I have seen numerous posts recently calling into question the continued use of the label “evangelical.” Is it time for evangelicalism to come to an end?
Some of the concerns seem to be the ties between many evangelicals and some questionable people/activities/ideas. Certain people are ready to reject the label “evangelical” because some evangelical helped get Donald Trump elected and continue to support him.
I have no intention to stop identifying as an evangelical.
The reason for this is that I have a very specific definition of evangelical. For me, being an evangelical does not tie me to any particular political party or leader. Nor does it tie me to a specific cultural idea or position. That is not to say I have no opinions but rather that I do not feel compelled to specific positions just because I’m an evangelical, nor do I condemn people who differ from me.
I won’t give up being an evangelical because of what it really means. Evangelical comes from the Greek word euangelion, which is translated good news or gospel. Being an evangelical is by definition someone who is gospel-centred. Who can be against good news?
I see three aspects of historical evangelicalism that I’m not ready to give up on. My understanding of evangelicalism is that it includes.
- Jesus-focus. Evangelicals are at their best when they put Jesus as the focus and attempt to live as he taught.
- Bible-centred. Our hope is in Jesus alone, but we understand who Jesus is and what he wants for us in the Bible. I do believe that tradition, reason and experience are important, but the Bible is the surest foundation for our faith.
- Conversion. Traditionally evangelicals have talked about a “personal relationship with Jesus.” I think that we are rightfully bringing in more talk about community and less about individualism. Still, evangelicals have long valued a vibrant faith over just ceremony and ritual (not that there is no place for liturgy). This doesn’t mean that everyone has to pray the sinner’s prayer or respond to an altar call, but there should be something real between us and God.
When I define evangelicalism as above, I have no problem calling myself an evangelical. I may disagree with how some of my fellow evangelicals act or what they say, but that does not take away from what evangelicalism is at the core.
