Fundyism and Class

[Lizzy F.]

Quote:To what extent, then, are the rules and excessive control actually coping mechanisms or tools for folks who are coming out of poverty or some other form of immiseration, or living, in a sense, on the edge?

I've seen this firsthand. The poor in my family used church almost as a union meeting. They'd discuss work, being poor, job openings, etc.

Granted, my father comes from the Chesapeake/Norfolk area where naval/government jobs are the largest employer. The nepotism in that area is atrocious.

If they'd had to find jobs the normal route, they'd be lost.

[Tikatu]

And here I had the opposite thought. The BJU-orbit church I was going to had a lot of business owners, and a lot of professional men. When an upscale subdivision was built across the street, I began to see more programs targeted at them, where the poorer folks in the church were... I dunno if ignored is the right word, but definitely not part of their target audience (which included the families in the Christian school).

This is my perception of what was going on (along with the continuing separation from other churches) so I'm sure someone would come along and tell me I was wrong and that really didn't happen. But as a one income family who lived from paycheck to paycheck, I got the impression we were on the fringes, especially once we put the kids in public school. And that it was our financial status that put us there.

[richao]

The replies have been very interesting, and I think you've convinced me that my thinking is a bit simplistic. I do remember one or two churches in Greenville that certainly seemed a bit hoity-toity for this lower-middle class kid. Was one of them called Highland Park?

I do think that there is certainly a class aspect to American denominational segmentation. But I think that the comment about intelligent people being in fundamentalist churches - even among the pastors - and the defining characteristic being one closer to a lack of intellectual curiosity (I inadvertently just wrote "capacity" - Freudian slip) is probably true. A certain boorishness often accompanies it, as well. I remember, well past my university days, getting ribbed for reading "long-haired books," whatever the he** that was supposed to mean (and that particular comment came from a Christian school principal!).

That said, I consider my own family background, and it's not like I would have been exposed to Virgil and Monteverdi if my parents hadn't been in an IFB church; I probably would've been listening to Madonna and reading almost nothing. Nothing against my family, but that's the milieu we grew up in. In a sense, then, one wonders whether the intensive focus on scripture and hymns, to the exclusion of all else, is necessarily a bad thing, considering the alternatives.

I still believe though that much of the infrastructure - as Jenni has confirmed - is designed, consciously or not, to make exit as difficult as possible. This feature is probably true of any tightly bound, non-mainstream ethnic or religious group, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[richao]

(02-13-2011 03:09 PM)Smith Wrote:  It does seem that Fundamentalism does attract the lower income brackets and the leadership seems to take that as a badge of honor of sorts ("Blessed are the poor" sort of thing). What I've also noticed is that extreme Fundamentalism attracts a criminal element also...in the leadership as well as in the pew. As a result, a rash of child molestation, stealing, violation of marriage vows, etc., have been almost a common occurence.

Now, I believe you mentioned advanced degrees amongst the leadership? True, but what does it account for? Many times they are "PhD's" that are worthless being awarded from basement church "colleges", regionally unaccredited day schools and the advanced, professinal degrees that are worth something are usually awarded from real colleges that have gone the regional accreditation route and are more than likely mainline denominational schools.

Personally, I would love to see the Fundamentalist expression of Christianity go the way of the Ford Pinto...up in flames. I believe because of Fundamentalism's cultish behavior (witnessed by those on this board), mainline denominationalims is due for a surge as people awaken from their KJV induced fog and like Dolly Parton's dream in the movie 9-5, the sunlight will shine into the dungeons, the shackles will fall off and God's people will be free at last.

Maybe not, but could it be that your move into the Anglican fellowship is just who you are? If so, you need not apologize to anyone for it and if you're comfortable with it....go for it.

On the criminal element, I fortunately was spared most exposure to that, though not all. But some of the stories I've heard sound like the teller was plagiarizing Flannery O'Connor (whom anyone with interest in Southern religion should read).