What Does ‘Evangelical’ Mean?

CT discusses key distinctives of evangelical belief, identity, and spirituality.

What does it mean to be evangelical? The term, without a doubt, is widely misunderstood and frequently misrepresented. In recent years, the term evangelical has become highly politicized, invoked to describe a voting bloc or as a blanket label for those with conservative or, perhaps, fundamentalist views. Meanwhile, some from within the movement have dropped the label or left evangelicalism entirely, coining the monicker exvangelical.

Since its inception, Christianity Today has been distinctly evangelical, bringing together a broad readership of Christians from across the denominational spectrum who find common ground in their shared faith in Christ, commitment to orthodoxy, and passion for proclaiming the gospel. Throughout the decades, CT has discussed what it means to be evangelical (such as in this 1965 cover story). In recent years, the conversation has continued with renewed vigor. What is really at the heart of evangelical identity? Here’s a sampling of articles from the past few years that dig deeper into what it means to be an evangelical Christian today. Read More

Anglican Evangelicalism has its own distinctives. Anglican Evangelicals may be classified as "Conservative Evangelicals" and "Open Evangelicals." In the nineteenth century "Open Evangelicals" would have been described as "Liberal Evangelicals." One sometimes hear the term "High Church Evangelical" banded around but those who identify themselves with this label upon close examination more accurately would be described as Anglo-Catholic. Former ACNA Archbishop Bob Duncan is a good example. His beliefs and practices are more in line with those of traditional Anglo-Catholicism than they are Anglican Evangelicalism. What passes as "evangelicalism" in the Anglican Church in North America does not line up with classical Anglican Evangelicalism on many issues. Its practitioners have been described as "Open Evangelical Ritualists."