Why I am no longer an Evangelical

Jesus’s first words in Mark’s Gospel were as follows: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” So what is an Evangelical? Briefly an Evangelical is one who has embraced the Gospel as a way of life.

Evangelicals have become important to politicians seeking office these days. They represent a well sought after voting block among conservative politicians since many believe that winning the Evangelical vote goes a long way towards getting one elected to office. I am not so certain about this since this so-called voter block does not represent all of Evangelism in the United States. It really is a subset of a larger Evangelical tradition but it is one that gets all the press and can influence elections.

I once considered myself an Evangelical because I believed in the Gospel. The Gospel being “good news!” But I am not so certain that I can be a card-carrying member of that exclusive club anymore. 

So what does the Gospel mean? 

Jesus said one must do two things in order to be counted in the kingdom he had inaugurated: 1) Repent, and 2) Believe in the Gospel. The word “repent” means to experience a complete change of mind. It has far less to do with a turning from one’s sinful behaviors as it does with changing the way one thinks, particularly in the way one thinks about the implications of a genuine faith (see Romans 12:1-2).

Then Jesus said one must believe in the Gospel (good news). So what does Jesus mean by the word “Gospel?” Well we get help from Luke 4. Jesus is visiting his hometown of Nazareth and preached in the synagogue. He reads from the scroll of Isaiah these words:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus came to bring good news. This good news is that God favors the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed and other marginalized people of the world. 

Author Rachel Held Evans’s comments are apropos:

"This passage . . . is a declaration of the nature and aim of the gospel—the good news—and as the next verse reveals, it nearly got Jesus thrown off a cliff. As it turns out, the kind of people Donald Trump and the Religious Right deem acceptable collateral damage in their quest for power—the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the hated minorities—are the very people Jesus prioritized. His life and ministry started with them and his kingdom will ultimately be realized through them. The gospel isn't about protecting power and privilege, but rather about surrendering them until God's vision of justice is fulfilled."

Evangelicals and politicians both need to realize that the Gospel is not some political toy or strategy to be used to win votes or to get one’s favorite politician into office. Such thinking dishonors the core message of Jesus and gives all Evangelicals a bad rap.

As one observer points out to us:

"Jesus has come to proclaim freedom and healing to those who are the most unloved, who are the most discriminated against, the most forgotten in our community and in our world. Jesus has come to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor on the teenagers who are homeless, on the Syrian refugees, on the Mexican migrants, and the people who find themselves prisoners of addiction and their families, on the poorest of the poor in Haiti — Jesus has come for them" (Rev. Dr. Pam Saturnia).

Yes the message of safety, security and prosperity based on fear may be popular and win votes but it does not represent the Gospel. The favor of God towards those some consider expendable is not representative of a larger Evangelism I once embraced. It certainly does not represent the Gospel Jesus modeled.

So if being an Evangelical means that I must favor a politics that instills fear, perpetuates war, utilizes violence as a peacemaking tool, espouses exclusion, and promises me safety and security by enlarging the military, building walls on our borders, and by expelling those not like me then I am no longer an Evangelical. If being an Evangelical means I must put my own well being and safety above those Jesus to whom Jesus brought good news then count me out as an Evangelical. 

I cannot embrace an Evangelicalism powered by a run away nationalism energized by irrational fear. I choose a faith energized by hope, peacemaking, justice, fairness, selfless love, and a equitable shake for people of all stripes and colors. If any given politician can exhibit these Gospel traits then yes that politician is deserving of my vote. Otherwise . . .