Conservative Christianity

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Conservative Christianity is a sub-division of the Christian community that adhere to what many consider to be conservative religious values of the Christian faith. There are a variety of threads including the Anabaptists, the Evangelical Movement, the Holiness movement, the Pentecostal Movement, the Fundamentalist Movement, the Charismatic Movement and the Confessing Movement. Each has its distinctives, but there is considerable cross pollination.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Conservative Protestantism 2.1 Scholars, theologians, and writers 3 Conservative Roman Catholicism 3.1 Opus Dei 4 See also 5 External links

Introduction

Conservative Christianity is often characterized by the following features:

• A belief in the authority of the Bible and a belief that it is an incontrovertible source of God's revelation to humankind. Bible prophecy and Bible inerrancy are typically affirmed. These often includes a willingness to believe, in cases where the scientific consensus and the Bible are considered to be in dispute, that the Bible is to be believed over the scientific consensus. Cases where the scientific consensus or Bible skeptics were wrong and the Bible was correct are given more emphasis by some conservative Christians [1] [2] [3] [4]. In short, some conservative Christians stress the provisional nature of science rather than any current science community consensus. Biblical creationist interpretations of scientific data regarding origins are sometimes adhered to [5].
• The resurrection of Christ is seen as a historical event. A central focus on Christ's redeeming work on the cross as the means for salvation and the forgiveness of sins.
• Encouragement of evangelism - the act of sharing one's beliefs in salvation through Jesus Christ with others - through both organized missionary work and personal evangelism.
• Traditional views on a literal heaven and hell.
• A high level of involvement in charitable, medical, educational, and relief work, such as adoption agencies, crisis pregnancy centers, food banks, medical clinics, and schools at all levels. For example, the Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin working together, with the former emphasizing evangelism while the latter does disaster relief. In many areas of The Third World the only medical care available is through mission clinics, mostly run by evangelical Mennonite or fundamentalist ministries.

Conservative Protestantism

Scholars, theologians, and writers

Contemporary Conservative Protestant scholars and theologians include: Norman Geisler, FF Bruce, Gary Habermas, N.T. Wright, Kenneth Kitchen, Bruce Metzger, R. C. Sproul, Edwin M. Yamauchi, Merrill Unger, John Warwick Montgomery, Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, and Bryant G. Wood.

Popular conservative Protestant writers and conservative Christian apologetist include:

• Josh McDowell
• C.S. Lewis
• Lee Strobel
• Ravi Zacharias

Earlier Conservative Protestant scholars/theologians include:

• Martin Luther
• John Wycliffe
• John Knox
• John Calvin (see: Calvinism)
• Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758) - preacher in the First Great Awakening
• John Wesley (1703 - 1791) - founder of Methodism
• Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788) - brother of John Wesley, hymnwriter of Methodism
• George Whitefield (1714 - 1770) - early Methodist preacher and associate of John Wesley
• Charles Grandison Finney (1792 - 1875) - a preacher in the Second Great Awakening
• Robert Pearsall Smith and Hannah Whitall Smith, leaders in the Holiness movement
• Henry Venn (1725 - 1797) - founder of the small, but highly influential Clapham Sect in Britain. His grandson, also named Henry Venn (1796 - 1873), pioneered the basic principles of indigenous church mission theory.
• Oswald T. Allis (1856-1930)
• William Henry Green (1825 - 1900)
• James Orr (1844 - 1913)
• C.F.W. Walther (1811-1887)
• Robert Dick Wilson (1856–1930)
• William Mitchell Ramsay (1851-1939) Archaeologist

Conservative Roman Catholicism

Opus Dei

Main article: Opus Dei

One example of conservative Roman Catholicism is Opus Dei, the name is (Latin for "Work of God"), it is comprised of a prelate, secular priests, and lay people, whose aim is "to contribute to the evangelizing mission of the Church" by spreading the message that everyone is called to become a saint and an apostle. It "encourages Christians of all social classes to live consistently with their faith in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives." [6]

See also

• Christian right
• Christian left
• Separation of Church and State
• Christian Fundamentalism
• Dispensationalism
• Covenant theology
• Politics
• Conservativism
• Summary of Christian eschatological differences

External links

Contra liberal Christianity resources:

• Contra Theological Liberalism
• Christianity Against Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
• Jewish Christian Definition of Liberal Christianity
• The "Changing" God of the New Theologies
• The Jesus Seminar: The Slippery Slope to Heresy
• Apostasy in the Christian church
• THE CHURCH AT THE END OF THE AGE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT