What Is an 'Evangelical?'

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 about the report. The discussion led Terry Shoemaker of Arizona State University, writing for theconversation.com, to again mull over the perennial question of what "evangelical" means. In the American context, this term essentially covers the conservative wing of Protestantism, a varied constellation of denominations, independent congregations, parachurch ministries, media outlets and individual personalities that is organizationally scattered but religiously coherent.