Christianity can be taxonomically divided into six main groups: the Church of the East, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Restorationism. Protestantism includes many groups which do not share any ecclesiastical governance and have widely diverging beliefs and practices. Major Protestant branches include Adventism, Anabaptism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Lutheranism, Methodism, Moravianism, Quakerism, Pentecostalism, Plymouth Brethren, Reformed Christianity, and Waldensianism.
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What verses or passages from the Bible are often highlighted by Evangelicals?
I am particularly wanting to hear from Evangelicals or folks who used to be Evangelical.
I think I'd have to say that evangelical is really broad, to the point that "evangelical" as a whole is going to come up with... the entire Bible. If you got more specific, like a particular group of Reformed people or Baptists, then you might find an emphasis on certain things. But from my days of being under evangelical preaching (or hearing it on the radio), they will use just about any Bible verse you can think of.
Certain preachers would have favourite verses, of course. But I can't think of ones that stand out to the exclusion of others.
Evangelical Bible studies often try to go through the entire Bible, or pick a particular part to focus on, and it's essentially at random. I would say this does betray that envagelicals hold to a bit of a "flat Bible", although with a bit of preference for the NT - but Psalms, Proverbs, the epistles, gospels, all are considered worth focusing on and studying both privately and in a group setting. Reading through your entire Bible is considered a very valuable thing.
This is closest to my experience over 40 years (yet I was more Pentecostal/evangelical)
The Cross of Christ and all it means had always been the major focus lest we be like the Galatians - that’s a common significant focus.
What verses or passages from the Bible are often highlighted by Evangelicals?
I am particularly wanting to hear from Evangelicals or folks who used to be Evangelical.
I think I'd have to say that evangelical is really broad, to the point that "evangelical" as a whole is going to come up with... the entire Bible. If you got more specific, like a particular group of Reformed people or Baptists, then you might find an emphasis on certain things. But from my days of being under evangelical preaching (or hearing it on the radio), they will use just about any Bible verse you can think of.
Certain preachers would have favourite verses, of course. But I can't think of ones that stand out to the exclusion of others.
Evangelical Bible studies often try to go through the entire Bible, or pick a particular part to focus on, and it's essentially at random. I would say this does betray that envagelicals hold to a bit of a "flat Bible", although with a bit of preference for the NT - but Psalms, Proverbs, the epistles, gospels, all are considered worth focusing on and studying both privately and in a group setting. Reading through your entire Bible is considered a very valuable thing.
This is closest to my experience over 40 years (yet I was more Pentecostal/evangelical)
The Cross of Christ and all it means had always been the major focus lest we be like the Galatians - that’s a common significant focus.
Hi Valerie,
My experience may be a bit 'stale' (10+ years ago)... do you hear any particular Bible verses emphasised now, or is it still like that?
I think I'd have to say that evangelical is really broad, to the point that "evangelical" as a whole is going to come up with... the entire Bible. If you got more specific, like a particular group of Reformed people or Baptists, then you might find an emphasis on certain things. But from my days of being under evangelical preaching (or hearing it on the radio), they will use just about any Bible verse you can think of.
Certain preachers would have favourite verses, of course. But I can't think of ones that stand out to the exclusion of others.
Evangelical Bible studies often try to go through the entire Bible, or pick a particular part to focus on, and it's essentially at random. I would say this does betray that envagelicals hold to a bit of a "flat Bible", although with a bit of preference for the NT - but Psalms, Proverbs, the epistles, gospels, all are considered worth focusing on and studying both privately and in a group setting. Reading through your entire Bible is considered a very valuable thing.
This is closest to my experience over 40 years (yet I was more Pentecostal/evangelical)
The Cross of Christ and all it means had always been the major focus lest we be like the Galatians - that’s a common significant focus.
Hi Valerie,
My experience may be a bit 'stale' (10+ years ago)... do you hear any particular Bible verses emphasised now, or is it still like that?
Still like that- we’ve had a mix last 13 years after leaving our Foursquare Church- some Orthodox which is altogether different, and some what George would name - Antibapentecostal (or something like that) those churches don’t fit exactly in Evangelical like Parkside but Parkside doesn’t exact either (Puritan influence) as you said it’s quite a mix - I haven’t been to other evangelical type churches to know if there’s some new shift of emphasis on particular passages. Grace is always seemingly the focus.
I was reading in Joel this morning which brought to mind, it is true that in Evangelical churches being “saved” is a focus and the many passages referring to getting saved, being saved, etc- also on being used to save others-(thus “Evangelical “)
The passage from Joel 2 I was referring to:
Joel 2:32:
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
Valerie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2026 10:07 am
I was reading in Joel this morning which brought to mind, it is true that in Evangelical churches being “saved” is a focus and the many passages referring to getting saved, being saved, etc- also on being used to save others-(thus “Evangelical “)
The passage from Joel 2 I was referring to:
Joel 2:32:
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
As a protestant how do you understand the concept of being saved? Does it mean the same to you as to Joel and his recipients?
Valerie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2026 10:07 am
I was reading in Joel this morning which brought to mind, it is true that in Evangelical churches being “saved” is a focus and the many passages referring to getting saved, being saved, etc- also on being used to save others-(thus “Evangelical “)
The passage from Joel 2 I was referring to:
Joel 2:32:
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
As a protestant how do you understand the concept of being saved? Does it mean the same to you as to Joel and his recipients?
I think Sudsy and I were pretty similar in that. I believe salvation they is the first step like reading in the book of acts. Then they sanctification and I do believe obedience is part of being a Christian that we don’t abuse grace and mercy. Mercy is new every morning, so I do believe that we can repent every day for our senses. I don’t believe in Once saved always saved either. I do believe you could lose your salvation by walking away from the faith because we see Evidence of that in the New Testament.
Valerie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2026 10:07 am
I was reading in Joel this morning which brought to mind, it is true that in Evangelical churches being “saved” is a focus and the many passages referring to getting saved, being saved, etc- also on being used to save others-(thus “Evangelical “)
The passage from Joel 2 I was referring to:
Joel 2:32:
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
As a protestant how do you understand the concept of being saved? Does it mean the same to you as to Joel and his recipients?
I think Sudsy and I were pretty similar in that. I believe salvation they is the first step like reading in the book of acts. Then they sanctification and I do believe obedience is part of being a Christian that we don’t abuse grace and mercy. Mercy is new every morning, so I do believe that we can repent every day for our senses. I don’t believe in Once saved always saved either. I do believe you could lose your salvation by walking away from the faith because we see Evidence of that in the New Testament.
What do you think Joel had in mind when he used the term saved.
barnhart wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2026 7:19 am
As a protestant how do you understand the concept of being saved? Does it mean the same to you as to Joel and his recipients?
I think Sudsy and I were pretty similar in that. I believe salvation they is the first step like reading in the book of acts. Then they sanctification and I do believe obedience is part of being a Christian that we don’t abuse grace and mercy. Mercy is new every morning, so I do believe that we can repent every day for our senses. I don’t believe in Once saved always saved either. I do believe you could lose your salvation by walking away from the faith because we see Evidence of that in the New Testament.
What do you think Joel had in mind when he used the term saved.
It seems that in the context of Joel 2, which Peter says is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21) I think it is partially fulfilled on Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is poured out- but I believe the “saved” in this context is from the wrath to come on the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (v. 31).
When I was reading Joel the other day, reading the “saved” part reminded me of the focus of being “saved” in Christian denominations- I don’t see that “saved” as referring to salvation - but it is an Acts I think “saved” is used as salvation.
It’s funny when I became a Christian when I was 15, I never put myself in the protestant category because I was that used to that term. At that time being born again was the label if you want to put it that way. We didn’t study the reformation at all. That was during the Jesus movement, and we kind of separated ourselves from older mainline denominations that we were led to believe had become dead.
It wasn’t till later in life I started studying mainly due because I never heard of Anabaptists till my 50s. It was the Orthodox that taught me that Catholics were the first protestants - all denominations after that were Protestants the entire group of everyone, but Orthodox are considered Protestants to the original church. (Protest).