PBS Looks at Evangelicals

PBS has started a series called, America's Evangelicals. The series is based on a survey of Evangelicals conducted in partnership with US News and World Report. Normally, a lot of these types of reports are wildly inaccurate but this one starts off well...

An evangelical here is defined as sharing certain core beliefs:

• The "born-again" experience of accepting Jesus as their personal savior.
  
• The authority of the Bible, which most evangelicals say is without error, God's literal word.
  
• The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
  
• The requirement to spread the gospel, the "good news." "To evangelize" means to do just that.

  The study goes on to briefly describe the difference between an Evangelical and a Fundamentalist.
  

  Fundamentalists hold all those beliefs, too, and many of today's evangelicals were yesterday's fundamentalists. But they would say they are less rigid than fundamentalists; indeed, in many ways, they are just like Americans as a whole.

  News organizations are notorious for getting the two groups mixed up so this report shows some promise.

  The survey data itself is available and starts with a collective summary of evangelicals:
  

  As 23 percent of the American population, white evangelicals are an important part of the American mainstream whose collective voice is growing louder both in politics and in culture. In many respects, white evangelicals look like other Americans. They live all over the country, they are found in cities and small towns alike, they have friends outside of their churches, and a majority have at least some college education. They share concerns with the rest of the country about the cost of healthcare and having a secure retirement. Yet white evangelicals share a set of strongly-held beliefs about the role of religion in daily life, and they incorporate a set of religious behaviors based on these beliefs into their daily lives. It is these beliefs and behaviors that set them apart religiously and politically from the rest of the country. [source]

  Among the findings of the survey:
  

  • White evangelicals rally around a foreign policy agenda that prioritizes safety and security at home over altruism and protection of other religious minorities abroad.
    
  • White evangelicals steadfastly believe they are part of the American mainstream, but they believe the media are hostile toward their values and that it is a fight to get their voices heard by the American mainstream.
    
  • White evangelicals are deeply concerned with moral values and the protection of the family. They are extremely opposed to gay marriage and civil unions, but are mixed about the value of a Constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage.
    

  The study finds that Evangelicals more closely mirror the general population than at any time in the past. For example, 22% hold 4 year college degrees as compared to 27% of the general population. 27% have post-secondary education as compared with 26% of the general population and they tend to be evenly spread throughout the country.

  Almost a quarter of Evangelicals don't identify with any denomination and just call themselves Christian or Protestant.

  Franklin Graham and James Dobson are very well-recognized and respected among evangelicals although not as well known among the general public. Of Christian leaders more well-known to the general public like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, evangelicals rate them unfavorably. (although not as unfavorably as the general population.)

  75 percent of all evangelicals agreed with the statement, "Evangelical Christians are part of mainstream American society," and an identical percentage agreed that evangelicals "have to fight for their voices to be heard by the mainstream."

  The study goes on to explore other areas too numerous to mention. The data is available online here.

  At least in this study, PBS and USNW & R seem to have gotten it right. The series being shown on PBS is only Part I. It will be interesting to see how they do on the rest.

  Posted by jdmays at April 19, 2004 07:31 PM | TrackBack