Evangelicals urged to drop the 'e' word

The editor of a leading Christian magazine has suggested it is time for Evangelical Christians to rebrand themselves.

In an editorial for this month's Christianity magazine, John Buckeridge has suggested that Evangelicals stop calling themselves 'Evangelical' and come up with a better label because the term carries such negative connotations.

"I'm an evangelical – but sometimes I’m reluctant to own up" says Buckeridge.

In a survey conducted for Premier Radio and the Evangelical Alliance 87% of respondents describe themselves as evangelical but only 59% say they reveal their ‘evangelical’ identity to others.

"Half a century ago words like ‘gay’, ‘ecstasy’ and ‘wicked’ meant something very different than they do today" says the magazine's editor.

"Now to the unchurched and people of other faiths – evangelical is increasingly shorthand for: right-wing US politics, an arrogant loud mouth who refuses to listen to other people’s opinions, men in grey suits who attempt to crowbar authorised version scripture verses into every situation, or ‘happy-clappy’ simpletons who gullibly swallow whatever their tub thumping minister tells them to believe."

"Today in the UK ‘evangelical’ is often linked with the ultimate 21st century swearword ‘fundamentalist’. The result is the name ‘evangelical’ which years ago, may have smelt of roses – now has the aroma of the manure that fertilises the bush."

In the article John Buckeridge relates a conversation with the head of the Evangelical Alliance in the UK which claims to represent over one million Evangelicals, Joel Edwards.

"He argues that we need to rehabilitate the word, that ‘evangelical’ is too rich and precious a word to drop." Buckeridge says.

"But I worry that the tide has gone out on the ‘e’ word."

Buckeridge says that he is "tired of being tarred with the identities of men with megaphones who shout ‘hell’, ‘wrath’ and ‘damnation’ at passers-by and fail to say, ‘love’, ‘grace’ or ‘forgiveness’."

"Isn’t it time to choose a new word that sums up our e-identity and commitment to following Jesus but puts distance between us and the damaging negatives?" Buckeridge asks.

The respected historian David Bebbington has suggested that the Evangelical movement began around 1734, and has been marked as a sociological movement by four emphasis which he terms "Crucicentrism" (an emphasis on the cross) "Biblicism", "Conversionism" and "Activism".