At a recent dessert for newcomers to our church, I made reference to being evangelical. Someone asked: "What do you mean when you say 'evangelical?'" I probably blundered around and wasn't as coherent as I would have liked. But here is some of what I said. Or if I didn't quite say it this way, this is what I think I should have said.
There's a difference between Evangelical, big E, and evangelical, small e.
Evangelical big E refers to institutional Evangelicalism, which is a very big deal in the United States today. In many people's minds it is linked with "the religious right" and has a clearly defined political agenda. It involves big-name organizations like Focus on the Family, NAE (National Association of Evangelicals) Prison Fellowship and Campus Crusade. It includes big-name and usually politically conservative figures such as Jim Dobson, Ted Haggard, Jim Kennedy, Pat Robertson, Chuck Colson. Yes, Evangelicals big E have a strong belief system, which I summarize below.
On the other hand, evangelical small e is primarily about "the evangel" or gospel, but is not as defined by institutions. People who call themselves evangelical are folks who center in the gospel or good news of what God has done for us in Jesus. Among evangelicals small e, you will find diverse political points of view. Although this kind of evangelical is informed by the Bible in his or her beliefs about the big issues of the day, such an individual is more likely not to zero in only on abortion and homosexuality as litmus-test issues. They probably will also include issues of poverty, war and social justice.
Evangelicals big E and evangelicals small e are alike in emphasizing Jesus as both "Son of God" and "Son of Man," divine and human, miraculously conceived, crucified, resurrected, ascended and coming again. They center on the importance of a personal faith response to Jesus and this Good News. They believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in individuals and the church. They believe in the truth and authority of the Bible as the primary vehicle through which God has and still does communicate with us. Thus, evangelicals are basically orthodox Christians, holding to the orthodox Christian faith, which goes back to the early church and the great creeds of the faith.
As a believer and pastor in the Wesleyan tradition, I feel much more comfortable calling myself an evangelical small e. Our church, while holding very strongly to orthodox beliefs, accepts and affirms a diversity of political positions. Believe it or not, we have among us both Republicans and Democrats. I resist jumping on bandwagons - political and/or religious. I also believe that the most important thing about people is the fact that they are created in the image of God and are people for whom Jesus died.
Both Evangelicals big E and evangelicals small e want to be evangelistic. That is, we want to share and spread the Good News of Jesus. But there is an increasing sense among evangelicals small e that the tried-and-true methods most often characteristic of institutional Evangelicalism do not work well today and may, in fact, be foreign to the basic character of the Gospel we want to share.
H. Mark Abbott is pastor of First Free Methodist Church, 3200 Third Ave. W.
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