Toward an Evangelical Identity

Abstract

Hatcher’s exploration of the politics of British Evangelicals yields some important conclusions. First, British Evangelicals are not ripe for political mobilization because they lack the means, motive, and opportunity required of social movements. Second, the biggest hindrance to mobilization is that being Evangelical is not, for them, a social identity . Third , because the same religious tradition can work differently according to national, political, and cultural contexts, political science needs to broaden and deepen its study of religion . Furthermore, American Evangelicals can learn a new way of tempered engagement from their British counterparts, but most importantly, British Evangelicals should form a group identity to give greater coherence to their religious and civic selves. British politics would benefit from their social justice imperative.