Religion forum: What’s in a name? Confusion, sometimes

Forum
Published: August 1, 2008

We shall be interested in the current study of the churches of Lynchburg, when the responses are all in and the implications are suggested. Would that more of our local congregations had offered their data to the survey (The News & Advance July 13 edition). Yet, I am disturbed by one expression in the covering article.
Therein a distinction is drawn between “mainline Christian” and “evangelical.” Whether the choice of terms is with the authors of the survey or with those responding to the survey, this, I think, is unfortunate. If such a distinction is borne out in the results of the survey, we have brought forth a regrettable situation in our town, long “the city of churches.”
So, what is suggested by “evangelical” as distinct from “Christian?” The writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have long and often been called evangelists. Over the world, there are churches named such as the Church of St. John the Evangelist.
The term is of Greek origin, meaning “one who brings good news,” which is again and again, referred to as the “Gospel.” The ministry of Jesus of Nazareth was inherently evangelical. The simple noun form means, literally, a good message, glad tiding, good news — It announces something, which brings hope, encouragement and joy. This word, as a noun, is found some 50 times throughout the writings of the New Testament.
As a verb, it is found in a variety of ways describing the activities of John the Baptizer, Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and other early Christian preachers and leaders. They seek to share the good news of God’s love and the opportunity to receive that love. Most of the early hearers would not have questioned God’s power, but now were being assured of God’s love for them.
In some two dozen places, there are various forms of the Greek verb, which tell that so-and-so was bringing “good news,” was “preaching the gospel,” literally “evangelizing.”
Now what about “mainline” congregations? Do we mean to say that in such as our Methodist and Lutheran churches, our Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist and other congregations the “gospel” has been shorted out? Do we understand that such as they know not and preach not the Gospel? Or do we simply mean that the methods and tone are different?
In short, I am reluctant to answer that Christians care not for the gospel message and evangelicals are not to be counted as Christians in our town. The Christian folk of the New Testament community — all we know of anyhow—were evangelical. If needed, there are very worthy sources in the Sweet Briar community who are fully qualified to clarify this.
Yet, perhaps there is another question inside all this. Who gets to be “mainline,” and how is this done?

JOSEPH L.NELSON JR.
Lynchburg