Usage governs meaning. The semanticists and lexicographers agree. Given that this is so, and given that evangelical no longer means what it once did, it is high time to live with the fact that it is merely, by and large, a cultural, not a theological, term. It's merely descriptive of a vague and amorphous culture that is not theologically defined. For my part, I can no longer consider myself an evangelical. It doesn't mean anything. I'm happy with reformed evangelical, however, as that delimits what is meant by evangelical. Of course I'm showing my hand here. And I think we all should. Open statement of the truth is apostolic (2 Cor. 4:2).
It seems to me that the orthodox, if they want to hang on to the term (and there is good reason for doing so), would do well to add a delimiting descriptor before evangelical, such as reformed evangelical. And I also think that all would do well to become reformed evangelicals and self-consciously confessionally stand in the line of that rich heritage, embracing confessionally the riches and blessings of the Reformation. (Yes, I'm grinning.)
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