When Evangelicalism Ceases to Be Evangelical

The word evangelical has fallen on hard times. For some, it has become little more than a political brand. For others, it is a term of embarrassment, an identity to be hidden or dropped altogether. But at its core, evangelical is a gospel word. The Greek euangelion means “good news.” To be evangelical is to be a gospel people, conversionist, biblicist, crucicentric, and activist. It is Romans 1:16–17 in the bloodstream of the church.

And yet, much of what flies under the banner of evangelicalism today has drifted far from the evangel itself. What happens when evangelicalism ceases to be evangelical?

Evangelical by Politics

Perhaps the most obvious drift has been political hijacking. In North America, evangelical has been reduced by pollsters to mean “white, conservative, Republican voter.” It has become a bloc rather than a body, a cultural tribe rather than a gospel identity.

But Paul did not say, “I am not ashamed of the Right” or “I am not ashamed of the Left.” He said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” To be evangelical is not to pledge allegiance to a party, but to proclaim the evangel. When politics defines our label, the cross is eclipsed.

In the 1980s, “evangelical” in the U.S. was increasingly tied to the Religious Right. The media stopped using the word to mean “gospel-centered Protestant” and began using it as shorthand for “Republican voter.” Pollsters still define it this way today, which is why someone can identify as “evangelical” in surveys without ever darkening a church door or believing the gospel.

A truly evangelical church may vote across the spectrum, but it will speak with one voice about Christ crucified and risen, and seek to work out the ramifications of that risen Lord in the Political landscape.

Evangelical by Preference

Another drift is consumer Christianity. Churches have rebranded evangelicalism as a market niche: give people a bit of moral uplift, family tips, or inspirational messages, and they’ll keep coming. The gospel is reduced to a product to be packaged, sold, and consumed.

This is not the New Testament vision. The gospel is not a lifestyle accessory but the power of God unto salvation. To be evangelical is not to offer spiritual goods and services, but to call men and women to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

When evangelicalism turns pragmatic, “whatever works”, it becomes powerless, because it loses the very power of God.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, many churches embraced “seeker-sensitive” models: shorter sermons, softer language about sin, and a focus on entertainment value. While some of these churches saw rapid growth, countless people were left with a shallow Christianity. When cultural winds shifted, they had no roots, and drifted.

Evangelical by Therapy

A third drift is what some call the therapeutic gospel. In many pulpits the cross is muted, and the message becomes: God wants you to be happy, healthy, fulfilled. Sermons sound more like self-help than salvation.

But Paul says the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. That means sin must be named, guilt exposed, and justification proclaimed. Evangelical preaching without sin and righteousness may soothe feelings, but it will never save souls.

The true gospel is not that Jesus makes us feel better, but that Jesus makes us right with God. Anything less is not evangelical.

You can see this drift in some best-selling Christian books where Jesus becomes a life coach, offering tips for happiness, rather than the Lamb of God who takes away sin. Crowds may really like a therapeutic message, but when suffering strikes or death draws near, a shallow gospel cannot hold.

Evangelical by Doubt (Deconstruction)

A growing number of young adults raised in evangelical homes are “deconstructing”, walking away from the faith. In many cases, what they are rejecting is not evangelicalism at all, but its counterfeits: moralism without mercy, hype without holiness, and politics without gospel.

The tragedy is this: when churches drift from the evangel, they inoculate their children against the real thing. People conclude that evangelicalism is shallow, hypocritical, or toxic, when in fact what they experienced was not evangelicalism but its shadow.

The cure for false evangelicalism is not abandonment of the gospel but a deeper return to it. What the next generation needs is not cooler branding but authentic gospel clarity.

Evangelical by Celebrity

Evangelicalism has also been distorted by the cult of personality. Conferences, networks, and even local churches can orbit around a single voice, as if ministers were saviours.

But evangelical identity is not built on celebrities. It is built on Christ, shepherded by a plurality of elders, nourished by Word and sacrament. Ministers come and go. Jesus remains.

To be evangelical is to glory not in the preacher, but in the gospel preached.

Reformed Evangelical Identity

This is where we must be clear. Historic, confessional evangelicalism is not the same as broad cultural evangelicalism. The former is biblicist, crucicentric, conversionist, and activist. The latter is political, pragmatic, therapeutic, and tribal.

As Reformed evangelicals, we gladly stand in the line of the Reformers who rediscovered justification by faith, the Puritans who pressed for gospel holiness, and the missionaries who carried the good news to the nations. We are not bound by cultural winds, but by Scripture. We are not driven by market forces, but by God’s power.

A Constructive Vision

If much of evangelicalism has ceased to be evangelical, what would it look like for us to live truly as gospel people in Burlington?

• Preaching: Bold proclamation of Christ crucified and risen, without shame or trimming.
• Community: A fellowship marked by grace, sinners welcomed because we ourselves are sinners justified by faith.
• Mission: Evangelism not as a program but as the reflex of gospel people, crossing the street and crossing cultures.
• Worship: Songs that exalt God’s grace, not our own strength.
• Leadership: Elders shepherding together, not celebrities ruling alone.
• Hope: Not in politics or progress, but in the return of Christ and the new creation.

This is what it means to be evangelical. Not a label to be hidden, not a brand to be marketed, not a bloc to be mobilized, but a people unashamed of the gospel.

Conclusion

When evangelicalism ceases to be evangelical, it collapses into politics, pragmatism, therapy, or celebrity. But when evangelicalism is true to its name, it becomes what Paul described in Romans 1: the power of God for salvation, the revelation of God’s righteousness, life by faith.

Oh, let us not be ashamed. Let us recover the evangel. And let us live, and die, as evangelical people.