{"id":4920,"date":"2011-11-21T23:42:16","date_gmt":"2011-11-22T04:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/?p=4920"},"modified":"2011-11-21T23:42:16","modified_gmt":"2011-11-22T04:42:16","slug":"evangelical-identity-whats-your-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2011\/11\/21\/evangelical-identity-whats-your-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Evangelical identity: What’s your story?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I know it\u2019s not just<\/em> me. At the very least, it\u2019s me and Jonathan Dudley.<\/p>\n

Here, again, is that opening paragraph from Dudley\u2019s book Broken Words: The Abuse of Science and Faith in American Politics<\/em>:<\/p>\n

I learned a few things growing up as an evangelical Christian: that abortion is murder, homosexuality, sin; evolution, nonsense; and environmentalism, a farce. I learned to accept these ideas \u2014 the \u201cbig four\u201d \u2014 as part of the package deal of Christianity. In some circles, I learned that my eternal salvation hinged on it. Those who denied them were outsiders, liberals, and legitimate targets for evangelism. If they didn\u2019t change their minds after being \u201cwitnessed to,\u201d they became legitimate targets for hell.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m a bit older than Dudley, so I\u2019m old enough to remember when the \u201cbig four\u201d was only the \u201cbig three\u201d (about which more later), but apart from that this is perfectly familiar. Dudley\u2019s description of his evangelical upbringing is also a precise description of my own experience.<\/p>\n

But perhaps he and I are just misreading or misinterpreting our community. Maybe we\u2019re being overly sensitive, or unfairly selective. Maybe we\u2019re just ornery or confused or \u2026 weird. <\/em><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s collect some anecdata (no, that\u2019s not a real word, but it\u2019s a useful one) and hear from others who, like Dudley and I, were raised or shaped by American evangelical Christianity.<\/p>\n

Is what he describes there familiar to you? Based on your experience, is he overstating the case, or were abortion, homosexuality and evolution presented to you as part of the \u201cpackage deal\u201d? Were alternative views on these matters permitted or accepted? Or did deviation from the official views render one, as Dudley says, an \u201coutsider\u201d to be viewed with suspicion or hostility?<\/em><\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s your<\/em> story?
\n<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know it\u2019s not just me. At the very least, it\u2019s me and Jonathan Dudley. Here, again, is that opening paragraph from Dudley\u2019s book Broken Words: The Abuse of Science and Faith in American Politics: I learned a few things growing up as an evangelical Christian: that abortion is murder, homosexuality, sin; evolution, nonsense; and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[237],"class_list":["post-4920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-evangelicals","tag-evangelicals"],"yoast_head":"\nEvangelical identity: What's your story?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I know it's not just me. At the very least, it's me and Jonathan Dudley. 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Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. 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