[lbo-talk] 77% of Americans support the cretinous judge

[C. G. Estabrook]

It's surprisingly difficult to get good statistics about Americans'
theological views, in part because, as the Census Bureau explains at its
site,

"The Bureau of the Census collected information in the Census of Religious
Bodies from 1906-1936. This information was obtained from religious
organizations. Public Law 94-521 prohibits us from asking a question on
religious affiliation on a mandatory basis; therefore, the Bureau of the
Census is not the source for information on religion."

The Statistical Abstract of the United States has some information, but
not much beyond denominational membership.  The standard reference work is
David Barrett's massive two-volume World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford
UP, 2001); an excellent web-site, www.adherents.com, draws together
information from a variety of studies.

In summary, well over three-quarters of the US population (upwards of
200,000,000 people) consider themselves Christian; and although
evangelical and fundamentalist Christians are becoming more numerous, no
one seems to suggest that their numbers are greater that 50,000,000.

 
American Protestantism, Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, Apocalyptic
Christianity, and Christian Zionism (Tom Delay's view) are not identical;
in fact, each is a sub-group of the one before (with some ambiguity at the
edges).

EVANGELICALISM arose in 18th century Protestantism in opposition to
Liberal Christianity (which was "liberal" in the 18th century sense).
"Evangelicals are not a separate denomination of Christians but those,
especially within the `low church' denominations, who emphasize the
*personal experience* of being saved.  They make up 57 percent of
Baptists, 32 percent of Methodists, 29 percent of Lutherans, 27 percent of
Presbyterians, but only 14 percent of Episcopalians" in the U.S. a decade
or so ago [Garry Wills 1990, Under God: Religion and American Politics,
388n.18, emphasis added].  Evangelicals in America are political
progressives (e.g., regarding Abolition) until after the first World War,
only becoming what Americans call politically conservative in the course
of the 20th century.

 	    
FUNDAMENTALISM began as a movement within several Protestant denominations
at the beginning of the 20th century in reaction to evolutionary theories
and 19th century biblical criticism.  It developed especially in the U.S.
after World War I.  It takes its name from a series of tracts called The
Fundamentals, which appeared ca. 1909.  Perhaps 20% of the U.S. population
today consider themselves Fundamentalists.  The "Five Points of
Fundamentalism" are

  --the verbal inerrancy of the Bible;

  --the divinity of Jesus Christ;

  --the Virgin Birth;

  --the substitutionary theory of the Atonement;

  --the physical resurrection and bodily return of Christ.

Fundamentalism is a response to disputes internal to Protestantism:
several important Christian affirmations -- e.g., creation -- are not
mentioned, although they are of course held by Fundamentalists.
(Surprising, given that a narrow and particular form of the Christian
doctrine of creation -- "creationism" -- would become for many a hallmark
of Fundamentalism.)  "Fundamentalists, though generally evangelical, place
greater emphasis on preserving orthodox doctrine (the Fundamentals) than
do Evangelicals more centrally interested in the religious *experience* --
of rebirth (revivalists), marked holiness (perfectionists), or gifts of
the Spirit (Pentecostalists)" [loc. cit. n.27]

So Evangelicalism remains a (growing) minority within American
Christianity -- perhaps upwards of 20% of the population (about 25% of all
US Christians) can be considered Evangelical.  Christian Zionism is a
subgroup of that, and if we consider Christian Zionism equivalent to
Apocalyptic Fundamentalism, it now may include a majority of the
Evangelical minority -- maybe 15% of the US population.  --CGE

On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 kjkhoo at softhome.net wrote:


> What are the percentages adhering to the different churches, in
> particular, the established churches as compared to the various
> evangelical organisations?
> 
> The little I know seems to suggest that the established churches are
> diminishing in size while the various evangelical organisations are
> growing, and not only in the US, but world-wide. Is that a mistaken
> impression?
>