Over the past few years I have seen many people announce on social media that they are no longer calling themselves “Christian” because of who the term has been associated with in movies and in the mainline press. The word “Evangelical” has received similar treatment. Those in the middle and on the progressive edges of society that still hold true to the teachings of Jesus can often be found twisting themselves in knots to get the proper language that both defines as well as differentiates.

We have to stop and reflect on that practice.

Why should we, those who have read the Bible, or the Gospels at least, be the ones to change ourselves and separate ourselves from 2000 years of tradition?

While not all of that history is positive (insert any reference to the Spanish Inquisition and The Crusades here), much of it has been. We have seen the spread of health care and education, minority rights… in fact all the hallmarks of a progressive social democracy can be found in the origins of Christianity. And if we are being historically faithful, even before that with the Hebrew people.

It has been proven over and over again that when good people try to tinker with language or give up our identification, those who are twisting that identification want more. There gets to be a point when we have nothing left to give up.

So before we get to that point this go around, because let’s face it, everything we are seeing today has been done before (spoiler: the fascists always lose in the end), let’s just not. There is no need to give up our words, or give them away to people who want to destroy the positive found in those words.

To be “Christian” is to be a follower of Christ. We can call ourselves that, can’t we?

To be “Evangelical” means to be people who tell the story of the Good News. We are still doing that, aren’t we? In fact that is why this website is called The Barefoot Evangelist.

We should not give up who we are to appease those who do not represent us. We need to use those words and titles even more, proving what they really mean. Words have power.