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Christianity Today, May (Web-only), 2009 |

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The New (Evangelical) Mainline

American evangelicalism is displacing the old mainline. How do we keep from suffering the same fate?

A Christianity Today editorial | posted 5/12/2009 08:34AM

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Spreading the gospel, not seeking social or political relevance, is the heartbeat of evangelicalism. More often than not, cozying up to the culture has been a ticket to later embarrassment.

To be sure, we also must remain engaged in the larger culture. We cannot afford to become consumed by our own theological distinctives and subculture. That too would be a compromise. We are not called to identify with any culture or subculture, whether that be America or evangelicalism. Our future as a movement depends on that which is in our name, the evangel, the good news of Jesus Christ. If we keep that focus, we never have to worry about becoming the new sideline.

Related Elsewhere:

The American Religious Identification Survey has more results on its website.

More Christianity Today articles on evangelicalism include:

Soulwork: On the Lasting Evangelical Survival | What will and will not survive of this movement. (March 11, 2009)

The Evangelical Elite | Michael Lindsay says adherents of the movement can now be found in powerful positions in every niche of American life. (November 16, 2007)

The Rise of the Evangelicals | Evangelicalism was once a tiny reform movement, one that was amazingly successful, says Mark Noll. (June 9, 2005)

Why Evangelicalism Is the Future of Protestantism | Part 1, Part 2 (June 19, 1995)

More editorials are available on our site.

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May (Web-only) 2009, Vol. 53

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Simon Travers

Posted: May 23, 2009 2:44 AM

Evangelical faith is not phony, and it's not purely modern american. It's a long standing stream of Christian thought that asserts the primacy of the Bible and accepts the authority of the bible as central to a living faith in Christ. If you want a historical example, try Martin Luther, or read 'Streams of Living Water' by Richard Foster. However... where American evangelicalism perhaps has lead the church down a blind alley is in the area of it's relationship to power, a relationship that has been at times pretty unbiblical. The positive about more people not identifying themselves as Christian, is that it makes it clearer that new testament living is generally done as a part of a minority group.

Helen Dyck

Posted: May 20, 2009 10:41 AM

Have you looked at the latest Macleans magazines in Canada regarding Christianity. It is worth noting. I can appreciate your callenge to keep the faith and continue to walk and talk the truth about Christianity. One of the things that I have struggled with is that while there are opportunities for reaching the world and bringing the salvation message of Jesus Christ to the world few can afford to be invovled in this full time. Who can commit to publically proclaiming the truth of the gospel. Lay people with families have little time if any to study the bible attend church and make a purposeful plan of sharing the faith and descipling others in what the majority of Christians call the best thing that ever happened to them. How in practical terms can we get out of the rat race pay our bills and take time to bring the truth of the gospel publically? I am concerned for the next generation? I wonder if the faith that my ancestors died for will be continued.

James Reid Ross

Posted: May 20, 2009 2:24 AM


I think we divide ourselves along the lines of evangelical which is an evasive issue or meaning. I count all those who profess Jesus as Lord as my brother and sisters whether they are classified as evangelical or not, and that includes our catholic brethren.

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