I am a new member who am trying to see if my beliefs fall into any of the broad categories  used on beliefnet ( progressive christian evangelical, etc.) My question is the term evangelical the way it is used here the same thing  as fundamentalism?  I a aware that in the broadest sense evangelical refers to all those who believe in spreading the good news ofjesus christ, and in that would include me and nearly all other christias.  However today the term is commonly a synonym for fundmentalism the belief that the bible is the literal word of god, all other religions are satanic, that all those who are not "born again chritians"  will be doomed to hell as well as many other beliefs.        As i am far from a fundamentalist , would not be considered evangelical in that sense.   What is an evangelical christian as the term is used here? Also what do you personally believe an evangelical christian is?

I am a new member who am trying to see if my beliefs fall into any of the broad categories  used on beliefnet ( progressive christian evangelical, etc.) My question is the term evangelical the way it is used here the same thing  as fundamentalism?  I a aware that in the broadest sense evangelical refers to all those who believe in spreading the good news ofjesus christ, and in that would include me and nearly all other christias.  However today the term is commonly a synonym for fundmentalism the belief that the bible is the literal word of god, all other religions are satanic, that all those who are not "born again chritians"  will be doomed to hell as well as many other beliefs.        As i am far from a fundamentalist , would not be considered evangelical in that sense.   What is an evangelical christian as the term is used here? Also what do you personally believe an evangelical christian is?

If you go to the group "Evangelical Manifesto" you can link to the document The Evangelical Manifesto which tries to define the term. While I personally have some reservations about the quality of the document, I think it is a good starting point as far as defining what an evangelical christian is.

Eddie,

Welcome to the EC board.

If you look at the top of the topic list, you will see a sticky note - a post with no responses to it called "Sticky: Forum Guidelines: Please Read Before Posting." If you go to that thread, it explains that on Bnet, Evangelicals are those Christians who believe the Bible is literally true, and that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.

There is a difference between Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. While we both believe the Bible is the word of God and should be read literally (while taking into account the parables, poetry, prophecy, and other writing styles), Fundamentalists have a different way of living that out than we do. They tend to be more outspoken and demanding when talking to others about their faith, and sometimes they take it to extreme by segregating themselves from what I personally call 'the real world'.

Christians who are liberal minded do not believe in the Bible as the inspired, inerrant word of God, and some of those who claim to be Christians don't even believe that Jesus is in fact the second part of the Trinity...God. My experience with Christians who are liberal minded is that they tend to choose each one for themselves which parts of the Bible apply to them, or are real to them or metaphor to them, etc. The result is that they live their lives no different from the secular world.

Evangelicals are fundamental in our beliefs and try to live out obedience to God's word, while at the same time respecting other's right to reject Christ. We do our best to live peaceably with other faiths, but we will share the Gospel message when the opportunity arises.

In short, the difference between Fundamentalists and Evangelicals is not in how we read the Bible, but rather in how we live it out. The difference between Evangelicals and liberal (or progressive) Christians is how we read the Bible and the authority we place on it in our lives.

The term evangelize means to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fundamentalists and liberals can evangelize, but that does not make them Evangelical.

I hope that helps. Questions are always welcome. There are a couple of threads also on the Welcome: Evangelical Christianity board. You will find this here:

http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/f … .php?f=223

Anesis
Beliefnet Community Host
Evangelical Christianity

I think the difference between "Evangelical", "Fundamentalist", and "Liberal"  is a lot like George Carlin's joke: 'everybody driving faster than me is a maniac and everyone driving slower than me is an idiot.' If someone tells me I should follow an instruction in the Bible, but I feel it the instruction doesn't apply that way, then the other person is a "fundamentalist", but if I feel someone else should follow an instruction in the Bible, and they feel it doesn't apply that way, then the other person is a "liberal". But I'm always an "evangelical", because I'm telling people the good news.