Middle East Work Group

INTERFAITH RELATIONS – William G. Gepford, American-Arab Relations
“What is an Evangelical?”

A recent “Evangelical Manifesto” has attempted to define the Evangelical identity (“Evangelical Manifesto,” May 7, 2008, Washington, D.C.). To its credit it has emphasized its religious origins.

The term evangelical is not new. It has been around since at least the time of Christ. The term comes from the Greek word for good news or gospel, which suggests a radically new view of human life. To define in this way what is meant by Evangelical, is not to say that we don’t appreciate other major traditions, or that other traditions do not have something of substance to contribute, or that we are not open to working with them on many ethical and social issues of common concern. Rather, it is to distinguish its particular contributions from those of other faiths.

The Evangelical tradition is distinct as it holds to truths to be found in the Bible, which the Protestant Reformation recovered, beliefs that are true to the Good News of Jesus.

Evangelicals should not be defined politically, socially or culturally, but theologically. Evangelicals may be found in most political parties, cultures and societies.

Among other things, Evangelicals believe that being disciples of Jesus means serving him as Lord in every sphere of life, secular as well as spiritual, public as well as private, in deeds as well as in words, always reaching out to the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the oppressed. It also means being faithful stewards of all creation.

As a non-hierarchical community, Evangelicalism provides a unity that holds together a wide range of diversity.

During a term of service in Lebanon (with the Presbyterian branch of the Evangelical community) the church with whom we worked was identified as the “Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon,” the term Evangelical intending to distinguish this religious group from those who identified themselves as Catholics or Orthodox.

This identity, calling its adherents to faithfulness to Jesus, not to a political, secular or social system, made it possible to work with the vast religious variety that also was a part of the larger religious “family of God.” It was from them that I first learned how to be true to our unity in Jesus that underlies all lesser differences and to practice the “reconciliation in the church that is so needed in the world.”

In this time of renewing our government leadership, it is important that our witness be one to seek freedom, justice, peace, and well being for all peoples that are at the heart of the kingdom of God.

This means that Evangelicals must invite Muslims, Sikhs, and others to join with them to embody and be the good news to our world and to our generation.

With God’s help, and a common witness we can meet the challenges of our time for a “greater human flourishing.”