By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Donald Trump won 84% of the white evangelical Protestant vote in 2020.
Almost complete unanimity, an impressive show of unity in a polarized era. And it begs the question: What, exactly, is an evangelical?
Nobody knows.
Or at least, no one can define it well. 70 years ago, religious historian George Marsden, joked that an evangelical is “anyone who likes Billy Graham.” When Graham himself was asked, he couldn’t answer either: “Actually, that’s a question I’d like to ask somebody, too.”
There’s scholarly disagreement on how old the “evangelical” movement is. Kenneth Stewart and Michael Haykin’s The Advent of Evangelicalism points to a deep continuity between the Protestant Reformation and the Great Awakening. Some scholars point to the Great Awakening as the genesis of the movement, while others see it as a product of mid-20th century anti-modernism. 16th-century preacher William Tyndale wrote of “the evangelical truth,” though his religious context looked vastly different than our own.
Perhaps the most thorough definition of “evangelical” was proposed by David Bebbington, emeritus professor of history at the University of Stirling in Scotland and director of the evangelical studies program at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion. “Bebbington’s Quadrilateral” includes four primary tenets of evangelicalism: activism, biblicism, conversionism and crucicentrism.
In layman’s terms, Bebbington sees the evangelical as someone who believes in sharing their faith with others, views the Bible as the ultimate authority, emphasizes the importance of a “conversion experience” and see Jesus’ work on the cross as the central point of theology. Anyone who holds to these four pillars would qualify as an “evangelical.”
But after several decades of prominence, Bebbington’s definition is beginning to fall apart as increasing numbers of people claiming to stand within the quadrilateral drift outside of it. A 2022 survey by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research explored the beliefs of self-identified evangelicals who “strongly affirmed” four historically evangelical positions: the authority of scripture, importance of evangelism, efficacy of the cross to forgive sins and exclusivity of salvation to followers of Jesus.
According to the survey, most practicing evangelicals are heretics.
73% percent of evangelical respondents affirmed that Jesus is the “first and greatest being created by God” — a third-century heresy known as Arianism which has been roundly decried by every set of ecumenical Church councils. The Nicene Creed, viewed by many as fundamental, defines the expression of the Christian view of God. It reads that Jesus is “not made,” echoing Jesus’ own words: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am.”
The study notes several other doctrinal movements which don’t sound particularly “evangelical,” but are too significant to be dismissed as quirks. A majority of respondents said they believe God accepts the worship of all religions (58%), worshipping alone is a valid replacement for church attendance (56%) and that not every sin deserves eternal damnation (53%). A staggering 44% say that Jesus was a great teacher, but not God.
From a religious perspective, such a polarized mix of theological positions is completely contradictory. Any form of Christianity which denies the divinity of Christ cannot be called Christianity. And yet, as evangelicals seem to disagree on even the most basic elements of Protestant doctrine, they seem to find immense common ground on politics. Why?
Because the term “evangelical” has been hijacked by white conservatives who find their unity not in doctrinal agreement, but in pursuing political objectives.
The term “white evangelicals” has developed to describe this growing phenomenon. Just 62% of self-described evangelical Protestants report attending church regularly or occasionally (as opposed to infrequently or never). 56% percent identify as Republican or lean Republican, while 16% report no political lean.
In other words: we are nearing a world where describing oneself as an “evangelical” is more of a political indicator than a religious one.
Losing useful terms to political degradation is a minor tragedy. Evangelicalism in particular has experienced several unfortunate run-ins with politics, most notably Graham’s ill-fated public support of Richard Nixon — continually giving into contemporary political pressures will lead the movement nowhere good.
“My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus said after being arrested. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
There’s another kingdom on the horizon — in fact, it’s already here. As Jesus often said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Giving into temptation while pursuing political ambitions is the ultimate act of biting one’s nose to spite their soul. The urgency of the Gospel must not be delayed by temporal concerns.
As evangelicals, we must be willing to sacrifice everything we have for the sake of the Gospel. The apostle Paul wrote that though he “became all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
The word “evangelical” stems from the Greek “evangelion,” meaning Gospel or “good news.” Evangelicals should be good news people — not political people. Although legislation certainly matters and should be pondered, good news people are known primarily for their commitment to piety over party.
“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2-5. “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
May our evangelical faith rest not in the politics of men, but in the power of God.
