seeing clearly

While I technically am evangelical in the truest sense, here are my top reasons for not calling myself an evangelical in my community (off the top of my head):

1. Evangelicalism is not what it used to be.
2. Sadly, the gospel is often assumed because of simple church attendance, instead of continually clarified and passionately emphasized for the lost and for the believer.
3. I believe that a church service should be primarily crafted for believers, not for unbelievers (although I address unbelievers every week). We are sensitive to the ultimate Seeker (the Holy Spirit), and consequently try to realize that we minister in the “sight of God” first and foremost.
4. In my community, evangelical often = entertainment. One church in my area has enough flashing lights during its worship to put an epileptic in the grave. I tell people if they want to be entertained, there is a theater on the hill that has Sunday matinees.
5. Egalitarianism seems to rule the churches in my community. If they don’t have a woman as pastor, they certainly have them leading in every other aspect of a worship service, lest they appear old fashioned. Such a perception would certainly be fatal.
6. Sadly missions often = “better beer for serbians,” “dentures for swiss senior citizens,” etc. I exaggerate, but you know what I mean. Sadly, mission no longer includes the gospel in far too many churches. The concept has been hijacked and replaced with pseudo-kingdom language that imports good deeds in the place of gospel preaching and church-planting.
7. My views of inspiration and inerrancy extend to Genesis 1 as well as to all the historical details of the OT, a position that is not cool anymore.
8. I don’t have time for apostates, nor do I think they are misunderstood.
9. I don’t like Rick Warren, his books, his associations, his talks, or the way he chooses translations that suit his purposes. Plus, I think Hawaiian shirts look silly. Jeans and a blazer is way cooler.
10. Many “evangelical” churches in my area are mesmerized by Nooma and Elvis, I mean Rob Bell.
11. When I see other Christian youth in the area, I am so excited they are passionate about God, but so troubled for them when I hear that they have never really been given a doctrinal foundation. Sadly, for many, the first atheistic secular humanist professor who shoots a dart at their balloon of God-passion will successfully turn them into a recovering evangelical, instead of one who believes every word of Scripture.
12. I struggle to find any redeemable value in the Catholic church.
13. I still think Billy Graham compromised even though my Dad was saved through his ministry.
14. I have no time for infant baptism and think that this is often a gospel-issue. In other words, when churches teach that their people are “in” or “okay” because of their infant baptism, they are in error at the highest level. I cannot cooperate with this.
15. Evangelical churches in my area get together for a youth conference in which they baptize the teenagers at the conference. Am I the only one who sees a huge problem with this?

Now for the caveats:

1. While there are a lot of evangelicals like John MacArthur and Mark Dever, sadly these guys are not the norm.
2. I’m sure I have many blind-spots. I am being sanctified too, still working out my salvation. I need more humility too. However, humility doesn’t mean that we should stop calling spades spades.