Was evangelicism always anti-science and often hate based? That is the way that much of the evangelical movement appears to be today. I am sure that is not the case for all evangelical churches, but the noisiest ones tend to be that way. As a result they have earned the entire movement a bad name.
I was raised in a 'moderate' evangelical family. I think that what you're referring to is universal, just expressed in different degrees.
It occurs to me that it would be good if some charity were formed to record and catalogue sample recordings of public church activities from every church. This would be good for historical purposes. If for example you used to go to a particular church and 30 years have past, there should be a way to look up a sample of what was taught and how things were done. Things are changing very quickly, and memories are short. Its always good to be able to see where you have come from.
I agree. As a tangent, I recently stopped in a small town in rural Nebraska to take a look at a museum run by the town's historical society. Because there were so few visitors, I was given a personal tour by one of the women there, who was pushing 90. She talked for much of the tour about her past. She mentioned having a friend, who had been one of the orphans on the 'orphan trains', who had died recently. I realized how much history had been lost when she had died, and, maybe more importantly, that an entire generation of perspectives was being lost.
The woman talked about a lot. Her experience going to school in a single-room school building. Growing up in a small town with only one general store. Marrying a soldier. Referred to Native Americans as "those savages", and later talked about some nice Native American woman who was a waitress in a cafe, who'd been in a biker gang.
While a lot of memorabilia and information about events -- wars, elections, holidays -- get preserved, perspectives don't tend to be recorded as often. I wish that they would be preserved. Especially as culture, especially in the U.S., is becoming more homogenized.
And it is being homogenized. Regional accents are disappearing, I think. 'Local' news stations are almost invariably owned by the same few corporations, reciting the same tired talking points. Large corporations in general are enforcing homogenity everywhere they go; I'm not sure there are 50 square miles in the country, outside a national park, without a Walmart located inside them. And if you ever go anywhere rural, it's difficult to find any store apart from Dollar General; there are more Dollar Generals in the country than there are McDonald's. Radio is the same too: pop on FM stations, country on AM, and the rest 'classic' rock, the one or two classical stations, NPR, and conservative/religious talk radio, anywhere in the country. TV is mostly banal tripe.
As much as I hate evangelicalism, I think it's worthwhile to preserve records of the past.
I'm in the same boat as you having moved out of the Bible belt 9 years ago, but in my case, to another country.
It seems like evangelicals have redirected their focus from evangelizing - televangelizing to recruit new Christians, for example - to political and governmental matters since the nineties.
Garlow Resigns from Megachurch to Focus on Destroying Church/State Separation
Arizona Has Young Earth Creationist Reviewing Science Curricula
Isn't that what all of this Supreme Court hoopla is about - outlawing abortion and outlawing same sex marriage? That's the political aspect of evangelical Christianity.
And then there has been the rise of the lunatics. Evangelicals have been repeatedly shamed over that time period, which may have taken a step from the likes of Pat Robertson.
Wingnut: McCain Was Executed by Secret Trump Military Tribunal
Joyner: Hurricane Florence Will Be a Good Thing
'Coach' Dave: God Makes People Gay to Punish Us
Joyner: Sin is the Cause of Hurricanes
Also, the white conservative Christian Americans are being diluted out by apostasy and the change in the average complexion of Americans.
In the main, I think your perception is probably accurate.
You live in Mexico, don't you? How are all the Catholics there?
Speaking of what you said about apostasy,
@Rival once mentioned the forum being inhabited mainly by atheists and heretical Christians. I think that, more than being representative of the forums, it's a fair perception of the U.S. at large. Protestants, for their emphasis on studying the Bible, play fast and loose with it, and I think are easily disposed to dismiss authoritative opinions of it in favor of their own interpretations. If you interviewed average evangelicals, I don't think you would have to look far to find heretics among them.
As for televangelism, I think that's definitely declined. Hard to find any instances on cable, at least. I agree with you though that political events lately indicate changing times.
