Why do many evangelical protestants not describe themselves as "protestants"

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Many of my evangelical protestant friends never refer to themselves as protestants. Most of them were members of Campus Crusade, and even this organization didn’t really refer to itself as protestant, only Christian. I even had one of my best friends ask me “what’s a protestant” (no joke, she never heard of the term which surprised me)

So why do evangelical denominations use only Christian when referring to themselves.Do they want to misinform people that they are the only true christians. Do they have a lot of disregard for their protestant history? Or do they just feel they’ve moved beyond the whole Catholic protestant thing, even if they still are protestant? Anyone who can tell me please help
 
I don’t know, but I suspect that your Evangelical Christian friends know as little or less about the Protestant Reformers as they think they do about Catholicism. Orthodox Christians aren’t even a blip on the radar.

The term “Protestant” makes no sense unless there is a prior relationship to “protest”; i.e. Catholicism, which these homegrown variety Christians do not have. It is likely that any church with a liturgical tradition (even only 400+ years old) and doctrines/confessions, is to be accused of having man-made rituals and not expressly using the Word of God as its sole authority. Mainline Protestants and Catholics might be accused of being “inauthentic Christians” because of their histories of highly structured worship and church governance. At minimum, their worship is likely perceived as stodgy/boring/unspirited.
 
I think most evangelicals have absolutely no sense of Church history, not even of their own heritage.
 
WildCatholic said:
Many of my evangelical protestant friends never refer to themselves as protestants. Most of them were members of Campus Crusade, and even this organization didn’t really refer to itself as protestant, only Christian. I even had one of my best friends ask me “what’s a protestant” (no joke, she never heard of the term which surprised me)

So why do evangelical denominations use only Christian when referring to themselves.Do they want to misinform people that they are the only true christians. Do they have a lot of disregard for their protestant history? Or do they just feel they’ve moved beyond the whole Catholic protestant thing, even if they still are protestant? Anyone who can tell me please help
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My guess is that they use only “Christian” because that’s how they see themselves. I’d view it as a sign of potential openess, meaning that they’re less devoted to an label and identity forged in opposition to Catholicism. I remember reading an article about Bill Bright where he basically said he didn’t get into labels because of the baggage associated with them. A lot of bad things have gone on in the name of Christianity he said, so he was “just a believer.”
 
cajunhillbilly said:
I think most evangelicals have absolutely no sense of Church history, not even of their own heritage.
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I agree. I grew up in a small town in the deep south. There wasn’t a Catholic Church, but there were 15 churches in this town and not one traffic light. I didn’t know anything about Church history until I did my own research. I was never told the Catholic Church was wrong. I was always told, “they are just different” You can’t really have an anti-Catholic view when there aren’t any around. 🤷
 
josephback said:
My guess is that they use only “Christian” because that’s how they see themselves. I’d view it as a sign of potential openess, meaning that they’re less devoted to an label and identity forged in opposition to Catholicism. I remember reading an article about Bill Bright where he basically said he didn’t get into labels because of the baggage associated with them. A lot of bad things have gone on in the name of Christianity he said, so he was “just a believer.”
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I never knew that about Bill Bright. I knew he was the founder of Crew and thats it. However, I worry that this openness is an unintentional trick to confuse other christians to join them. I will say though that many of my friends were accepting and never really were against my faith as far as I know.
 
WildCatholic said:
Many of my evangelical protestant friends never refer to themselves as protestants. Most of them were members of Campus Crusade, and even this organization didn’t really refer to itself as protestant, only Christian. I even had one of my best friends ask me “what’s a protestant” (no joke, she never heard of the term which surprised me)

So why do evangelical denominations use only Christian when referring to themselves.Do they want to misinform people that they are the only true christians. Do they have a lot of disregard for their protestant history? Or do they just feel they’ve moved beyond the whole Catholic protestant thing, even if they still are protestant? Anyone who can tell me please help
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Many would describe themselves as “protestant” or “Methodist” or just “Christian”…depends on their age and experience. I personally describe them as non-Catholic because most of the are just…well…not Catholic and are not protesting anything. It is an old term which has lost it’s accuracy, if in fact it ever was accurate. What tweeks me is when someone says they are “not Catholic…I am Christian” and do not realize what an insult and inaccurate statement that is. Actuall…and more importantly…I am happy to be in the fold of the true Church…whatever they want to call themselves is their issue to deal with:)
 
WildCatholic said:
Many of my evangelical protestant friends never refer to themselves as protestants. Most of them were members of Campus Crusade, and even this organization didn’t really refer to itself as protestant, only Christian. I even had one of my best friends ask me “what’s a protestant” (no joke, she never heard of the term which surprised me)

So why do evangelical denominations use only Christian when referring to themselves.Do they want to misinform people that they are the only true christians. Do they have a lot of disregard for their protestant history? Or do they just feel they’ve moved beyond the whole Catholic protestant thing, even if they still are protestant? Anyone who can tell me please help
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There have been a couple of good answers. American evangelicals perhaps see few ties between their faith the reformers, particularly the Lutheran ones (perhaps moreso to Calvin from a distance). And the fact is, as pismopol said, the term protestant is archaic, and lacks accuracy in current usage.
If anything, they are most likely correct when they claim not to be protestant.

Jon
 
Some that I have talked with basically have the view that they are not “protestant” because they are not “protesting” anything.
This view actually meshes pretty well with what the Catechism says here…
818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272
People who are born into these communities, or even those who convert from “non-religious” backgrounds, are not working “against” something…they are working for something - Christ. They are taught a positive Gospel and simply don’t identify themselves in any oppositional way.

Another aspect of this - especially in the newer, more non-denominational type, communities - is that over the 500 years since the Protestant Reformation, there have been so many splits, renewals, reforms and reforms of the reforms and split of the splits that nobody knows who is supposed to be protesting and over what?
So they simply reject the label altogether as being out of date…and serving no useful descriptive purpose for them.

I think they have some good points…

Peace
James
 
josephback said:
My guess is that they use only “Christian” because that’s how they see themselves. I’d view it as a sign of potential openess, meaning that they’re less devoted to an label and identity forged in opposition to Catholicism. I remember reading an article about Bill Bright where he basically said he didn’t get into labels because of the baggage associated with them. A lot of bad things have gone on in the name of Christianity he said, so he was “just a believer.”
Click to expand...
JRKH said:
Some that I have talked with basically have the view that they are not “protestant” because they are not “protesting” anything.
This view actually meshes pretty well with what the Catechism says here…
818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272
People who are born into these communities, or even those who convert from “non-religious” backgrounds, are not working “against” something…they are working for something - Christ. They are taught a positive Gospel and simply don’t identify themselves in any oppositional way.

Another aspect of this - especially in the newer, more non-denominational type, communities - is that over the 500 years since the Protestant Reformation, there have been so many splits, renewals, reforms and reforms of the reforms and split of the splits that nobody knows who is supposed to be protesting and over what?
So they simply reject the label altogether as being out of date…and serving no useful descriptive purpose for them.

I think they have some good points…

Peace
James
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Yes—I’m an Evangelical Christian, and this is what I more often than not hear from fellow Evangelicals. It’s a sign of openness. I can say for myself and others I know, it’s not a sign of ignorance of history. Somewhat the opposite, it can mean we’re tired of all the fighting that’s been a part of Christian history and we’d like to focus on what we do all have in common—Christ Himself: hence, “Christian”.
 
Because there form of church was the same when people walked with dinosaurs less than 5,000 years ago

At least that is what I was told when I was an evangelical
 
AbideWithMe said:
Yes—I’m an Evangelical Christian, and this is what I more often than not hear from fellow Evangelicals. It’s a sign of openness. I can say for myself and others I know, it’s not a sign of ignorance of history. Somewhat the opposite, it can mean we’re tired of all the fighting that’s been a part of Christian history and we’d like to focus on what we do all have in common—Christ Himself: hence, “Christian”.
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What evangelicals have in common is that they are actually Ana baptist that like drinking and dancing and “say” everyone is welcome but the second you have an idea that doesn’t alone with them they tell you it’s the end of the world because all the signs are here and I’d you don’t make a public denouncing of the catholic church your no longer welcome. I went to a non denominational church for 7 years and it’s a sham. It’s a way to slowly fool catholics and main line Protestants. The entire thing really bothers me
“christain missionary alliance” in particular
 
WildCatholic said:
I never knew that about Bill Bright. I knew he was the founder of Crew and thats it. However,** I worry that this openness is an unintentional trick to confuse other christians to join them.** I will say though that many of my friends were accepting and never really were against my faith as far as I know.
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AbideWithMe said:
It’s discouraging to read this, WildCatholic; it seems so suspicious.
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I wonder if there can be such a thing as an “unintentional trick” in this context…

hhmmmmmm…😃

Peace
James
 
AbideWithMe said:
Yes—I’m an Evangelical Christian, and this is what I more often than not hear from fellow Evangelicals. It’s a sign of openness. I can say for myself and others I know, it’s not a sign of ignorance of history. Somewhat the opposite, it can mean we’re tired of all the fighting that’s been a part of Christian history and we’d like to focus on what we do all have in common—Christ Himself: hence, “Christian”.
Click to expand...
A week after the Easter Vigil, I told my former employer and friend that I had become a Catholic. She said that she heard of Catholics who became Christians but never of a Christian becoming a Catholic. (We had attended the same Evangelical Church for several years.) We Catholics are Christians too. Unfortunately many, many Evangelicals don’t recognize that.
 
Adamski said:
What evangelicals have in common is that they are actually Ana baptist that like drinking and dancing and “say” everyone is welcome but the second you have an idea that doesn’t alone with them they tell you it’s the end of the world because all the signs are here and I’d you don’t make a public denouncing of the catholic church your no longer welcome. I went to a non denominational church for 7 years and it’s a sham. It’s a way to slowly fool catholics and main line Protestants. The entire thing really bothers me
“christain missionary alliance” in particular
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Adamski—I’m sorry you went to a church like that, but you’re painting with far, far too broad a brush here.

Evangelicals are not all anabaptists—they can be Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Reformed, from Lutheran free churches, Pentecostal, etc.
 
josephback said:
My guess is that they use only “Christian” because that’s how they see themselves. I’d view it as a sign of potential openess, meaning that they’re less devoted to an label and identity forged in opposition to Catholicism. I remember reading an article about Bill Bright where he basically said he didn’t get into labels because of the baggage associated with them. A lot of bad things have gone on in the name of Christianity he said, so he was “just a believer.”
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and there are churches that use this explaination as well, that are openly hostile to the Catholic Church and others too.
 
MSSheBear said:
A week after the Easter Vigil, I told my former employer and friend that I had become a Catholic. She said that she heard of Catholics who became Christians but never of a Christian becoming a Catholic. (We had attended the same Evangelical Church for several years.) We Catholics are Christians too. Unfortunately many, many Evangelicals don’t recognize that.
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And many do recognize that.
 
A Lutheran Pastor (Missouri Synod) who I talked to often at a nursing home told me that he did not like the use of the word Protestant because Lutherans were different.
That said, the MS is very Protest-ant of Rome.

He said it appeared to him that Catholics (some of them) see everyone non Catholic as “protestant” and it bothered him.

Well…who could possibly keep up with the differences between/among all the non Catholic religions? Most are synods, high and low, conservative or liberal etc.

The term I agree is useless now.

He said they changed the sign in the yard of their Church from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church to Missouri Synod Lutheran Church to denote their DIFFERENECES from other Lutherans. (Elca mainly)

He was a good friend of mine in spite of some tense theological moments 🙂

Go figure.
 
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