During the time of religious revival post-WWII, these two branches of fundamentalism split into what we call modern fundamentalism and new evangelicalism. The new evangelicals saw their position as keeping the baby while draining the bathwater. The fundamentalists thought the old denominations irreversibly corrupted.

Thus it is ironic that these two camps have mutated and now seem to have switched positions. I attend a church in Philadelphia that has been described by the pastor as “fundagelical.” In other words, it attempts to split the difference between fundamentalism and evangelicalism, though in all honesty the accent belongs on the second half of the word. Indeed, among self-declared fundamentalists there is a growing movement called “Young Fundamentalism” that seeks to counter the more radical fringes of fundamentalism. The (as of yet) implicit point of distinction between young, conservative evangelicals and young fundamentalists is similar to that which historically separated fundamentalism from new evangelicalism, but with one key difference: they have switched sides.

Conservative evangelical emigrés leave fundamentalism because they think it unsalvageably marked by legalism and isolationism; they must leave for happier (and often, more Reformed) climes. Young fundamentalists, on the other hand, argue that fundamentalism is worth saving. To leave the movement now would be to eject the good along with the bad; better to stay fundamentalists and purge it from within.

Pelosi presents an Evangelicalism that is pervasive, politically engaged, passionately partisan, single (or simple) minded, and kinda tacky. She emphasizes the political aspect of a Christian worldview by focusing her questions and editing on the evangelical use of militaristic terminology; she spends time with evangelical organizations like “Battlecry” and “Patriot Pastors.” There is a gospel message being promoted within the film, a gospel that proclaims the necessity for zealous promotion of social conservatism.

To a certain degree the fault lies with Pelosi’s choice of subjects and other editorial decisions. Still, after finishing the film I was grieved that a non-believer would come away from this documentary with the idea that evangelical Christianity is all about a set of conservative politicals beliefs (anti-abortion, anti-homosexual, pro-military, etc…) rather than about the salvation offered by the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Pelosi uses dozens of images of the cross by highways and churches as visual filler during voice-overs and transitions, but the cross represents something very different from “The Old Rugged Cross.”

Yet I wonder if a large share of the blame lies within broader evangelicalism. We have so twisted the idea of cultural engagement that a Christian political worldview has nearly subsumed the gospel. Carl Henry and the original New Evangelicals rejected the cultural isolation promoted by many Fundamentalists, a shift which I appreciate. But the next generation of Evangelical leaders, men like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Ted Haggard, appear to have confused the salvation of souls with the salvation of a conservative America. Have we become so focused on “winning back the White House” that we have forgotten our primary responsibility to proclaim Christ?

There was a particular instance in the movie when I began to question the impact of the culture wars on Christianity. A self-proclaimed gay evangelical, a former ghost speech-writer for Jerry Falwell, read a portion from one of Falwell’s sermons condemning homosexuality. In this sermon Falwell explained why homosexuality was wrong: Gays have “a plan which will destroy America’s traditional moral values.”

There is something very wrong with this statement. I don’t dispute that homosexuality is destructive of the moral fabric of our nation, but that is not primarily why it is wrong. Homosexuality should be preached against because it is a sinful lifestyle that grieves God, who loves homosexuals just as much as he loves us.

My concern is that the Religious Right may have won the battle for political control of our government, but in doing so we have lost the war for America’s souls. Perhaps we need to shift our emphasis from being Right to being right with God.