The Statement of Faith of the National
Association of Evangelicals (US) can be found at: http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=nae.statement_of_faith.
Given their nature, and ironic, given their name, there is no analogous group
of fundamentalists but they do have some institutions that have statements of
faith (see the statement of faith of Liberty
University at: http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907
and Patrick Henry College’s
statement of faith at: http://www.phc.edu/about/faith.asp.
I think in general that there is not a huge difference in faith statements
between fundamentalists and evangelicals but there is a big difference in
attitude toward engagement with the world. Evangelicals will often take an “all
truth is God’s truth” perspective toward science and other thoughts
and ideas of nonbelievers while fundamentalists are likely to see any attempt
to discern truth from such sources as a dangerous compromise or leavening of
the truth. Evangelicals, while realizing that many psychologists are not
friendly to Christian belief, realize that God is the author of truth wherever
it is found and sometimes it is found in the writings of nonbelievers. Evangelicals
believe that such truths should be carefully evaluated, judged on its own
merits and distinguished from the beliefs of the writer. Fundamentalists, on
the other hand, write books like: “PsychoHeresy: The Psychological
Seduction of Christianity” (Martin and Deidre Bobgan). Some
representative chapter titles: “Leaven in the Loaf” and “Psychology
as Religion”.
From: Christopher D. Green [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004
9:44 AM
To: Teaching
in the Psychological Sciences
Subject: Re: fundamentalism v.
evangelicalism]
The other day I mentioned
that a formerly-fundamentalist friend of mine had explained the doctrinal
differences between "evangelical" and "fundamentalist" but
I had become vague on the details. Here is his reply to my request that he
repeat himself.
Regards,
Christopher Green
========================
-------- Original Message --------
The difference has to do with certain doctrinal commitments. Both evangelicals and
fundamentalists believe that Jesus was God incarnate and his death paid for our
sins, and that those who know this have a deep moral obligation to get other
people to believe it, hence evangelical. It is usually important that this
belief takes the form of a conversion experience in which one is born again by
praying to Jesus, asking him to forgive your sins, and take full control of
your life. The fundamentalists have additional commitments. They are also
committed to the idea that the Bible is inerrant, that it should be interpreted
literally, that it is completely scientifically accurate, and that it is
totally divinely inspired and
therefore has absolute authority. There are significant overlaps between the
two groups, and some of the differences are more a matter of degree, e.g.
whether other religions are simply misguided or demonic in nature, etc. But
that is the core difference.
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