An Evan—Gelical's Perspective

As we approach another long election cycle in the United States, news outlets will be reporting on the political trends of evangelicals. It is often reported that 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in 2016, and they continue to remain faithful to him almost three years into the completion of his first term in office. As a result, many approach those who identify as an evangelical with suspicion. In many circles, the word has become a pejorative — a Christian religious fanatic who uses the means of politics to push their moral agenda. This has caused many Christians who have traditionally identified as evangelical to either drop the descriptor or preface it with statements like, “Yeah but I am not like that.”

My wife and I have experienced this suspicion firsthand. One evening, she was gathering with some women for an evening out. While waiting at her friend's apartment for the rest of the group to arrive, a news story aired about American evangelicals' continued support for Donald Trump. The story featured notable evangelical pastors such as Robert Jeffress, Jerry Falwell Jr., and President Trump's top spiritual advisor, Paula White. Knowing that I am a pastor and one who identifies himself as an evangelical, my wife's friend leaned over and asked, “So, is your husband one of those?”

Evangelicals are not, nor have they ever been, a homogenous group in America. The word evangelical finds its roots in the Greek word euangelion, which means “gospel” or “good news.” This term was originally used by the Roman Empire to convey that a conquered nation had now been brought within the boundaries of its civilization. The first Christians, living within the empire, used this word to herald the central tenet of the Christian faith: that Jesus Christ by his death has forgiven humanity's shortcomings, also known as sin, and, by his resurrection and ascension, conquered death so that an individual now stands innocent of any past trans