The Theological Spectrum

[IFB No More]

Here are some key differences between a liberal, a mainline (left-leaning) evangelical, a conservative (right-leaning) evangelical and a fundy. Thoughts?[/i]

Divinity of Christ
L: Questions it or denies it.
ME/CE/F: Affirms.

Virgin Birth
L: Questions it or denies it.
ME/CE/F: Affirms.

Miracles of Christ
L: Believes some, or all of them, could be symbolic.
ME/CE/F: Accepts them as literal.

Evolution/Creation
L: Supports Christian evolutionism and other non-literal views of Genesis.
ME: Tolerates a wide range of beliefs - ranging from evolutionism to young-earth creationism (literal view of Genesis; world 6K-10K yrs old)
CE: Usually affirms some form of YEC; but will still accept a non-YECer as long as they affirm Adam and Eve are literal beings (or, according to their argument, the Gospel will not be true)
F: Affirms YEC only and uses that as a test of orthodoxy.

Exclusivity of Christ
Assume the person mentioned here is a normal adult; most parts of Christendom will allow "exit clauses" for young children and the mentally disabled. (e.g. "Age of accountability")
L: Believes most or all religions lead to God (pluralism).
ME: Affirms Jesus as the only way to God; but tolerant of more divergent views. Some agree with CEs and Fs; some believe God may forgive the unevangelized; some believe other religions can indirectly lead one to Christ.
CE/F: Affirms Jesus as the only way to God, and that those who have not heard of the Gospel cannot be saved.

Role of Bible
L: Believes Bible is mostly symbolic and contains errors.
ME: Affirms biblical infallibility but ambiguous on biblical inerrancy.
CE: Affirms BOTH biblical infallibility and inerrancy.
F: Affirms BOTH biblical infallibility and inerrancy, and will only use certain Bible versions as "most pure" or correct.
Note: Infallibility = Bible is true and reliable in all matters of faith and practice; Inerrancy = Every part of the Bible, to the jot and tittle is true

Dealing with Other Religions
L: Engages with them to foster mutual friendship and affirm each others' beauties and truths in leading a person to find God/the Divine.
ME: Engages with them to study their beliefs for better evangelism and mission work, and to prevent inter-communal conflict and misunderstandings.
CE: Engages with them to study their beliefs for better evangelism and mission work only. Inter-communal conflict with other religions are undesirable but unavoidable if evangelism causes it.
F: Separates from these "heathen" religions.

Dealing with Other Christian Denominations
L: Engages with all except CEs and Fs.
ME: Engages with everyone except Fs. Views Ls with suspicion but nonetheless still tries to keep on good terms with them.
CE: Separates from Ls, and non-Evangelicals in general (esp. Rome). Chides MEs for being too liberal and Fs for being too separatist but tries to keep on good terms with both of them.
F: Separates from Ls and MEs, and non-Evangelicals. Most grudgingly tolerate CEs. The far-right wing (e.g. IFBx) however, also separates from CEs and even other Fs who don't agree with every "jot and tittle" of their faith.

Role of Women in Church
L: Egalitarian - women can do all that a man can do.
ME: Tolerant of divergent views; can be egalitarian or complementarian (see CE's views).
CE: Men are spiritually leaders over women - so women cannot serve as pastors/priests. Some CEs are ok with female deacons, others not. A few CE denominations however DO allow women pastors but they are few and far in between.
F: Prohibits women in all church leadership without exception.

Sexuality
L: Proper sex must be done "in love". Therefore, pornography and prostitution are condemned, but not consensual sex.
ME: Sex within marriage only. Homosexuality a sin. Some MEs are okay with homosexuals as long as they remain celibate. In general sexual morals are not over-emphasized in ME churches. Ambiguous about sexual practices (unlike CEs/Fs - see below).
CE/F: Sex within marriage only. Homosexuality a sin. No exceptions. Condemns certain sexual practices such as certain types of sexual positions and masturbation. Some also oppose contraception.

Marriage Choices/Dating
L: No church-imposed restrictions, though they would of course encourage marriage between Christians only, but won't be judgmental if that doesn't happen. Little or no restrictions on dating practices.
ME: Tolerant of various views.
CE/F: Forbids or discourages dating or marriage with non-Christians. Some CEs/Fs may have strict rules for dating or may even forbid it for "courtship".

"The World"
L/ME: Doing "worldly" stuff is okay as long as you do not abuse your freedom in Christ.
CE: Preaches separation from "worldly" things, though they try to be pragmatic compared to the Fs. For example, a typical CE will condemn certain secular "rock" songs as satanic but will be reluctant to condemn the genre, but the F will condemn it wholesale. Another example: A typical CE or even conservative ME will preach very strongly against "worldliness" but will be reluctant to set down specifics, unlike Fs.
F: Preaches separation from "worldly" things in a more hardline fashion and in the 19th-century evangelical stereotype (no drinking, dancing, cards, blablabla). If political, may even resort to boycotting of certain labels and brands.

Political Views
L/M: Tolerant of various views, though Ls generally view the Religious Right with huge suspicion.
CE/F: Tends to lean right in the USA; elsewhere social conservative (there are parties outside America that are socially conservative BUT economically centre or leftist). Do note however that Fs tend to be more right-wing no matter what because Evangelical fundamentalism is heavily influenced by Christian Right culture in the USA.

[bean]

good analysis!!

[Tiarali]

No wonder I can't find a church. I would currently consider myself conservative on some points and liberal on others.

[M Go Blue]

It seems that I am a religious mutt.

[LMcC]

(05-22-2012 08:04 AM)M Go Blue Wrote:  It seems that I am a religious mutt.

You and me both. I seem to fit best with the mainline evangelicals, but even there the viewpoints differ on some issues. Due to that thing called "marriage", my husband and I attend a conservative evangelical church that is functionally egalitarian (a complete shock in Nashville!), but I also attend an Episcopal church by myself when they hold first Friday services.

[Papa Bear]

I believe it would be easy to find individuals in each group with the above opinions, but there would be substantial numbers in each group who disagree in one or more areas. And assigning a person to a group / denomination based on these criteria would in some cases yield wildly different results than asking the individual which group / denomination (if any) he or she belongs to. And of course, each group and each individual would hold differing opinions on the relative importance of each of these questions.