What is an Evangelical?

Issues that raise the question....
Two recent issues made me ask the question: What is an Evangelical?

First, the furore against Franklin Graham. Franklin is son of Billy Graham, and, while we may not align ourselves with everything Franklin supports (that should not surprise us, for true believers are all different: only cult members are all the same), the Gospel Franklin preaches is "as sound as a pound." See here for a statement of faith.

Franklin Graham is planning a UK tour this year and while we expect the world to oppose him, we are shocked to find people who call themselves "evangelical" are also opposing him. A small number of them (none of whose names I have ever heard of) wrote to The Guardian to protest, see here.

Can a true evangelical oppose a mission designed to share the Good News with the lost? Emphatically not.

The second issue was an article sent out by the leaders of a large Christian Pentecostal "evangelical" denomination declaring that they are now accepting women into ministry. The "paper" demonstrates a shocking disregard of the Bible and a tragic seduction by unbelieving academia.

So what exactly is an Evangelical?
What are we to think, say or do?

#1  None of us should be surprised that the true church will be infiltrated by false teachers. That is the main warning of the letter of Jude. Heretics will slip in among the true flock. Look at what has happened to Steve Chalke. A man who once preached the Gospel now preaches a very different gospel, seduced by the academy.

#2  All of us should be on guard. We are in a spiritual battle. And nowhere does that battle reveal itself most openly than an attack on truth and the people who preach the truth.

#3  We should remind ourselves constantly what an Evangelical is. It may be that we have to ditch the title and call ourselves simply Bible believing Christians. An evangelical believer or church is a church that holds the Bible up as the final authority in all matters of belief and practice. We are not blown by every wind of doctrine. We do not follow the changing fads of the academy or culture, we believe in the perspecuity of the Scriptures. That big word means this: Bible truth as understood by the ordinary believer is Bible truth. You don't need a degree in theology or logic or first century history to understand the Bible. You just need the Holy Spirit plus some good friends around you who will push-back should you go astray. Plus the help of your church leaders. No amount of new research, for example, will undo the plain man's understanding of Scripture - that homosexual practice is sin, and that men are called to lead their wives and lead in the church: it's the plain teaching of Scripture.

#4  No-one should be moved. Finally, no-one should be moved, led astray, or seduced. In fact the very opposite! What is happening to Franklin Graham and what is happening in major denominations should cause us to dig in, to stand up for the truth, to be more determined than ever to share the Gospel, stick to the truth and live upright holy lives in an evil generation.

In a strange way we can even rejoice over these situations because they expose false teachers and cause God's people to be on their gaurd and stick to the truth!

Rejoice over error? I never thought I'd hear myself saying that, but it is true. Out of grit in oysters, pearls are formed. Satan always oversteps himself and God works for the good.