Christianity in Northern America
- the United States is an overwhelmingly Chtistian country. Only 5% of the population represent other faith traditions.
- However, the United States is very pluralistic within the Christian faith. Christian pluralism defines the religious landscape of the US.
- The US was founded with no state church, which allowed for Christian pluralism at the inception of the nation.
- The Puritans in New England envisaged a state church.
- Many Christians did not agree with the Baptists and Quakers, who believed in the formal separation of church and state.
- Some believe that the church in America is vital today because of the competition between non-established churches.
- Churches had to compete for the similar groups of people.
Many denominations-
regoverning
strong focus on the local congregation
puritan like
Europe more like the national model whereas US was more congregationalist
Anglican without state sponsoring
communities ended up competing with each other.
Puritans-
Maylflower 1620
Saw themselves as the city on the hill
Connected themselves to the Exodus (New Israel)
First Great Awakening-
- Whitefield (preacher)
- Edwards (Theologian
- Patriotism, turning back to God results in an ethos of America being a Christian nation
- George Whitfield
- One of the first celebrities!
- Jonathan Edwards- gave theological backing to the awakening
- strong theology of conversion
- focus on individual relationship to God
- American version of Christian faith
- personal, emotional, etc.
- Roger Williams
- we're not God's chosen people! Israel is!
- We can't do whatever we want to the natives!
- Separation of Church and State
- Civil religion and distinct faith communities
- a faith usual fills a vacuum in a culture
2nd Great Awakening
- Much about reclaiming America for God
- related to fear of new immigrants
- many Baptist and Methodist churches
- these groups begin to outnumber the traditional congregationalist churches
- Still have an Edwardsian Calvinist transformation motif
Evangelicalism
- at this time toted the personal and social elements together
- Evangelicalism- a renewal movement in a reformed denomination
Charles Finney-
- You can get right with Christ tonight!
- Evangelist
- Was a trial lawyer
- strongly against slavery
- Individualized Faith-
- one's own personal choice
Whites and Slavery-
- Presbyterian, Baptists, and Methodists split over slavery
- One of the tensions the South had, if we evangelize slaves they are equal, and how do we uphold the institution of slavery?
Early Pentecostal Movement
Fundamentalists vs. Liberals
- Took place after the civil war.
- Darwinism was a primary reason for this split.
- Evangelicals began to move away from academic institutions.
- Fundamentalists emphasized sin, conversion, and God's sovereignty
- Liberals began to focus more on social justice.
- Fundamentalists began to teach that the world was going to get worse until the end of the world. Pre-millenialism and Dispensationalism weaved itself into Fundamentalism.
- focused on salvation from sin in the individual sense.
- Walter Rauschenbusch
- taught a social gospel
- did not emphasize sin and salvation in the way that many Evangelicals were comfortable with.
- dealt with the poor conditions in urban environments
- D.L. Moddy
- focused on individual salvation from individual sin.
- taught that we are: ruined by sin, redeemed by Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
Fundamentalism
- A reaction against liberalism, socialism in Europe, and the perceived secularization of society.
- Premillenial - things will get worse before they get better.
- Connected to the Christian Zionist movement
Fundamentalism and Politics
- Got involved in politics in the 50s out of concern over communism and its concomitant "godlessness"
- Concerned about secular humanism.
- Support the state of Israel because of their theology.
Several institutions developed as an Evangelical third way
- neither aligning with the Fundamentalists or Liberals.
- theologically conservative, but not separatist - engaged in society.
- Representative Institutions: Fuller Theological Seminary, Billy Graham, Christianity Today magazine.
Black Churches after the Civil War
- Services consist of prayer, sermon, testimony, call and response
- Emphasis on God's mercy
Black Churches Today
- seven different AA denominations contemporarily
- MLK
- Social Gospel
- birthed Civil Rights movements (CRM birthed in the churches)
- MLK influenced by Tolstoy and Ghandi
- James Cone (AME Pastor) Black Theology 1970
4 types of African American Faith Communities
- not a major political tie
- messianic communities
- more cultic
- missed the third one. anyone get it?
AA influence on American faith is actually huge!
- AA experience preceeded the Pentecostal movement
- It is consistent with Africa expressions of faith
- An Africanization of the faith