To me, the massive mistreatment and misuse of the term “Evangelical” indicates a whopping amount of lost or confused souls in America—in America’s churches—who think they’ve got Christianity figured out. In my small town, a whole bunch of my neighbors define themselves as Evangelical followers of Christ without understanding what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, or uphold the authority of Scripture, or recognize the urgency of sharing the gospel with the lost. Many float in and out of sanctuaries yet don’t know the basic tenets of the faith. For some, this stems from a lack of discernment among Evangelical Church leaders.

Much of my inbox is filled with Google alerts notifying me of yet another news anchor or political pundit bemoaning Evangelicals’ support of Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. It’s depressing to watch as self-described Evangelicals and political commentators twist the term into a cultural Christian voting bloc supporting a less virtuous candidate. The media has aided shallow theology in creating big misconceptions about the very meaning of an Evangelical. But for these reasons, I’m reminded why now is definitely not the time to give up on the term “Evangelical.”

Let me say, I absolutely understand and empathize with the frustrations of faithful Evangelicals who want to “redefine” the term or have stopped using it altogether.

Dr. Moore makes a good case in the Washington Post for why he hesitates to use the term at this time. “The word ‘evangelical’ has become almost meaningless this year, and in many ways the word itself is at the moment subverting the gospel of Jesus Christ,” writes Dr. Moore who opts instead to call himself a “Gospel Christian” for now. After the election he then plans to rectify the term “Evangelical” from its place of exploitation.

Since Dr. Moore is a sort of distant spiritual father in my house, it saddens me to read of the frustration he is feeling. His decision to temporarily relinquish the term “Evangelical” is understandable. I get it. I just don’t fully agree with it, for reasons I’ll explain.

To me, the massive mistreatment and misuse of the term “Evangelical” indicates a whopping amount of lost or confused souls in America—in America’s churches—who think they’ve got Christianity figured out. In my small town, a whole bunch of my neighbors define themselves as Evangelical followers of Christ without understanding what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, or uphold the authority of Scripture, or recognize the urgency of sharing the gospel with the lost. Many float in and out of sanctuaries yet don’t know the basic tenets of the faith. For some, this stems from a lack of discernment among Evangelical Church leaders. All this just breaks my heart and reminds me that evangelizing doesn’t stop just because someone refers to themselves as an Evangelical.

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