Were Carter and Clinton Evangelicals?

[coloradodem2005]

On a pbs special, they were identified as such. Yet they were much better about their beliefs than the typical evangelical, espcially the chimp.

[JohnnyFianna1]

1. Yes, Carter was a born-again, Clinton a Baptist

Carter was the only practicing Christian President or Presidential Candidate.

[The Traveler]

2. Yes, they were. True evangelicals seek to

attract, rather the coerce.

[coloradodem2005]

3. Meaning that the evangelicals we know and loathe...

...coerce and not attract?

[No2W2004]

5. well,

one kind trys to get people to come to jesus through their acts

the other gets in your face and screams that you're going to hell
unless you turn your life over to jesus.

[QC]

8. As I've posted elsewhere, fundamentalists and evangelicals are

not the same thing.

Different roots, different religious beliefs, and yes, different political beliefs in many cases. Most black Christians, for example, are evangelicals and Democrats. In fact, 39% of evangelicals are Democrats, and yes, that includes Jimmy Carter.

Lumping fundamentalists and evangelicals together adds nothing to the discussion, other than alienating people who are on our side but understandably object to being considered Jerry Falwell's buddies.

[LoZoccolo]

10. I think people want a term for this right-wing phenomenon.

But I don't think the terms you mention (not even fundamentalist, which is a tradition of preserving a handful of core doctrines - fundamentals - of a religion) fit to someone who understands what they mean. I think it's an issue of being sensitive to the terms people use to describe their belief system and all their nuances.

[QC]

11. True, because only 30 years ago, fundamentalists were apolitical

for the most part. Many of them saw politics as corrupting. As recently as the 70's, the Southern Baptists were strong advocates of church/state separation, for that very reason. I was raised in a fairly strict non-denominational church in the 70's, and it would never have occurred to us to have the preacher talk politics from the pulpit. It just wasn't done.

So yeah, the politicized Christianity we see now is something relatively now.

But I still think that nothing is gained by clumsily lumping together evangelical Christians with the fundamentalist variety. Unless one's goal is to alienate Christian voters, of course. It's a great strategy for doing that.

[LoZoccolo]

4. Yes.

It seems like the distinction you are looking for is between people who follow their beliefs and those who don't (some people like to try to put a theological label on this practice, but I won't go there). Clinton spent a lot of time talking with an evangelical pastor from a church way outside of Chicago after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke.

[LoZoccolo]

6. I should mention that...

...it doesn't seem like many people knew about these meetings, so I don't think it was just a publicity stunt or a way to endear himself to people of that segment of America.

[coloradodem2005]

7. So what was Clinton doing?

Looking for spiritual guidance?

[LoZoccolo]

9. I think so, yes.

I don't see any reason to doubt his faith.

[murielm99]

12. Yes, they were.

I posted an article here a few weeks ago that was an interview with Carter. I think it was from the American prospect, but the link does not work now.

He talked about why the Christian right is not really Christian.

He said that separation of church and state used to be a theological point of pride with Baptists, about 25 years ago.

He said the right is not Christian because they worship war instead of the prince of peace. He said they forget the poor, and that is not what Jesus wanted us to do.

Carter still teaches Sunday school.

Evangelical means that one emphasizes the four Christian gospels, and that salvation is from faith and grace, not good works and sacraments.

Evangelicals typically proselytize. I used to belong to a Christian church that did not proselytize. They believed in converting by example.

[checks-n-balances]

13. Carter & Clinton were very INTELLIGENT and compassionate believers

And as far as I can tell, their values (and policies) did NOT ignore the needs of real people at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. W seems only to interpret life through the lens of wealth & privilege, so IMHO he has not learned to "love God with all his mind." In contrast, Carter & Clinton go through the mental work of trying to understand the complex problems of life, and have the patience to find realistic solutions to problems, after weighing possible consequences, etc.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Al Gore also grew up Southern Baptist and attended Vanderbilt Divinity School for awhile - another one with what I would call a "thinking faith."