Rob Bell’s Definition of Evangelical

I know this is, in blogosphere time, old news, but this blog is new and currently on the subject of evangelical definitions, so fuh-giva-ness please.

Bell defines evangelical for a Boston Globe interviewer thusly:

I embrace the term evangelical, if by that we mean a belief that we together can actually work for change in the world, caring for the environment, extending to the poor generosity and kindness, a hopeful outlook. That’s a beautiful sort of thing. (Source)

I don’t know who wouldn’t embrace that sort of beautiful thing, including non-performance artist evangelicals whose self-defining might actually include the evangel.

(And yes, yes, I know Bell does not deny the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He just apparently finds these events peripheral to evangelical definition. (I got accused of meanness for saying this elsewhere.))