Evangelical Christianity: A Guide for the Perplexed June 29, 2021 Roger E. Olson Evangelical Christianity: A Guide for the Perplexed As a life long evangelical Christianity and alleged scholar-expert on the subject, I am concerned (to put it mildly) about the widespread confusion in culture and society, spread especially by journalists, about the subject. This blog was begun with the intent of, among other things, elucidating the true meaning of “evangelical Christianity.” That after I noticed a definite trend in American culture and society toward serious confusion about it. There is no “THE evangelical church.” Evangelical Christians are not a monolithic block. There is real diversity among evangelical Christians. Evangelical Christianity is not uniquely American. Evangelical Christianity is not a “bounded set” category but a “centered set” category. Evangelical Christianity has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Some evangelical Christians are monarchists (especially outside the United States) while others are republicans; some evangelical Christians (even in the United States) are politically and socially liberal and others are socially and politically conservative. Evangelical Christianity is not defined by the political leanings of the majority of people who identify as evangelical Christians. It is defined by its historical prototypes, common historical beliefs and spiritual practices. Historians and theologians, especially historical theologians, define “evangelical Christianity.”