Comment Re:Christians won't like it - defining christian (Score 1) 239
Just for the sake of nitpicking as theologians are inclined to do....
Even the phrase "fundamentalist Christian" is not an accurate title in this case. It is actually the classic or "old school" dispensationalists like Tim LaHaye - the author behind the popular books of the Left Behind series. In fact many fundamentalist christians (which is normally synonymous with the word evangelical, in the US) do not seem to be adequately represented by the craze created by the Left Behind series.
Not only is classic dispensationalism dead (hence the rise of neo-dispensationalism) but even the new view is not as widely held in the theological circles as many other views (hell, how do we even know Revelation is a linear book aaaaand how can we take one verse from Daniel and interpret the rest of the Bible from that? - that's how it was with classic dispensationalism, in a general sense, though that probably does injustice to many off shoots of dispensationalism).
Its a shame that christianity is characterized by one opinion per issue. There is a wide variety of thought concerning these matters in christendom and *gasp* each person is still a Bible believing christian, after all they do conform to the creeds developed by the early church councils. Its like saying all christians support the crusades or for a relevant example, George W. Bush.
I think I am a bit of a fundy, but apparently by many standards not a very good one. I don't like killing people, I support social programs and I'm not a Republican... then again nor am I much of a Democrat either. But now I am getting tangential...
Basically what I am saying in summary is that dispensationalists are not even a majority. I am not yelling to say, "Hey, look me - a minority." What I am saying, is that this view that many people see christianity as does not even enjoy the position of majority in a grand sense.
- David
Bible/Theology Major
History Major
Even the phrase "fundamentalist Christian" is not an accurate title in this case. It is actually the classic or "old school" dispensationalists like Tim LaHaye - the author behind the popular books of the Left Behind series. In fact many fundamentalist christians (which is normally synonymous with the word evangelical, in the US) do not seem to be adequately represented by the craze created by the Left Behind series.
Not only is classic dispensationalism dead (hence the rise of neo-dispensationalism) but even the new view is not as widely held in the theological circles as many other views (hell, how do we even know Revelation is a linear book aaaaand how can we take one verse from Daniel and interpret the rest of the Bible from that? - that's how it was with classic dispensationalism, in a general sense, though that probably does injustice to many off shoots of dispensationalism).
Its a shame that christianity is characterized by one opinion per issue. There is a wide variety of thought concerning these matters in christendom and *gasp* each person is still a Bible believing christian, after all they do conform to the creeds developed by the early church councils. Its like saying all christians support the crusades or for a relevant example, George W. Bush.
I think I am a bit of a fundy, but apparently by many standards not a very good one. I don't like killing people, I support social programs and I'm not a Republican... then again nor am I much of a Democrat either. But now I am getting tangential...
Basically what I am saying in summary is that dispensationalists are not even a majority. I am not yelling to say, "Hey, look me - a minority." What I am saying, is that this view that many people see christianity as does not even enjoy the position of majority in a grand sense.
- David
Bible/Theology Major
History Major
