A review of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture by Randall Balmer
When I first found out that we were assigned to read MineEyes Have Seen the Glory, I expected it to be reminiscent of Salvation onSand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia that I
read in an earlier course. In one way, it was: I found it fascinating. I found
myself scribbling down the margins, underlining phrase after phrase and
circling words. I thought I knew what there was to know about evangelicals – or
at least how to spot them – but I found out that there is more variety to this
group of people than I gave them credit for. It is for this very reason that
Randall Balmer set out to research for this book – to show the variations that
exist within the subculture of evangelicalism that many (like me) thought was
monolithic[1].
Although he succeeds in painting a general picture of evangelicals by pointing
out similarities that can typically be found across the board[2],
he was successful in demonstrating the variety among them as well.
Bibliography
I learned
that although it was typical for evangelicals to be bible thumpers – those who
place a huge emphasis on following scripture and the belief that the Bible is
infallible – (as I believed they were), that not all believe that the bible is
free from errors. Certainly the more fundamental groups – the majority – did,
but not all. It reminded me that there are always exceptions. To demonstrate
this point, Balmer focused on Douglas Frank[3]
in chapter fourteen.
I was also
surprised to learn that some Episcopal churches are evangelical as well. Having
grown up Episcopalian, I would never have considered Episcopalians as part of
the evangelical subculture – mostly because I was hounded by a few evangelicals
who thought so differently than me and because it was so different from my
grandmother’s church, which was evangelical. I've always believed that the
Episcopal Church in America was pretty liberal. After reading about … it caused
me to stop and think for a moment about some members of my old church that
could have fit the bill and were surely fired up for the lord[4].
Some of the
groups he visited and wrote about I wouldn't have immediately known were
evangelical, as it seems like they are a little more closed off to the rest of
society – so I may have just not had any contact with this type to know of
them. I am familiar with the Amish from living near Greenville, MI, and I would
never have considered them as Evangelical and I've had some run-ins with
Mennonites and Seventh Day Adventists, again, without any of the usual
testifying/witnessing. My interactions with them led me to believe they were
tight knit and kept themselves away from the rest of “us”. To me evangelical
meant someone who not only was excited about their born-again status, but
wanted to round everyone up to join them – not keep it to themselves. Granted,
the Mennonites in Balmer’s study were no longer Mennonites per se (they were
born-again)[5],
they just maintained the modesty of the culture they grew up with.
Other of the
groups are well known to many who watch or listen to the news, watch television
or
listen to AM radio, use the internet (especially social media), and/or pay
attention to politics. These are the
evangelical televangelists and leaders of
the evangelical mega-churches. I’d be mighty surprised if an adult today hasn't
heard the names Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggert, or Rick Warren –
or even “Crystal Cathedral”. What I did
notice is that he seemed to visit more of the mega-churches that had met decline
– the only church that seemed to be thriving was Warren’s. I wonder if that is
a good portrayal of the status of mega-churches today or if it was more
indicative of something else that I garnered throughout my reading of the book
– that the author feels some disdain toward evangelicalism, even if he is or
was a member of the subculture[6].
I took to
the habit of circling words that, I believe, identify his bias against either
the group he was studying or evangelism as a whole. Balmer’s distaste for the “Phoenix
Prophet”[7]
is evident (I believe) by the use of the words he chose in his description of
the Capstone Cathedraland of Frisbee[8].
It also appeared to me that Balmer is not a supporter of youth church camps by
the way he spoke of it in chapter five.
Balmer
suggested that such camps are a way to keep children “safely within the
evangelical fold” which eventually prevents the kids from potentially from
experiencing the full drama of being born-again – especially since the
evangelical beliefs and lifestyle have been “drilled into them since infancy”[9].
He later gives an autobiographical account of how such camps made him feel
defeated and inadequate[10],
none of which puts such camps in any kind of positive or ambivalent light.
Other groups
he seemed particularly taken with, especially Douglas Franks group in Oregon.
Balmer admits in the epilogue that he probably let it show that Franks spoke
for him about how he felt about evangelicalism. To be fair, he does indicate on
page seven that the book is a not a “detached and dispassionate analysis”, but
a bit of self-disclosure, albeit not an autobiography.
One group
that he didn't cover was Christian Scientists. I thought it odd that he left
them out of his study, but he included a half-Pentecostal and half-Episcopalian
congregation. The reason I say this is because of my own interaction with
Christian Science in the past (I was engaged to a Christian Scientist). I
remember the testifying/witnessing that went on there and some of the
fundamental teachings of the religion. I thought that they would fit well in
his variety show; alas, there was only a passing reference in the whole book.
I think that Mine Eyes Have Seen
the Glory is a good book to introduce the reader to evangelicalism as it
shows that there is variation within the fold, just as anywhere. Although it
may lead to a bit of a stereotype, it helps break down some of them and open
the eyes of the reader to the diversity that exists even in subcultures like
evangelicalism. Perhaps it will even interest the reader enough to learn more
about specific groups written about in the book or to ask more questions
instead of making assumptions when interacting or learning Christians (or
members of any religion) in the future.
Bibliography
Balmer, Randall. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory.
4th. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.
[2]
Conservative dress; use of certain phrases like “on fire for the lord” and
talking about being “saved”; campaigning or generally supportive of republican
or conservative candidates; anti-abortion efforts; emotional outbursts in
church or when discussing religion; avoidance of “worldly” things like modern
music (unless it is contemporary Christian Music); avoidance of alcohol,
adherence to traditional gender roles; and a view that homosexuality is sinful (Balmer 2006)
[6] In
the prologue of the book, Balmer spoke of his fundamentalist youth, including
an anecdote about witnessing to a Catholic (because he didn’t consider the boy
to be a “real” Christian) (Balmer 2006, 4-11)
[7]
This is the title of Chapter 4 which is about Neal Frisbee who is also called
the Rainbow Prophet. (Balmer 2006, 71-90)
[8] “gaudy
jewel sitting atop some otherworldly launching pad … overwhelming scale”,
“claims of healing” (the use of the word claim here tells me than Balmer didn’t
believe that Frisbee had any such abilities – especially since he felt nothing
at the healing he took part in),
“frequently boasts”, “antics”, “carnival atmosphere” (Balmer 2006, 71-90)
