I don’t think I’ve ever heard an evangelical give a better answer! Take a look at this Q&A with Jeffery Sheler, author of “Believers: A Journey Into Evangelical America.” I think I heard a bit of an interview with him a while ago and was impressed. He really did penetrate the evangelical subculture and it seems he came away with a fair view of who we really are.

Here are two of my favorite questions:

Q What must one believe to be an evangelical?

A The Bible is God’s word, completely reliable, without error. Jesus is the only savior, and one has to have a personal relationship with him. And because Jesus is the only way, evangelicals feel very strongly that they are commissioned by Christ to share their faith with others — to evangelize.

Q If evangelicals are just like you and me, why do some people fear them?

A Because they hear and read the accounts of evangelicals in the media. I’m not faulting the media. You have a handful of evangelicals who are intemperate in their remarks. They have tremendous access to the airwaves. Reporters like to quote them because they’re very quotable.

When people hear Pat Robertson say some of the things he says, or D. James Kennedy talk about “taking back America for Christ,” that sounds threatening.

This would be a good one to point someone to who is not really sure what evangelicals believe and what they want.