Commentary: Who Are The Evangelicals?

[CopyBoy]

If you listen to the coverage of the GOP presidential race, the so-called “evangelicals” are a bunch of old white guys who are still fighting the culture war battles of the 1980s. While this is probably true, to a degree, of Iowa evangelicals, it is hardly true of the evangelical movement around the world.

Over at Sojourners Wes Granburg-Michaelson, the former General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, reminds us that most evangelicals around the world are closer to Pope Francis than Ted Cruz. He notes that evangelicalism is a global movement made up Christians who are ethnically and racially diverse.

Here is a taste of his piece:

thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/03/who-are-the-evangelicals/

 

[FollowChrist34]

thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/03/who-are-the-evangelicals/

This is so true - thanks for posting. I think this image of Evangelicals stems from the 90s, 80s, when they were more commonly called fundamentalists. All of us outside the movement (whether Catholic or secular or anything in between) have just not updated ourselves to today’s reality of Evangelicals or non-denominational Churches. They are becoming more and more diverse, politically, socially, ethnically. My sense is the old school Evangelicals aren’t too happy about that as it is occurring in many quarters to their detriment and disarray.

To me it is just getting more confusing, not less. I saw something that said that ‘conservative’ Evangelicals are with Cruz for the most part; ‘moderate’ Evangelicals Rubio or Trump (in that order).

I confess to wondering what’s a moderate Evangelical? (now I know; I’ve been updated)

 

[eamonnroma]

This is so true - thanks for posting. I think this image of Evangelicals stems from the 90s, 80s, when they were more commonly called fundamentalists. All of us outside the movement (whether Catholic or secular or anything in between) have just not updated ourselves to today’s reality of Evangelicals or non-denominational Churches. They are becoming more and more diverse, politically, socially, ethnically. My sense is the old school Evangelicals aren’t too happy about that as it is occurring in many quarters to their detriment and disarray.

To me it is just getting more confusing, not less. I saw something that said that ‘conservative’ Evangelicals are with Cruz for the most part; ‘moderate’ Evangelicals Rubio or Trump (in that order).

I confess to wondering what’s a moderate Evangelical? (now I know; I’ve been updated)

Why do we so often equate religion with politics or politicians?

 

[FollowChrist34]

Why do we so often equate religion with politics or politicians?

Do you have fundamentalist friends who vote Democrat? I don’t. Just going by my experience - I have known plenty of Evangelicals (in the stereotypical, passé sense of the term (non-moderates I guess we say today); never and I repeat never knew one who was a Democrat) Stereotypes do exist for a reason…they are true quite a bit of the time.

As for Protestants in the larger sense (all of the denominations) or Catholics, yes of course, you have the whole spectrum of political opinion represented very well.