Does anyone have a good definition of "Evangelical"?
score:2
Here are some statements of beliefs from some evangelical fellowships: The Gospel Coalition, IFES, Wycliffe.
Evangelicalism is a branch of protestantism, so it involves a protestant understanding of the gospel. But not all protestants are evangelical.
I think the biggest distinctive is what they say about the Bible. They reject those who say the Bible is flawed in some way, not relevant for today, that you need the authority of church leaders to understand it, or that God gives new relevations today that take priority over the Bible. To quote from the Gospel Coalition:
Revelation God has graciously disclosed his existence and power in the created order, and has supremely revealed himself to fallen human beings in the person of his Son, the incarnate Word. Moreover, this God is a speaking God who by his Spirit has graciously disclosed himself in human words: we believe that God has inspired the words preserved in the Scriptures, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, which are both record and means of his saving work in the world. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and without error in the original writings, complete in its revelation of his will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us to believe and do, and final in its authority over every domain of knowledge to which it speaks. We confess that both our finitude and our sinfulness preclude the possibility of knowing God’s truth exhaustively, but we affirm that, enlightened by the Spirit of God, we can know God’s revealed truth truly. The Bible is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises. As God’s people hear, believe, and do the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel.
Why is the movement called evangelicalism when it's primary distinctive isn't about the gospel? I think because historically the people they were reacting against neglected the gospel because they neglected the Bible. Promoting the authority of the Bible is a safeguard to ensure the gospel keeps first importance.
Upvote:0
Evangelical is a potentially religious term.
It doesn't matter if others think you are Evangelical or not, what matters is are You testifying of the Lord or not. If we are not ashamed of Him, he will not be ashamed of us.
So conversely, any and every believer needs to be evangelical.
Upvote:0
The Barna Group is a Christian polling firm that does public opinion studies. In their research, they classify people into different belief groups. Rather than allow people to self identify themselves as born again or evangelical, they ask people if they agree with certain statements, and classify people based on their answers. The criteria for the classifications are at the end of each report that they produce. (For example, here is a recent report from December 2013 titled "Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?")
For the purposes of their studies, "Born again Christians" are people who have met this criteria:
- They say they have made "a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today."
- They believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.
In their studies, "Evangelical" Christians are those who meet the "born again" criteria above, plus seven other conditions:
- saying their faith is very important in their life today;
- believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians;
- believing that Satan exists;
- believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works;
- believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth;
- asserting that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches; and
- describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today.
When classifying people in these groups, they do not ask people to describe themselves as "born again" or "evangelical," as people can have different ideas about what these terms mean. The groups are also not dependent on church affiliation.
More post
- 📝 Can a person prove that Jesus Christ is in the Old Testament without going to the New Testament?
- 📝 What is the origin of the "in sæcula sæculorum" of the «Gloria Patri» being translated as "world without end"?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for identifying the Lazarus Jesus raised from the dead and the Lazarus in the story of the rich man and Lazarus?
- 📝 Did Mary Magdalene understand at the garden that Jesus had risen from the dead?
- 📝 How do Protestant Christians understand the “Sabbath-rest for the people of God” in Hebrews chapter 4?
- 📝 What paths exist in the Catholic Church for a certain theological position to become recognized as dogma?
- 📝 What was St Paul's age at the time of his conversion and what was his age when he died?
- 📝 What is an overview of arguments given by churches that allow women to plait their hair to support that practice? (1 Peter 3:1-6)
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for Christian denominations to believe in a visible appearance of Christ Jesus when he returns?
- 📝 If Joseph and Mary consummated their marriage, why did they wait to do so?
- 📝 Does sin hinder one's ability to speak God's word?
- 📝 Are the Orthodox who are in schism with Rome able to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation validly?
- 📝 How is Freemasonry related to Christianity?
- 📝 Why are days like "Sunday" or "Monday" not mentioned in the Bible?
- 📝 Was this teaching (of soul existing before a birth) condemned by the Church?
- 📝 What theological statement would be made if the Creeds preceded the homily?
- 📝 According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Jesus Christ ordained to the Priesthood?
- 📝 Distributism and Subsidiarity beyond the counsel of Jethro in the Bible
- 📝 What are the main biblical interpretations used to defend the point of view that Nicodemus had inferior faith?
- 📝 According to Charismatic Christians, do those who never hear the gospel of Christ go to hell?
- 📝 What is the difference between Abraham's and Sarah's laugh after the LORD's promise?
- 📝 What is the "h*m*genous unit principle" of church growth?
- 📝 What was the Crown of Thorn in the Lord's Passion made of?
- 📝 What do Young-Earth Creationists think about the Proto-Afro-Asiatic language? Did it really exist? And, if so, when?
- 📝 Apostle John lived in Ephesus - what sources claim that?
- 📝 How does LDS theology suffer when Book of Mormon historical claims are unsupported?
- 📝 According to Preterism is the land mentioned in Ezekiel 37:25 "Heaven"?
- 📝 Why did Daniel feel the need to pray towards Jerusalem, even at the cost of his own life?
- 📝 Did Pelagius or Pelagians in General Deny Orthodox Christology
- 📝 Can I go to church on the internet?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Does anyone have a good definition of "Evangelical"?
- 📝 Does the phrase "in good standing" have a definition in Catholicism?
- 📝 What rules does the Catholic Church have for venerating crosses/crucifixes on Good Friday?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church have a list of Good Books?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church have a formal definition of the Mass?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church have an official definition of Easter/Paschal Season?
- 📝 Does God have a sense of humor? Does he laugh?
- 📝 Does believing in Jesus Christ save me, or do I have to do something more?
- 📝 If God controls our decisions, does this mean we don't have free will?
- 📝 Does the triune God have will by nature, or by persons?
- 📝 Why (how) does Jesus' coat have no seam?
- 📝 How can things considered bad when done by humans become good when God does them?
- 📝 Does God have free will?
- 📝 Why does Catholicism have priests but Protestantism does not?
- 📝 Is an action morally good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?
- 📝 Why does God have a chosen people?
- 📝 Why does the Messiah have to be God?
- 📝 Does Catholic doctrine teach that the Incarnation would have taken place regardless of Adam's decision?
- 📝 What doctrine does Family Radio have of the End of the World?
- 📝 Why does God command us to have children?
- 📝 Where does the Catholic tradition that Mary did not have pain giving birth to Jesus come from?
- 📝 Does the priest have the power to forgive sins?
- 📝 Why does a beheaded saint have the halo above the stump?
- 📝 Does one have to admit to not being a virgin when preparing for a Catholic wedding?
- 📝 Does the Pope's encyclical Laudato si' have a Latin version?
- 📝 What does the Good News refer to?
- 📝 What does it mean that John's Gospel does not have an account of the institution of the Eucharist?
- 📝 Does the Christian Old Testament have the exact same list of books as the Jewish Bible?
- 📝 According to Reformed theology, why does God tell people to repent if they don't have the choice to do so, as in Exodus 10:3?
- 📝 What does spikenard have to do with St Joseph?