Churches are dynamic and they change over the time. In USA the power of the Christianity is huge and many people takes their faith as part of their personal identity. European churches are on suvival mode, but they really do not care about reaching the masses, as they have accummulated enough wealth and oppulence. You will almost never encounter them in the politics. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches were discredited for their support of monarchies and later Fascist government where they gave a rise to clerical, fascist republics like in Croatia and Slovakia. After 1945, their role diminished and they lost importance as state furnished social and healthcare services from universal payer system. USA is unique that many foreigner observes often mention American evangelical movement as a new form of fascism (Evangelical Fascism). They most vivid contrast is how American Christians react to European churches. I toured Americans as a travel guide through Prague and Bohemia were medieval churches do not have issue to show nudity ranging from breast feading on Jesus on 500 year old painting to vivid description of orgies in ancient Sodom. Americans were the only one who reacted with shock. There was also issue where American tourists deliberatelly destroyed medieval painting; recently hebrew sing on Charles Bridge above statute of Jesus that was there for 500 years and survived 30Year War, Fascist, and Communists.
Problem with Christianity, either orthodox, convervative, liberal, or evangelical, that they derive their knowledge of Jesus from very small number of books in the New Testament that were certified 300 years later by Nicean council under the supervison of the Roman Emperor. Did Jesus really existed as is described in the Bible? We do not know. Did Jesus had to die? Of course, he had mortal body. Did he knew he will die? Yes hew knew, he pissed off a lot of important people (Matthew 16:21-23). Was he afriad of death? Yes he was - Luke 22:41-44 .