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General beliefs of Conservative Christianity
Engagement in SocietyThough often stereotyped as uncaring for the needs of society, conservative Christians have frequently led in building hospitals and medical clinics, disaster relief work, having food banks and kitchens, institutions of higher education, primary and secondary schools, adoption agencies, and technological missions that teach agriculture, help drill water well drilling and install water supplies, and many other services, through churches and parachurch agencies. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, British conservative Christian William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was a prominent politician, philanthropist, and abolitionist who was the leader of the parliamentary campaign against the slave trade. In the United States, the 19th and early 20th century saw little formal engagement of the culture or government by conservative Christians. This changed in the 1970s as conservative Christians (both Protestant and Catholic) became politically engaged in opposition to legalized abortion. The scope of these cultural protests later expanded to other cultural/sexual issues including sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, etc. During the 1990s American conservative Christians turned their attention to international social issues. In 1996 the National Association of Evangelicals issued a "Statement of Conscience" decrying international religious persecution. Charles Colson, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, and other conservative Christians formed coalitions to press for federal legislation dealing with international religious freedom, resulting in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Religion and politics scholar Allen Hertzke called the law “one of the most sweeping human rights statutes on the books and the only one of its kind in the world.” It created a new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at the State Department, required the State Department to release annual, country-specific reports on religious freedom, and set up the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to monitor the situation internationally and make policy recommendations. [1] Conservative Christian pressure groups were also instrumental in lobbying for the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, which imposed sanctions on countries that failed to crack down on human trafficking for forced prostitution and labor. Similarly, conservative Christian groups were visibly involved in pressing for the Sudan Peace Act (2002), which established a framework for negotiating the end of the twenty-year civil war between the Sudanese government and southern rebels. [2] Conservative ProtestantismScholars, theologians, and writersThere are a variety of threads including the Evangelical Movement, the Holiness movement, the Pentecostal Movement, the Fundamentalist Movement, the Charismatic Movement and the Confessing Movement. There is also some influence from Mennonites. Each has its distinctives, but there is considerable similarity. Contemporary Conservative Protestant scholars and theologians include: D.A. Carson, Norman Geisler, FF Bruce, Gary Habermas, Kenneth Kitchen, Alan Millard, Bruce Metzger, R. C. Sproul, Edwin M. Yamauchi, Merrill Unger, John Warwick Montgomery, Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, and Bryant G. Wood. Popular conservative Protestant writers and conservative Christian apologetists include: Earlier Conservative Protestant scholars/theologians include:
Conservative Roman Catholicism
Conservatism in Roman Catholicism primarily refers to the upholding of traditional Catholic teachings concerning the sanctity of marriage, restrictions on birth control, the importance of male-only clergy, prohibitions on divorce and homosexuality, and other similar theological and moral matters. In other words, conservative Catholics tend to accept historic church teachings, in contrast to "liberal Catholics" who may pointedly question the church's teachings and practices. [3] In contrast to most conservative Protestants, Roman Catholics do not believe that the Bible is literally true in every word when privately interpreted, but say the sacred Scripture should be interpreted in its scriptural context (Scripture as a whole approach). The encyclical Humani Generis (1950) of Pope Pius XII began the process of affirming that the doctrine of the Catholic Church is compatible with evolution. See also Evolution and the Roman Catholic Church. On economic policies Catholics often tend to take more liberal or left-wing positions than conservative Protestants, especially in the U.S. While about 52% of Roman Catholics in the United States showed support for conservative Christian politicians in the 2006 election, largely out of concern relating to the abortion issue (see Newsweek magazine), historically American Catholics have tended to support the left politically. The Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have condemned the death penalty as well as the US War in Iraq, in addition to abortion and embryonic stem cell research. They also continue to call for arms control, debt relief for poor nations, affordable housing for all, the right of workers to organize, a national US health system affordable to all and increased protection and stewardship of the earth -— all issues typically identified with political liberalism in the U.S. [6] Opus DeiOne example of conservative Roman Catholicism is the organization Opus Dei (Latin for "Work of God"). Comprised of a prelate, secular priests, and lay people, Opus Dei's aim is "to contribute to the evangelizing mission of the Church" by spreading the message that everyone is called to become a saint and an apostle. It "encourages Christians of all social classes to live consistently with their faith in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives." [4] Traditionalist CatholicsMany conservative Catholics are comfortable with contemporary Church liturgy and organizational structure, but are conservative when it comes to ethical, moral, and theological issues. Other Catholics are disturbed by the liturgical and organizational changes that resulted from the Second Vatican Council. These "traditionalist Catholics" seek to uphold and restore the older, historic church practices. Many traditionalists operate within Church organizations submitted to the Vatican, while others operate outside the official Church structure. Criticisms of Conservative ChristianityCritics of US conservative Christianity believe that these Christians de-emphasize the central message of the Gospels, such as social justice and concern for the poor. Liberal or progressive Christians note that Jesus spent most of his ministry in the company of "sinners," such as prostitutes and tax collectors. While the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day are said to have condemned Jesus for his emphasis on forgiveness and his association with these so-called sinners, Jesus in turn condemned the Pharisees and their supporters for their emphasis on judgment, their apparent self-righteousness, and what he perceived as a lack of compassion.[citation needed] Critics of US conservative Christianity also point out what they believe is an overly-focused concern about issues pertaining to sexuality. These critics say that more emphasis should be placed on concern for the poor and social justice, since they believe these latter issues are emphasized more in the Bible itself, especially in the New Testament and Gospels.[citation needed] Furthermore, nationalist undertones found among some conservative American Protestants can be seen as contrary to Jesus Christ's teachings of pacifism[citation needed] In 2001, Christian and musician Bono, who is known for many liberal views, was able to win the support of conservative Christian senator Jesse Helms in his effort to involve American politicians in an effort to alleviate extreme conditions of poverty in Africa[7]. In doing so, Bono pointed out that the Bible contains thousands of verses advising believers to care for the poor, the sick, the widows, and the orphans[8]. Liberal and conservative Christians sometimes unite to serve human needs such as in disaster relief and housing for the poor, by way of parachurch organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Many conservative Christians respond to these charges by pointing out that Jesus helped the poor and the sick personally, just as they do[citation needed]. He did not raise the money from taxes and then have government deliver the aid[citation needed]. They may also call liberals hypocrites for talking about separation of church and state, until some bible reference seems to help in their leftist political ideology, even if that reading of helping your neighbour mentions nothing about government programs[citation needed]. References and notes
See also
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