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THE QUESTION:
One more time: What is an "evangelical"?
THE RELIGION GUY S ANSWER:
Last month the Public Religion Research Institute reported that its latest
polling shows white U.S. Protestants who identify as "evangelical" are now
outnumbered by whites who do not do so. That upended the usual thinking on
numbers, and analysts raised doubts. The discussion led Terry Shoemaker of
Arizona State University, writing for theconversaation.com, to again mull
the perennial question of what "evangelical" means.
In the American context, this term essentially covers the conservative wing
of Protestantism, a variegated constellation of denominations, independent
congregations, "parachurch" ministries, media outlets, and individual
personalities that is organizationally scattered but religiously coherent.
There are three ways of defining and counting U.S. evangelicals by
belief, by church affiliation and by self-identificati
“The demographics are changing,” said Irving Lebovics, co-chairman of the Agudah-affiliated Am Echad. “I’m not even sure who the federation represents today.”