Is It Time to Drop the Term "Evangelical?"

Editorial by Justin Nash

Has the term “evangelical” become meaningless? This is a very relevant question to those of us who consider ourselves evangelicals. This would include most who read this magazine and the network of churches the magazine represents. Advent Christian General Conference is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals after all. But is it time to stop using the term?

"Evangelical" misdefined

There are two contemporary issues driving this question. First, the term “evangelical” seems to have been coopted as a convenient label to identify a reliable conservative voting bloc. To be labeled an evangelical is to be primarily identified with one particular political party. The term denotes a specific political and social profile.

This is far from the roots of the term. Historian David Bebbington identifies four main qualities that are to be used in defining evangelical convictions and attitudes in what has been called the Evangelical Quadrilateral. The four main qualities he proposed are:

  • biblicism: a particular regard for the Bible (e.g. all essential spiritual truth is to be found in its pages)

  • crucicentrism: a focus on the atoning work of Christ on the cross

  • conversionism: the belief that human beings need to be converted

  • activism: the belief that the gospel needs to be expressed in effort. It is this last quality that perhaps best identifies evangelicals.

The term “evangelical” derives from the Greek word euangelion meaning “gospel” or “good news.” Technically speaking, “evangelical” refers to a person, church or organization that is committed to proclaiming the Christian gospel of Jesus Christ. The word has its beginnings in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, but it really took off as a movement in the Great Awakening in America and Britain 200 years later. It has, until recent history, been defined primarily in theological terms. This leads to the second, and more concerning problem.

Forty-two percent of professed evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Justin Nash

"Evangelical" misidentified

Given that “evangelical” is a theological label, it’s deeply concerning how many professed evangelicals don’t hold evangelical beliefs. To be fair, “evangelical” is a broad label that encompasses a continuum of beliefs under the umbrella of orthodoxy or what C.S. Lewis referred to as “mere Christianity.” But the recent 2020 State of Theology Survey from Ligonier Ministries (thestateoftheology.com) found that a significant portion of evangelicals deny essential orthodox Christian doctrine. For instance, almost one-third of evangelicals (30 percent) are among those who agree that Jesus was merely a great teacher. Forty-two percent of professed evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. These are but two of the troubling results.

"Evangelical" reclaimed

So, is it time to drop the term “evangelical”? I don’t think so, but I do believe the name needs to be reclaimed and clearly defined. This may not be an easy task, and it will take some time. As Dr. Stephen Nichols, Chief Academic Officer of Ligonier Ministries, wrote, “As the culture around us increasingly abandons its moral compass, professing evangelicals are sadly drifting away from God’s absolute standard in Scripture. It’s clear that the church does not have the luxury of idly standing by. This is a time for Christians to study Scripture diligently, engage confidently with people in our culture, and witness fearlessly to the identity and saving work of Jesus Christ in the gospel.”

It’s time for “evangelical” to return to being a theological label and not a political one. It’s time for professing evangelicals to know, study and submit their beliefs to the Bible. And it is time for evangelicals to become known as people of the euangelion (good news) of Jesus Christ as we share it passionately with our friends and neighbors.

Justin Nash, “Is It Time to Drop the Term ‘Evangelical?,‘” The Advent Christian Witness, Winter 2020