Is “Evangelical” a Political or Theological Identity? — Good Faith Debates

What is an “evangelical”? Whatever the term meant historically, what does it mean today? To some ears, the term brings to mind MAGA hats more than church pews. To others, the term connotes certain theological commitments and missional postures. Has the term outlived its usefulness by taking on a meaning far from its original usage? How should faithful Christians use or not use “evangelical” as an identifying term?

These and related questions are addressed in this debate between Ryan Burge and Andrew Walker. Burge and Walker share their respective arguments and engage in a discussion moderated by Jim Davis, teaching pastor at Orlando Grace Church.


#christian #evangelical

[spikejohnson]

Thank you for having this debate and publishing this for the broader Christian community.

I find this a baffling debate as it seems that Americans are redefining the word evangelical not respecting that is an international word. I am an Australian and I don't know anything about the Republican party or Trump's policies.

It would be a shame for American English to dissociate itself further from the rest of the English speaking countries by not being precise about linguistic definitions. I went to school with a dictionary, words had definitions.

It is the role of a survey writer to understand the terms they are using and write in a way that does not confuse people.

[teddymugambi]

Such a rich and enlightening discourse. The good gentlemen did the debate good justice, learnt a lot from both their viewpoints and arguments.

[nathanketsdever]

Unfortunately, these discussions and debates in culture (think mainstream media and cultural sources) often exhibit over-generalisation, guilt by association, and abuse of hyperbole along with even framing errors. They mute and conflate relevant distinctions. And it concerns me that debates without the validity and shared understanding of those distinctions has fleeting problems. We exist in multiple over-lapping communities--which points to diversity. Over grouping individuals just proves that language is flexible, not that you are on the side of truth. Attention to details and nuance, is the hallmark of someone who is genuinely seeking truth and thus a truly critical thinker.

[arasmussen]

“When the church becomes a mono-culture it does not invite people in” Jesus set the example of what the kingdom of heaven would look like just with His disciples..ex-tax collector, fishermen, an ex-zealot, etc.

[Gregorydrobny]

This debate does a very solid job of accomplishing something it never set out to do, namely, demonstrating the general confusion in Protestant Christianity about defining Christianity. To put a slightly finer point on it, Protestants have never agreed on the entire concept of religion -- what it is, what it's for, and how it works -- and this discussion shines a bright light on the fact that both sides in a discussion on this very topic can be wrong.

[losely]

I remember when people didn't want to call themselves "Christians" because Protestant liberalism made the term superfalous, and now because of right wing conservatives the word "Evangelical" has become superfluous. That's why I use both terms together "Evangelical Christian" :)

[PJSCENTER]

Is this available in podcast form at all?

[michaelmartinez]

If you don't believe in the trinity. and that Jesus rose from the dead you are not evangelical

[johnraymond]

I found myself outside the church because of the change from theological to political. It became impossible to follow Jesus as an evangelical without agreeing with "evangelicals" that Jesus was pro-gun, pro-choice, and pro-white.

[HearGodsWord]

What's interesting is that people use the word Evangelical in different ways and it seems to have a different meaning in America than it does in the UK

[stevehakes]

Too much of the Nicodemean term, "born again" (Speaker 2), to allow me to listen without inner cringe. I know that it's an Evangelical holy cow, but isn't what Jesus said. Anyway, I gave up about 20 minutes in. I guess his gist was that you can't recork the genie, and that keeping the term Evangelical as merely a Christian term, is a forlorn hope best killed quickly. C S Lewis raised similar concerns about the terms, Christian, and Lady.

[michaelmartinez]

The pastor's who's concerned about losing his job and not and having everybody like him or be happy with him I think he should step down and reevaluated his position as a Pastor leader.

[johnslagboom]

Waste of time. One party has adopted a highly immoral platform.