Evangelical political identity in transition : mapping the intersections of religion, politics and change in post-Belfast Agreement Northern Ireland

This paper analyzes changes in Northern Irish evangelical identity since the 1998 Belfast Agreement. Drawing on previous studies of Northern Irish evangelicalism, it constructs three schematic models that test hypotheses regarding what contributes to changes in identity in traditional/conservative, pietist, and moderate/radical directions. Based on interviews with evangelicals from the Queen's University of Belfast Christian Union; a Church of Ireland (Anglican) parish; and a Presbyterian congregation; it challenges previous conclusions about evangelical identity. It argues for a more multi-dimensional understanding of identity change, highlighting the complex ways in which factors such as age, education, class, lived experience in a rural or urban location, and interaction with evangelical leadership intersect. It argues that evangelical identities may be more diverse than originally expected; and that evangelicalism's ability to continue to influence Northern Irish politics in its traditional, conservative direction, is uncertain.