The word “evangelical” has been hijacked!
It means all sorts of things to all sorts of people, so let’s clear things up a bit.
The word “evangelical”
It comes from the Greek word ευαγγελιον (euangelion) which means “good news.”
The New Testament was written in Greek, which is what makes the word important to Christians.
The “good news” is the news that God is willing to forgive anyone who asks him because Jesus has died a substitute death and is now raised to life and reigning in heaven. You’re invited to come to God for forgiveness, peace, and eternal life – which is very Good News indeed.
In old English, “good news” was spoken of as “godspel” which became our word “gospel”.
So, we’re delighted to call ourselves Bromborough Evangelical Church because it means we have the Good News of Jesus right at the middle of our name and everything we do!
We could just as easily be called “Bromborough Good News Church” or even “Bromborough Gospel Church” – they all mean the same thing.
Is that all it means?
To us, that really is all it means.
Sadly, the word has become synonymous with certain political standpoints, particularly in America. This is a terrible shame.
Christians serve the risen king Jesus and seek to do his will in the world as described in the Bible. That means loving others, caring for the weak, cherishing the vulnerable, etc, and standing up for biblical standards of morality. Political movements shift over time and have varying emphases and nuances, but the Bible is unchanging. If a political party or movement happens to be aligned with biblical values, Christians may well feel a bias towards it – but, as no leader or party is perfect voting is often a difficult choice weighing up the various factors.