I’m Unapologetically
Evangelical.

I’m unapologetically evangelical. Yikes, that’s a bit cringe; maybe I should apologize. Aw, but did you notice the difference? I’m not Evangelical; I’m evangelical. The lowercase should tell you exactly what I mean by the term, or at least give you a hint.

The word “evangelical” is an adaptation of the early church in Roman-occupied Israel and Asia Minor. In ancient Greek, the term traces its origins back to εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion), or good news. Believe it or not, the early church adopted this term as a double subversion.

First, as you might expect, this term was widely used in Ancient Jewish thought, tracing its use back to Isaiah 40. This text was written late in the Israelites’ Babylonian exile. It acted as an underlying source of hope - “a good news is a comin’” - as one in the South would say. This anticipation was a theological anchor, in particular as the Israelite community faced seemingly insurmountable odds of life after exilic life. For those unfamiliar, it was common practice for the Babylonian empire to conquer territories and move the brightest, most capable members into new cities under their control.

The second subversion is the co-opting of what became widely used as an imperial decree of the Roman political machine, MRGA didn’t have the same ring.

It was “good news” when the Εἰρήνη τῆς Ῥώμης (the Peace of Rome) conquered your territory through bloodshed and conquest—huh? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
...I guess if that’s your definition of good news.

It was “good news” when Caesar’s heir was born or when Caesar himself passed away and ascended to god-like status.

It was “good news” to be surrounded by symbols and statues of the imperial cult.

All of these cultural touchstones were supposed to be “good.”

You can see why the early church didn’t see it the same way. The early church rooted itself in its tradition of anticipation and hope, believing that the hope had already arrived, you guessed it - Jesus - and thus put an entirely new meaning behind its use. Rather than demanding bloodshed, the Messiah shed his blood to show people the true meaning of sacrifice. Instead of a cold marble statue casting a looming shadow to immortalize power, Christ descended to death (sheol) - as an ultimate act of vulnerability and empathy - and then ascended to resurrected life, inaugurating an entirely different kind of good news.

You can see why it was so crucial for the early community to co-opt the term in the midst of Roman imperialism.

I’m evangelical because I refuse to let the word die, even though it has been weaponized for gatekeeping and boundary-drawing.

I’m evangelical because I follow in a tradition of subverting imperial superpowers whose mission is to rob people of dignity.

I’m evangelical because I believe this message is true good news for anyone who has ever wondered if hope is possible in their own exile.

I’m evangelical because I believe the way of Jesus actually matters for our broken world - and I want others to experience it.

If you’re into that kind of stuff, you just might benefit from calling yourself evangelical too.