Christian Fundamentalism And Culture

In a very short article on the Gospel Coalition blog about evangelical history, the contributors to the article contend that Christian Fundamentalists have consistently engaged with culture rather than have withdrawn from it (click here for the blogpost). They quote from a book by Matthew Avery Sutton to make their point. And for as long as they don't try to pin a percentage of those Fundamentalists who are trying to shape culture, the statement is correct. The results of their efforts, however, are mixed.

A recent Washington Post article (click here) claimed that conservative Evangelicals, which certainly includes at least some, if not all, Christian Fundamentalists, are proving the criticisms of their opponents to be correct. What are those criticisms? That conservative Evangelicals want a theocracy in America. One piece of proof of their criticisms is found in the support of Trump by many of these same conservative Evangelicals. Though the article really overstates the reality there, support for Trump is a cultural engagement. In my view, it isn't an welcomed one.

And yet, if we believe in Democracy, we shouldn't wish that the voice of any group to be silenced. So while the support for Trump of some, certainly not all, Christian Fundamentalists is reprehensible, their participation in culture via their political participation is necessary in a functioning Democracy. 

At the same time, every group that participates in a functioning Democracy must ask itself this question: How are we going to share society with others? The right answer to the question is "as equals." Unfortunately, values from our economic system which put a premium on competition oppose that answer. In fact, many Christian Fundamentalists also disagree with that answer but for a different reason. And because many, but not all, Christian Fundamentalists are not working to share society with others as equals, their participation in culture is becoming more and more an object of scorn. At the same time, Christian Fundamentalists can rightly charge members of other groups of being guilty of making the same mistake.

The Post Modernism reaction to the attempts at controlling culture made by Christian Fundamentalists is to deny what Christian Fundamentalists believe about God. Why? Because Post Modernism employs an outcome-based truth system where if people who hold to a belief or system of beliefs do something that is clearly wrong or disapproved of, then their beliefs must also be wrong. Thus, because of how religion in general has contributed to the starting and continuing of wars and the marginalization of others, Post Modernism says that religion can't be true. What follows is the dread of the participation in culture, especially in politics. of many who hold to religions beliefs, such as Christian Fundamentalists, by those who have been significantly influenced by Post Modernism.

And so such is our dilemma. On the one hand we oppose how certain groups want to influence culture, especially how they push for certain political positions, while we must be enthusiastic supporters of their participation in the system if we believe in Democracy on the other.