Two pieces in Christianity Today caught my eye because they took opposite sides in what to do about being called “evangelical.”

Bonnie Kristian wrote about the unsettling fact that what is identified as “evangelical” in the U.S. now is solidly behind Trump for the POT (Party of Trump) nomination. There are certainly voices in evangelical circles opposing Trump, but as the Iowa caucuses showed yet again, those identifying as “evangelical” know what they have in Trump and still vote for him.

She writes:

But for the average white evangelical Republican, my strong impression is that this debate is basically finished. Very few evangelicals will vote or caucus this year having freshly agonized over whether to back Donald Trump.

That’s so for several reasons, none of them especially unique to evangelicals. One is the reality of how millions of Americans routinely vote: by partisan default and after relatively little research into the policy and personal history of the candidates on offer.

Russell Moore remains the eternal optimist. He piggy backs off Ross Douthat, a devout Catholic who is not a fan of Pope Francis, that it is a great time to be a Roman Catholic. Moore believes the same about being evangelical.

At its best, evangelical Christianity reminds the world and the church that the Good Shepherd doesn’t just see the flock but the one sheep lost in the woods. “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) is an important truth. So is “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). But we also need to hear and believe that Jesus “loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, emphasis added).

Even our view of biblical authority—often derided as naive and literalistic—is an emphasis on the personal. The issue isn’t just the objective truthfulness of the Scriptures (although that’s a necessary condition), but the question of actually personally reading, hearing, and living the Word of God. Under that is a confidence that God—as in the days of Josiah—can speak with the voice that creates life and new creation, even when the structures and institutions have fallen away.

I applaud Moore’s optimism. And I thought I could help with change in my former denomination, too. So much for that. Moore carries a lot more “juice” than I ever did, but I still don’t think “evangelical” is a viable word in American culture and politics any longer. It’s far too loaded.

I can’t carry that label. Maybe “small o” orthodox. Or “small c” catholic. Maybe historic Christian. Maybe “credal Christian” to move us to pay more attention to the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Whatever the label, at the end of 2024, I know what it may actually need to be called should Trump repeat: The Resistance. Or, we could go back to Bonhoeffer and be the “Confessing Church” again. But we need to be ready. Regardless.