Welcome, Dave! Now there is more than one Anglican in the bar—we’re taking over!

On Evangelicalism: ‘sfunny how labels are so laden with baggage. How did the word “evangelical” became a negative, for example? After all, as Christians, I think we probably all agree that we should evangelize—the primary disagreements would generally come over “when” and “how,” not “if.” And so the dictionary definition seems like it should apply to all of us, and yet most of us would call ourselves escapees from Evangelicalism (note the capital).

In my case, my Anglican church is proud to call themselves evangelical, since that serves as a single-word representation of their commitment to Christ and the Gospel. It was a mental shift for me to see the word in that light, after having had it associated with negative thoughts for years.

Joell: Speaking of labels, I note that at my evangelical Anglican church, the pastors do indeed wear dorky collars and robes—though admittedly, not at the evening or mid-week gatherings. Tithing is also not an Anglican norm.

And smoking? My senior pastor smokes a pipe, while the assistant pastor is partial to cigars. But I’ll admit, not outside the church doors after service. {:)}