What
Makes Someone an ‘Evangelical’ Christian?
(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight
from Spirituality U.)
What
makes Christians Evangelical? As
always, it depends. According to the National Association of Evangelicals
(NAE), what makes them evangelical is the fact that they “take the Bible
seriously and believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.” They are Protestants, drawn
from a wide range of denominations, such as Baptist, Reformed, Holiness,
Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions.
The
NAE web site points out that the word, “Evangelical” comes from the Greek word,
euangelion, which translates
literally as ‘good news,’ or gospel.
Evangelicals
are all around us. In fact, more than 90 million Americans are identified as
Evangelical. But that’s only about one fourth of the world population of these
Christians. Evangelicalism is a world-wide religious movement. Over 42 million
Evangelicals live in Brazil alone.
What
makes Evangelicals distinctive within the world-wide Christian community are
their core beliefs that humans are essentially sinful, and that the only way
for people to be saved from hell is through belief in Jesus (whom they consider
the “Christ” or Messiah) as their personal savior.
They
further believe, along with other Christians, that Jesus was the one-and-only
Son of God and that he was crucified as a sacrifice that washed away their
sins, and thus assured them of an eternity in heaven.
But
it is their acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord—rather than ethical behavior
based on his teachings—that is key.
Christian
historian David Bebbington points out four distinctive aspects of Evangelical
faith. First, Evangelicals believe that we must have the life-changing
experience of being “born again.” Second, Evangelicals have a very high regard
for the Bible as their main authority. Third, they believe in the saving power
of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Fourth, they believe that the Gospel of
Jesus must be shared with everyone, especially non-Christians. This leads them
to proselytize others, often beginning conversations by asking people, “Are you
saved?”
The
Evangelical movement began in the 18th Century, CE, in England and
the US. Among its earliest proponents were John Wesley (the founder of the
Methodist denomination) and the famous American preacher, Jonathan Edwards.
Evangelicals
are often confused with Fundamentalists, but the two are not the same.
Fundamentalists (such as the late Jerry Falwell) are a sub-group of
Evangelicals who take a literalist view of the Bible and often are religiously,
socially, and politically conservative. Non-Fundamentalist Evangelicals come
from across the political spectrum and generally emphasize outreach and
conversion of new members.
Two
prominent contemporary Evangelicals are Rev. Billy Graham and Rev. Jim Wallis. Using
televised “Crusades,” Billy Graham has over the last six decades taken an
ecumenical approach to the Evangelical movement. He has reached out to
Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians, as well as to non-Christians
around the world. His preaching has converted tens of millions of people. Jim
Wallis and his Washington, DC-based Sojourners
community have embraced Evangelical values but combined them with a strong
emphasis on peacemaking and the addressing of racism, poverty and other ills
through what has been termed the “Social Gospel.”
For more information about Evangelical Christians
visit:
.
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