Protestants Grapple with Liberalism and Secularization

Outline:

A.  Evangelical Protestants look alike doctrinally.  Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Episcopalians:  Westminister Catechism and “covenant theology.”

B.  Some Protestants embrace Progress:  Fiske and Abbott.  Sin is “our brutish inheritance.” 

C.  Heresy trials cause uproar on seminary campuses.  Grass roots reaction flowers in bible conferences and in “The Five Fundaments:” 1.  inerrancy of Sacred Scripture, 2.  diety of Jesus Christ, 3. Virgin Birth, 4. substitutional theory of atonement (forensic justification), 5. the bodily resurrection and second coming of Jesus Christ.

D.  Split between liberal Protestants and fundamentalist Protestants and their roles in society and American Politics.

E.  The current landscape of Christianity.  Great Britain:  one million “practice” Anglicanism.  Germany:  Evangelicals (28 millions are nominal; one million “practice”)  Catholics (marginally better).  25% claim no religion at all.  France:  of 60 million, 5 million “practice.”  Italy:  5.5% “practice” the Faith.

Hitchcock:  Liberalism in religion has never been a way into religion, but rather a way out.”  World Christian leaders:

1900:  USA, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain

2050:  USA, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Nigeria, (Russia & Germany)

            France, Italy, Great Britain are the losers in the Twenty-First Century