The Evangelical Instinct: Define. Indoctrinate. Defend.

The term evangelical is described in the Webster's Dictionary as "1. of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian Gospel esp. as it is presented in the four Gospel 2. PROTESTANT. 3 emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture and the important of preaching as contrasted with ritual."

This definition explains quite clearly the foundation of moral evangelicalism. But it stops short in describing the "evangelical instinct." That is, why are some people drawn to evangelicalism while others choose religion that is more liturgical or liberal?

The evangelical instinct has appeal through what could be called its parallel lives. That is, evangelical faith has a set of very firm rules around which the faith of believers can gather. Particular attention is given to turning the Christian Gospels into a moral stomping ground from which evangelicals are firmly taught not to stray. This turf might seem restrictive on the surface, but it is explained as well to the evangelical believer that they are both confined and freed by devotion to the faith.

Outside the evangelical stomping ground lies the territory of lost souls, we are told. So to remain in character with the true faith, one must accept some limitations and confess these limitations with pride so that God and anyone else listening will know the source and aim of that commitment. Confessional language is a key part of evangelicalism. It defines the faith at a level that is clear and seemingly rational. "Do and say this and you will be saved," is the evangelical mantra.

Clear definition of faith leads to a doctrine that can be shared. This call to share belief is affirmed in scripture with the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

If you are seeking the primary objective of evangelicalism, this is it. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."

In order to baptize other nations, you must first convert the nation in which you live. That is why the evangelical instinct is also so strong in America, and why evangelicals are wont to call America a Christian nation. Evangelicals consider America to be part of their stomping ground. Their turf. Their Christian 'hood. It makes sense that the evangelical movement then, aligns itself with political parties that speak the language of defense, doctrine and indoctrination. That role has been played significantly by Republican conservatives who leveraged the evangelical bloc into "values voters" who handed victories to conservative politicians.

The evangelical bloc ignores some blatant hypocrisies in how Gospel theology and Republican platforms align. On money issues, for example, the doctrine of free market economics favored by most Republicans is irreconcilable to the near-Socialist call of Jesus Christ to give share the wealth.

Hypocrisy is superceded by the larger goal of creating the evangelical state, however. The Great Commission is the higher calling of evangelicals willing to forgive a few mixups on the philosophical end if the greater goal of winning souls is achieved.

The end game in evangelicalism is defending the faith even if the core of that theology is technically compromised through choice of political partners that are less than pure. The evangelical tradition demands that it find the enemy and suit up for war following the words of Jesus himself as quoted in Matthew 10:34 - "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword." Statements like these appeal greatly to the evangelical instinct to fight against all perceived threats to Christian faith.

It does not matter sometimes if those perceived threats are real or imagined. The evangelical battle against teaching of evolution, for example, creates a straw man out of a scientific theory by comparing evolutionary theory with a literal interpretation of the Bible, the book of Genesis in particular. The technique works well because evangelicals are taught to believe that when it comes to the Bible "it is all true or none of it is true." Creating this fear of loss in believers is a powerful method to motivate the "define, indoctrinate, defend" evangelical instinct.

Finally, evangelicals seek control over the end game of life itself. The Pro-Life issue appears to center around abortion, but really the evangelical instinct toward defense of life is an appeal to the sacred baseline of religion itself, which even in its pantheistic early forms celebrated life as the primary gift from God.

In order to celebrate life, we need to consider the alternative that is death. And that is where the evangelical instinct turns a bit pathological. The whole of creation gets sucked into the evangelical fear of death. That is why the evangelical fascination with the End Times and apocalyptic literature found in the Bible is so strong. Our conservative brethren share a morbid fascination with what happens to us when we die. The evangelical confession toward resurrection provides a comforting personal absolution from the end of it all. But the world is guaranteed no such mercy, except as it is re-created by Jesus as a New World, one free from sin and decay, when Christ returns.

That philosophy is why evangelicalism focuses so strongly on controlling ideas about creation itself. For Christ to return and recreate the world, authority must be given to God at the beginning (which must be absolute) if the force of re-creation is to be instigated through the Son, Jesus Christ. That is why the apparently nebulous process of evolution as a theory to explain the formation of earth and life is such a threat to evangelical belief. Evolution has no confessional, God-controlled beginning and no apparent end. But the stomping grounds of evangelicalism demand a clear playground of time as well as place. This fence that defines evangelicalism starts with creationism as an explanatory theory for the beginning of time and ends through End Times theology when Jesus comes back to close up shop.

It's all a pretty convincing theology that delivers explanations and rules for life. The evangelical instinct continues to attract believers disenchanted with religious sects that are too full of ritual (Catholic) too liberal (Unitarian and some branches of Episcopal faith) or too wimpy (any faith tradition without creeds such as Church of the Brethren).

Evangelicalism is also especially designed to resist the temptation of other, competing faiths. Old Testament stories in which God's believers drifted away to Baal or other indulgent religions have special appeal to the evangelical instinct to be faithful to the one God. Now those instincts have a clear apparent enemy in the radical branches of Muslim faith that seek to convert nations into theocracies. This is the New Crusade.

So the evangelical instinct has no shortage of perceived or willing enemies in this world.

The principle problem with evangelical faith is that its instinct for clear doctrinal order ignores much of the nuance of the language of the Bible. It therefore also ignores Jesus' cogent instructions to avoid turning literalism into law. Many of the perceived problems evangelicals have with evolution, for example, can be effectively resolved through a gained appreciation for the organic fundamentalism of rich metaphorical tradition underwriting scripture. Jesus used these traditions in his teaching and parables. He also strongly admonished his disciples to appreciate this nuance to understand the full message. It is a lesson lost, apparently, on modern day evangelicals just as it was lost on Pharisees and Sadducees (and even the disciples) in Jesus' time.

Some lessons of the Bible are significantly more difficult that others to learn. Perhaps the evangelical tradition really does need to take a closer look at the book they trust for life and faith. Jesus is talking to all of us. How we listen determines how well we gain access to the message.