Evangelicals are currently being stress tested by an increasingly hostile culture. There is a great temptation to find a way to escape. Here are five evangelical escapes currently on offer.
BBC Christians
BBC Christians escape trouble by staying mainstream. I recently heard this term – ‘BBC Christians’ – used to describe evangelicals who are happy to follow the Bible until it means doing something of which the BBC disapproves.
Fitting in with the mainstream is crucial to BBC Christians, whether that means wearing the rainbow lanyard or using preferred pronouns. In church they may nod along to biblical teaching to marriage, but they are equally happy to accept an invitation to a gay wedding.
To BBC Christians, Bill Clinton’s view that abortion should be ‘safe, legal, and rare’ seems much more reasonable than to speak of the genocide of the unborn. They don’t like abortion, but they don’t like the idea of restricting someone’s freedom of choice.
Many BBC Christians have public sector jobs where the culture seamlessly meshes with the BBC editorial line. They have learnt to fit in and get on. Any twinge of conscience is usually suppressed by the thought that it’s not winsome to be seen as unloving.
How many BBC Christians exist within evangelical churches is becoming clearer as the BBC’s ‘establishment view’ comes increasingly into conflict with the Bible. A stark choice reveals where the heart’s loyalty lies. 1 John 2:19 is a needful comfort when there are painful partings of ways.
Let’s be honest. Evangelism is tough. Cultural pressures are increasing. No wonder evangelical escapes are popular.
