The God Squad /By Rabbi Marc Gellman
‘Evangelical’ tough to define
Q: P., via godsquadquestion@aol.com , sent this cryptic challenge: “oly greetings! I’d like to hear your answer to this challenge (smile).” She sent along a clipping with the headline, Americans Have Difficulty Defining ‘Evangelical.’ The story revealed that many Americans can’t define the term “Evangelical Christian.” P. then revealed: “I am a Jamaican/ American who believes that an ‘Evangelical Christian’ is one who believes and accepts the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as the Gospel. We know that we are not our own, we were bought with a price to glorify God in our body and spirit, and cannot be the servants of men (First Corinthians 6 19-20; 7: 23). We live for Christ. I am nothing; realize that we are 6 zeros with Christ before us making us a million, and are willing to die for Him. We know that Christ is the Creator (Colossians 1:16; Isaiah 44: 24). (We have) a triune God — salvation planned by the Father, Implanted by the Son, Empowered by the Holy Ghost. The majority of us speak in another tongue after we are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13) and look forward to walk on the Street of Gold and enter in through the Gates into the City of Heaven (Revelation 21:21; 22:14).”
A: Taking up the challenge, let me first say that the article you sent
does touch on an important point — that defining who is an Evangelical Christian is easy, but offering a general and accurate definition of the term is much more difficult.
Barna Research Ltd., an evangelical polling organization, includes the following elements in its definition: Someone who has experienced a personal “born again” feeling of being saved by their Lord Jesus Christ; somebody who feels that their faith is very important in their life; somebody who is eager to proselytize others, Jews and other Christians included; somebody who believes that Satan is a living danger to the life of faith; somebody who believes the Bible is the literal and inerrant word of God; somebody who believes that salvation is only possible through faith and not through works; somebody who believes that Jesus lived a sinless life here on earth; somebody who believes that God created the world.
I’m not a fan of this definition because it could, and does, include many Christians in mainline denominations who don’t consider themselves Evangelical Christians. A Princeton study by Robert Wuthnow lists the following as Evangelical denominations: Assemblies of God, Southern Baptists, Independent Baptists, black Protestants, African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion; Church of Christ, Churches of God in Christ, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, National Baptist Church, National Progressive Baptist Church, Nondenominational, Pentecostal, and the Presbyterian Church in America.
The bottom line is, all Evangelicals are Protestants, but not all Protestants are Evangelicals. Also, speaking in tongues is characteristic of Pentecostals only.
The basic point is that Evangelicals are the most conservative and fundamentalist of Protestant Christians. They generally have the most difficulty with interfaith dialogue and are definitely not going to embrace my definition that all religions are like different paths up the same mountain.
I actually love Evangelicals because of their deep passion for their faith and their powerful support of the cause of life and traditional morality. I’m frustrated that they can’t seem to accept me as a valid partner on my own Jewish terms in the spiritual journey to God. However, despite their occasional spiritual arrogance and triumphalism, I love them and wish them well.
I know The Boss will sort it all out when the Messiah comes (or comes again). In the meantime, I keep telling them that if being Jewish was good enough for Jesus, it’s definitely good enough for me!
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