letter from America

Are we still ‘evangelical’? If so, why?

Josh Moody  |  World
Date posted:  20 Sep 2024
Share Add       
Are we still ‘evangelical’? If so, why?

Welsh preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: 'The evangelical is a man who always simplifies everything'

What does it mean to be an ‘evangelical’? In some ways this is a perennial question but recent developments in Evangelicalism, especially in America, mean that the question needs to be addressed again.

What recent developments, you say? Well, the most recent is the book Shepherds For Sale (which I have not yet read, and so upon which I cannot comment), but also the increasing tendency for the word ‘evangelical’ in popular discourse to equate with certain political opinions.

What does it really mean to be an evangelical? Is the word still useful, or should we find a different or better word? Writing in a newspaper called Evangelicals Now probably suggests that I am likely to conclude that the word is still useful. But reputable people – names mentioned to me in personal conversations I won’t pass along – of great significance in the evangelical international movement have wondered out loud whether the word is passing its usefulness.

Share
Read more articles on:   America
Read more articles by Josh Moody >>
World
Why is evangelism increasingly ‘optional’?

Why is evangelism increasingly ‘optional’?

It has become startlingly obvious to me over the years that evangelism, and its importance, has increasingly receded in the …

World
Christian political thought in a tense US election year

Christian political thought in a tense US election year

I was recently browsing through (again) Oliver and Joan O’Donovan’s peerless From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political …

Need to advertise?

We can help you reach Christians across the country.

Find out more

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more