Why I Will Still Not Stop Calling Myself “Evangelical”

Last updated on: November 18, 2016 at 8:18 am by Roger E. Olson

Why I Will Still Not Stop Calling Myself “Evangelical” 2016-11-18T08:18:59-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why I Will Still Not Stop Calling Myself “Evangelical”

Ever since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States I have been inundated with questions and suggestions—about the label I still proudly wear: “evangelical Christian.” Many evangelicals who strongly opposed Trump have finally given up that label; for them it was apparently the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Their discomfort with the label began long ago—when the media began calling fundamentalists “evangelicals” and began identifying evangelicalism as a “Religious Right” phenomenon (the Republican Party at prayer)

*Sidebar: The opinions expressed here are my own (or those of the guest writer); I do not speak for any other person, group or organization; nor do I imply that the opinions expressed here reflect those of any other person, group or organization unless I say so specifically. Before commenting read the entire post and the “Note to commenters” at its end.*

I may someday be the last hold out on this, but I doubt it. For example, many Christians belong to churches and denominations with the label “evangelical” in them. The Evangelical Covenant Church is an example. Another one is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. For some American Christians it will be really difficult to run away from the evangelical identity just because of their affiliations with churches or para-church organizations (e.g., the National Association of Evangelicals).

The words “evangelical” and “evangelicalism” have many different meanings; there is no evangelical pope to define them. For many people, however, Billy Graham symbolized one meaning of being evangelical throughout much of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Then, as he began to retire and fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell, who had been critics of Graham and his ministry, began calling themselves “evangelicals” on television programs like The Phil Donahue Show (1970s-1980s), the identification of being evangelical with Billy Graham began to dissipate.

However, I take the “long view” with matters like this and define “evangelical” in theological-historical ways. Modern evangelicalism began with the Pietist movements in Europe in the early 17th century and the Great Awakenings in Britain and America in the same century (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley).

Historian David Bebbington rightly identifies the hallmarks of evangelical Christianity as conversionism, biblicism, crucicentrism, and activism. These are so well known and so much discussed here and elsewhere that I will not define them again. For my earlier essays about them, use a search engine. I think Bebbington and some others who so define “evangelicalism” assume a basic core of Christian orthodoxy as part of being evangelical (e.g., belief in Jesus Christ as God and Savior and belief in a supernatural reality).

“Evangelical” has been my spiritual-theological identity for my entire life—even before I knew it or thought anything about it. We, “my people,” church, denomination, most friends, most extended family, were unapologetically evangelical in our form of Christianity. It is so much ingrained in my, so much a part of my spiritual-theological and professional identity that I cannot imagine shedding it.

What is my response, then, to those who say that, when eighty percent of people calling themselves “evangelical” at the American voting polls voted for Trump, it’s time to drop the label? My response is simply that the majority does not define a long-term, historical, theological movement or its ethos. That doesn’t get much traction, however, until I start giving examples.

My guess is that if the poll takers had asked they would have found that about the same percentage of voters calling themselves “Baptist” exiting election voting locations voted for Trump. Should all anti-Trump Baptists now drop that label and identity just because of that? Of course not, and nobody I know is suggesting it. For me, anyway, “evangelical” is just as important as “Baptist” as a way of labeling my Christian form of life.

Let’s imagine something as a test case for deciding whether a majority’s behavior changes an identity and forces the minority to shed the label attached to it. Suppose that over a period of decades a majority of evangelicals in America became vegetarians. Would that mean non-vegetarian evangelicals should stop using the label “evangelical?” I don’t think so. This would make a long-standing spiritual-theological label too flexible and too subject to the whims of people. Let’s go further and imagine that the media picked up on this and began to talk equate being evangelical with being vegetarian. In my opinion, to cave into that and stop calling myself “evangelical” just because I don’t join the evangelical vegetarian parade, would be to imply that “evangelical” is not a historical-theological identity and label but one defined by a secondary quality of a majority of those who, at a particular moment in history, happen to take it on.

Now, admittedly, underlying my refusal is partly a deep, even visceral distrust and dislike of the popular media in America—including so-called news journalism. I see very little real journalism there—especially on television. I see and hear distortions all over the place there and simply suspend all belief when I am watching and listening to popular news programs and reading popular “news” outlets in print. Recently I happened to open a national news tabloid on my tablet and immediately saw two side-by-side news stories with colorful photographs. One was about Trump and the other was about a male entertainment celebrity that “lost his virginity” to a starlet (sometime in the past). Who can take seriously such “journalism?” That just proves to me that serious journalism is almost dead in America and that the popular, sensational tabloid, entertainment-obsessed publications have merged into some kind of weird hybrid.

I blame the media for the popular identification of “evangelical” with “Religious Right” politics and now Trumpism (whatever that is). The media, including advertising, has a tendency to distort the meanings of words by blatantly misusing them. I see and hear it all the time. To me, caving into that and shedding my lifelong identity as an evangelical, would be to surrender to the popular media’s larger and deeper habit of misusing good, serious, useful words. And it would be to surrender to the oddball and even sinister assortment of cynical rightwing American fundamentalists who have worked hard to take over the label “evangelical” for themselves and their political agendas.

And yet, if someone asks me if I’m an evangelical I automatically ask “What do you mean by ‘evangelical?’” and “How long do you have to listen to what I mean by it?” In today’s climate in American, anyway, I cannot simply say “yes” to such a question unless I already know the interrogator and I share a basically similar definition of “evangelical.”

*Note to commenters: This blog is not a discussion board; please respond with a question or comment solely to me. If you do not share my evangelical Christian perspective (very broadly defined), feel free to ask a question for clarification, but know that this is not a space for debating incommensurate perspectives/worldviews. In any case, know that there is no guarantee that your question or comment will be posted by the moderator or answered by the writer. If you hope for your question or comment to appear here and be answered or responded to, make sure it is civil, respectful, and “on topic.” Do not comment if you have not read the entire post and do not misrepresent what it says. Keep any comment (including questions) to minimal length; do not post essays, sermons or testimonies here. Do not post links to internet sites here. This is a space for expressions of the blogger’s (or guest writers’) opinions and constructive dialogue among evangelical Christians (very broadly defined).

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 16, 2016

Should Christians Worship and Pray together with Non-Christians?

Next Post

November 21, 2016 Is "Mansplaining" a Thing?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: God created the world in seven days.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE