Am I Disevangelical?

Written By Jonathan Krogh

Dear Evangelicals:

One problem with language is how meanings drift. A word means one thing in its context and then over time takes on a new and sometimes opposite meaning. My favorite example is disgruntled. The prefix ‘dis-’ currently means to intensify the reverse; so, disrespect means the intense opposite of respect. But with the word disgruntled, the prefix demonstrates an old middle English form of the prefix ‘dis-’, meaning to completely or fully permeate. Disgruntled means to be completely permeated with complaint; the ‘dis-’ intensifies the ‘gruntledness’.

This drift of meaning seems to have happened with the word ‘evangelical’. Rooted in the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον meaning ‘good message’ (one can see the word angel hiding after the positive prefix ‘eu-’ as in euphoric), evangelicals were those who brought good news to the world. “Tidings of great joy (εὐαγγελί+ζομαι, 1st person suffix for the verb) which shall be to all the people, for unto us is born this day…” as we read every Christmas Eve from Luke 2.10-11. But over time the term evangelical has drifted in meaning to describe a branch of disgruntled Christians who seek to recast culture and politics in their own image. Note that Luke 2.12 does not go on to say, “And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall post the 10 commandments in every public school classroom.”

As an evangelical, I was taught that the Christian message of the angels announced in the shepherds' fields near Bethlehem was good news about a savior. As the story unfolded and the people received that message, their overwhelming response was not to overtake the culture, but to live in great joy! At its core, evangelism was announcing a worldview in the marketplace of ideas. People responded because it spoke deeply to their heads and hearts and became for them a way of living in the world. Those who opposed the εὐαγγέλιον, the Gospel, repressed the news by threats, violence, interruption, intimidation and the exercise of political force against the followers of this Good News. Those who clung to the εὐαγγέλιον offered welcome, love, healing, support, grace and, yes, food, shelter, clothing and protection, to whomever came to them. It was unimaginable to the early Apostles to marshal political or military force to overwhelm or silence their opponents. The followers of the εὐαγγέλιον believed their message was to be offered freely, as a choice. Conversion by force was no conversion at all.

We live in a time when ‘evangelicals’ have become so insecure about the content and power of their message that they believe the only way for their worldview to catch on is through the force of law. Evangelicals are actively silencing competing voices and structuring the culture so that Christianity isn’t a choice among other ways of being; it is championed to become the only safe and viable option. To be a Christian, or to live a ‘Christianly life’ because one fears persecution, isn’t good news; it’s dystopia.

Finding myself moving from being gruntled about evangelicals to becoming completely disgruntled, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor    

Jonathan Krogh
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