Ethnic composition of American Evangelicalism

[Alpo2]

So I went to a lunch with a friend and we ended up discussing about ethnicity and religion in the US and whether people with identical religious beliefs but differing ethnicity end up having different denominational affiliation and/or identity. We were wondering whether White folks in the US identify as Evangelicals while Black folks with identical beliefs identify as Baptists etc. or if people and media in general associate this kind of terminology with race.

Any thoughts? Also, book, article etc. recommendations are appreciated if anyone's stumbled upon any.

 

[hecma925]

There are Baptists and Evangelicals of every color.

 

[JTLoganville]

Baptists and Evangelicals are not mutually exclusive.

 

[LukeDM]

Baptists and Evangelicals are not mutually exclusive.

This is true. There are many Baptists who consider themselves to be Evangelical.

To your point, however, I think in my experience it's usually smaller cultural microcosms. In my area of the country, towns still exist which were once all black communities. To that extent, there are certainly churches that are still majority black and majority white, however it's not necessarily separated through denominational lines. For instance, in my hometown of 6,000 there are at least a couple of black Baptist churches and hispanic Baptist churches, which end up housing a large portion of the minorities. Not to say that there aren't any minorities in the larger Baptist communities, but the separation exists nevertheless.

I'm not just picking on the Baptists here, they're just an example. Look at the African Methodist Episcopal Church for such identifications within Methodism. However, I wouldn't say that there's a big identification in the public mind. Maybe the biggest such identification would be associating Mexicans with Catholicism. In general, the melding pot of the USA runs very deep, including beliefs. I think most people I know aren't surprised to hear about any ethnicity having any different religious belief.

 

[JTLoganville]

The situation which was the catalyst of the creation of the AME (and its splinter the AME Zion) is one of the most shameful moments of American ecclesial history, Pennsylvania history, and an utter betrayal of the name of the City of Philadelphia ("City of brotherly love").

I will not recount the sordid history. Just look up "Rev. Richard Allen" or AME.

 

[hecma925]

Is "Evangelical" a denomination in the US? I always took it as an adjective, increasingly politicized.

 

[LukeDM]

Is "Evangelical" a denomination in the US? I always took it as an adjective, increasingly politicized.

Best as I can tell, it is an adjective, containing many other groups of denominations. However, even for all of the definitions I was fed in my theological classes at a so-called "evangelical" school, I still cannot quite pinpoint what makes a church evangelical or not, other than the belonging to a politically mainstream American church.

The situation which was the catalyst of the creation of the AME (and its splinter the AME Zion) is one of the most shameful moments of American ecclesial history

I agree. The examples even in my small town are all ultimately regrettable that people have decided it's better to worship separately from their brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter how small or how large the reason for that separation.

 

[Stinky]

This is just a sample of his description of evangelicalismishky. He describes it well.

 

[LukeDM]

This is just a sample of his description of evangelicalismishky. He describes it well.

I thought you were showing us the underlined sections about gnosticism
Maybe harsh to equate evangelicalism to gnosticism, but I had a laugh imagining that scenario.

 

[Stinky]

I thought you were showing us the underlined sections about gnosticism
Maybe harsh to equate evangelicalism to gnosticism, but I had a laugh imagining that scenario.

Yes.

He describes this in chapter 5.

 

[Stinky]

Andrew Stephen Damick
ORTHODOXY AND HETERODOXY

 

[Alpo2]

It seems that my hunch was entirely incorrect. Still quite interesting so thanks for your answers.

 

[hecma925]

I was in conversation with someone today that described himself as Evangelical. Describing his beliefs and the type of sect he attends, it sounded like a more Christian way of saying "non-denominational".

 

[Stinky]

I was in conversation with someone today that described himself as Evangelical. Describing his beliefs and the type of sect he attends, it sounded like a more Christian way of saying "non-denominational".

Alot of people don't know what it means. Many use it thinking it means, "evangelistic" or "sharing the gospel." The term doesn't mean the same to the one using it nor to the one hearing it.