To be sure, sometimes we earn the bad reputation that we suffer with in the public eye. Many times, however, we simply make a good "whipping boy" for a shallow and surface-dabbling media looking for someone to blame. But to be fair, sometimes the definition of "Evangelical" can differ within our own ranks. Years ago, David Martyn-Lloyd Jones issued a series of lectures entitled "What is an Evangelical?" in an attempt to wrest a succinct understanding of this term back from a larger Christian body who, in his view had diluted the term. Admittedly, accurately defining the term can be a lot like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree!
Sometime ago, I wrote an article aimed at non-Christians outlining a more precise, and ironically, a more global view of Evangelical Christian identity. The article was picked up by ExploringGod.com, and an edited version can be found here. But my original draft appears below. My hope is that those seeking more information about Evangelicalism will hear in the following words who we really are, and what our common and central passions are. Who are Evangelicals? Keep reading!
“Evangelical Christianity, as everyone knows, is founded
upon hate.” -Henry Louis Mencken
“To be Evangelical is to be faithful to the freedom,
justice, peace, and well-being that are at the heart of the Good News of
Jesus.” -An Evangelical Manifesto
“Truly truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God.” -Jesus,
John 3:3
For some, no group in North America is easier to hate, or more
difficult to understand, than evangelical Christians. Admittedly, some who wear this label often
fit the negative stereotype that has come to be associated with the term, and
too often, loud voices claiming to speak for all evangelicals spread a message
that is less like Jesus Christ, and more like a political agenda or a cultural
crusade. Reactions to the term
“evangelical” can be quite strong.
“Isn’t that the group who hates women and gay people?” or
“Aren’t these the people who are afraid of science and societal
advance?” These assumptions understandably make some
people nervous, and leave many wondering “exactly what do these people
believe?”
But at its core, the evangelical message is not captive to any
political philosophy or particular social agenda. The core of the evangelical message, in fact,
transcends political party, ethnicity, socio-economic class, and culture, and
points ultimately to a God who loves all and desires for all to know Him.
Where did they come from?
Historically, Evangelical movements in the west emerged in the 17th
century. At that time in the United
States, the movement was primarily forwarded in churches led by men such as
Jonathan Edwards, a Massachusetts pastor who also served for a brief time as
President of Princeton University. The
movement continued throughout the 18th and 19th centuries,
and stressed virtue and personal devotion to God.
A great number of our nations hospitals (such as Vanderbilt) and
institutions of higher learning (such as Princeton University and Brown
University) were started by evangelicals. In fact, every educational
institution started in the United States up until 1789—with the single
exception of the University of Pennsylvania—was started by a Christian
denomination. The men and women who founded these institutions applied the
message of Jesus to the enlightenment mindset that was prevalent at the
time. Their goal was to affect society
as a whole in a positive way through the tangible expression of their Christian
faith. Literary works of this time
period were also produced in this environment.
Today, students come to the United States from all over the world in
order to attend western universities.
All of the top ten MBA programs in the world are in the west (8 in the
United States, 1 in Canada and 1 in Great Brittain). This reality is due in large part to the
contribution of evangelical Christians who, centuries ago, implemented a vision
for the betterment of culture through top quality and accessible education.
Additionally the “scientific revolution” was started in large part by
Christians, who introduced an inductive “scientific method” to the world. Christians believed then, as they do today,
that God has revealed Himself in nature, as well as in the human psyche. The 17th century chemist Robert
Boyle stated that nature “is nothing else but God acting according to certain
laws he himself fixed.” Assumptions such
as these provided an environment for the study and extension of mathematics and
science in the west. Though there were
certainly those within Christian circles who opposed scientific advance, the
truth is that these objections never represented the consensus of the Christian
community
Evangelical thought has affected virtually every part of modern western
society. It was Christians who gave the
world of art such notable painters and sculptors as Botticelli and
Raphael. Western classical music
likewise, continues to be informed and inspired by Bach’s “St. Matthew’s
Passion” and Handel’s “Messiah.” Sociologist
Rodney Stark admits that “the modern world arose only in Christian societies…..all
the modernization that has since occurred outside Christendom was imported from
the West, often brought by colonizers and missionaries.”
What do they want?
Though evangelicals are often portrayed as being “against” culture, the
aim of this group of Christians is to see culture redeemed and restored to
God’s original intention. Complimentary
evangelical beliefs in original sin and the hope of redemption in Jesus Christ
have fueled attempts to create the kind of ideal environments in which this redemption
can truly take place. Such were the convictions that led England's William Wilberforce to champion the cause of the abolition of slavery, eventually putting it to an end throughout the United Kingdom by the early part of the 19th century. The history of this group of Jesus’ followers
demonstrates their strong contribution to uniquely western ideals. Freedom of religion is based on the
evangelical belief that only personal faith in Jesus saves and therefore, the
state should not dictate religious belief to the masses. Principled pluralism rests on the
evangelical conviction that “forced conversion” is in fact no conversion at
all. It is rooted also in the conviction
that adherents to all faiths should learn to live peaceably with each other,
and that each should be free in mind to pursue the truth. Belief in universal
human rights and just warfare are grounded in the conviction that human beings
are created in God’s own image and likeness, and that therefore, each is worthy
of dignity and respect. Even the idea of
separation of church and state owes its existence to a group of Baptist
evangelicals who were concerned about
the encroachment of the state’s power into the life of the church.
Throughout history, evangelicals have sought to advance civilization
through principles that they believed were found within God’s revelation of
Himself in Scripture and in nature. That
same spirit permeates the evangelical mindset today. Evangelicals’ interaction with science,
education, sociology, and culture at large is for the purpose of utilizing all
those domains to better society, and communicate the Christian message in the
process.
What do they really believe?
These aspirations are motivated by the core beliefs of evangelical
Christianity—belief in the Bible as the ultimate source of truth, the role of
the church in society, and the urgency of global missions and humanitarian work. Most importantly, evangelical action is based
on the conviction that God has fully and finally revealed Himself to all
humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
So to truly understand what it means to be “Evangelical,” one must
unplug this term from its occasional ties to American politics and culture
wars. Evangelicals can be found in “red
states” as well as “blue states.”
Members in good standing of Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, and Green
Parties include devoted followers of Jesus, and all believe that the great
unifier is not political affiliation, race, gender, or societal status, but the
message of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
At heart, evangelicals are simply bearers of the good news of Jesus
Christ, who Himself loved humanity enough to enter our world and do what was
necessary to bring healing, understanding, and deliverance from ourselves into
a genuine relationship with Him.
Evangelicals don’t always follow Him perfectly, but more than anything,
their desire is that the world would see who Jesus is through their words and
actions.
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