the authorities showed up (or at least until I had time to put film in my camera).

"Don't jump!" I said.

"Why not?" he said. "Nobody loves me."

"God loves you," I said. "You believe in God, don't you?"

"Yes, I believe in God," he said.

"Good," I said. "Are you Christian or Jewish?"

"Christian," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Protestant or Catholic?"

"Protestant," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "What kind of Protestant?"

"Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Independent Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

"Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "New Evangelical/Moderate Independent Baptist or Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Lose-Your-Salvation Arminian Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Historical Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR For Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Strict Separation of Church and State Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Anti-Disney Boycott Pro-Choice Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "KJV Only Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Modern Versions Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Auugghh!!! You heretic!" I said. And I pushed him over.

[Shallah Kali]

11. There is a difference

So far few of them have been willing to act out their beliefs since they haven't fully succeded in taking over so they can bring back things like the stoning of witches, homosexuals, astrolgers, and unchaste non-virgin brides. I think part of it is envy - the taliban and similar are doing what they dream of - keeping females from going to school & locked up at home, killing those who don't believe exactly as they do, etc.

[Emit]

3. Shallah Kali, I was just watching some of the Value Voters Summit

(not all - I can't handle much of it - but enough to get the gist of it) and Schaeffer is right on target. If you listen to these speakers - so far, I have only heard bits by Tony Perkins, Mike Pence R - Ind, and Huckabee -- you can see what Schaeffer is talking about.

Here's an example, from Tony Perkins: "...Value voters who say our trust remains in God not government...You are going to hear from many of our conservative leaders .. who will rally Americans to the cause of faith, family and freedom ... "


http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/09/18/HP/R/23300/GOP+Leaders+Talk+Health+Care+at+Values+Voter+Summit.aspx


edited for clarity, I hope, lol

[Shallah Kali]

6. They have been doing damage to America for years from supporting W & others like him repeal regulati

regulations that protects Americans from predatory business practices, lower taxes for the haves and the have-mores, cut out the safety nets for the poor, waste millions on abstience-only education that is full of lies so the rates of teen births and STDs skyrocket - and when they can't out and out do things they still water down anything that helps the majority of Americans all behind a surface coating of Christianity to make it more palatable. And it make it harder to object to their actions lest the objector be accused of being Anti-Christian. How dare anyone question the politicans at C Street aka The Family! They are Christians! (never mind their idea of Christ is more Jesus General's Republican Jesus come to life than the of matthew 25:40. Same with Palin's sect 7 Mountains plan to take over - http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/6/18328/1167

What are the Seven Mountains?

The seven mountains are seven spheres of influence that make up the mind molders that control Nations. He who occupies these mountains controls the harvest. As Satan gains power over these mountains he increases his capacity for "Mind Control." That's the spiritual force that inclines whole people groups to think along the same pathway. It is the phenomenon that explains sudden trends in fashion or music. It works to turn whole continents against each other and will be used to facilitate global wars. Mind Control will increase as the Last Days speeds toward a conclusion.

Here are the Seven Mountains or Mind Molders:

1. Spirituality and Church
2. Family
3. Education
4. Government and Law
5. Media and Communication
6. Arts and Entertainment
7. Business and Finance

World Rulers of Darkness operate through people. Their goal is to penetrate key strategic positions at the tops of the mountains, and to populate these positions with people who will become gatekeepers to their foul agendas. A small group in control of Media with a homosexual bias can put on programs that make the Gay lifestyle appealing and entertaining. This media pummeling has the effect of softening minds to the issues of morality and creates intolerance for moral absolutes regarding sexual purity and a false tolerance for perversion.

Mind Molders work together in order to accomplish the strategies of the devil. This year alone, the family (Family Mountain) has come under assault by government legislatures (Government Mountain) in the State of Massachusetts to recognize that the union of a man and a woman is a thing of the past. Men now marry men and woman marry woman. Simultaneous with this, education (another mountain) chartered a school in New York to honor those students with a homosexual preference.

snip

In short, the concept of "Seven Mountains" is in fact quite possibly the ultimate extension of what has been termed "spiritual mapping" in Joel's Army circles. The earliest references I can find to this practice are in some Assemblies fronts (FGBMFI and Youth With A Mission) as well as quasi-front/"Assemblies daughter" Campus Crusade for Christ; the general concept is that these groups map out "spiritual strongholds of Satan" to focus "spiritual warfare" on.

The concept of "spiritual mapping" has led to some rather bizarre incidents. One of the more infamous examples of "spiritual mapping" in action was documented by Jeff Sharlet in his article Soldiers of Christ, originally appearing in Harper's: http://www.rickross.com/reference/fundamentalists/fund196.html

[Feron]

4. Oh no...

yet another blog I'm going to have to RSS. Thank you for the link!

[waiting for hope]

5. Off to the GP with thee -

Frank Schaeffer's words always appreciated.

[get the red out]

7. Wonderful blog

Thanks Shallah Kali, this is right on target. People have danced around this truth for too long. This is the root of the problem, and it is nothing but pure brain washing. Sick stuff.

[Arugula Latte]

9. I always wonder when the statute of limitations on Jesus coming back will run out.

Let's say he hasn't come back in 1,000 years. (Let's face it. It's a pretty damn safe bet that he won't be back, ever. I'd say the chances of him never coming back are about 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999---> ) But, if in 1,000 years he still hasn't shown his visage in these parts, I'd also bet there will be millions of people still thinking he'll return aaaaaaaany day. Hope and delusion are a powerful combination.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Frank Schaffer sure knows what he is talking about.