True evangelicals

Christian Century, Feb 8, 2005

TRUE EVANGELICALS: "Evangelical" is a term often used as a distinction: conservatives use it to distinguish themselves from liberals; the largest Protestant body in Germany is so named to distinguish it from both Catholics and nonconforming Protestants; and while Roman Catholics, the Orthodox and high-church Anglicans use it to refer to Jesus' teaching in the four Gospels, low-church Anglicans use it to distinguish themselves from Anglo-Catholics.

Evangelical, of course, refers to "good news," and according to Paul Trudinger of the University of Winnipeg, it should not be considered an exclusive appelation for Christians alone, let alone a particular kind of Christian. The Old Testament is itself evangelical--proclaiming the good news of God's realm and empowering presence. He makes the daring claim that all those "involved in 'doing justice,' and 'loving mercy' are evangelical, whether they use the term or not," even those outside the Judeo-Christian tradition (Expository Times, December).