We are hearing a lot about “evangelicals” during this never-ending election cycle.  This “evangelical” leader supports this candidate; that one supports a different candidate.  Some percentage of “evangelicals” will vote one way or another on a particular issue.  Often, those reports are perplexing.  We can’t understand how our “evangelical” brothers and sisters in Christ can take the anti-Biblical positions they are reported to be taking.

Let’s keep a few things in mind as we consider what we see and hear.

  1. The typical TV or newspaper reporter does not know Christ and can’t tell the difference between a follower of Christ and a casual church-goer.
  2. The term “evangelical” is a very broad term as used by the popular media. Anyone who self-identifies as “evangelical” is included, regardless of what they actually believe. In his research, George Barna concluded that, while 38% of Americans self-identify as “evangelical”, the number who are “theologically evangelical” (that is, they believe that the Bible is accurate, they have trusted Christ as Savior, salvation is by faith, not works, Satan is real, God is creator, etc.) is closer to 8%.
  3. When you remove the 8% of ‘theological evangelicals”, the rest of those identified as “evangelical” (people that Barna classifies as “born again non-evangelical” and “notional Christians”) act, think and vote very much like the rest of the unsaved population.

Don’t be deceived by polls.  Read your Bible.  Understand the times. Vote Biblical convictions.  Don’t assume when you hear that “evangelicals” believe such-and-such that it means it’s right.  Be like the Bereans – search the Scriptures to see whether these things are so (Acts 17:11).