************************ This is Merriam-Webster's definition.
An evangelist is anyone bearing good news - most commonly of the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ, but one could be called an evangelist of anything that they are promoting to be good for someone: exercise, healthy food, etc. In this case, it is actually, technically used appropriately for Glenn Beck - an evangelist for getting back to the principles of our Founding Fathers -- however, it does seem to be used in a negative way - to make it look like Beck is some kind of preacher.
Personally, I think the Left's hero, Barack Obama, dons this manner quite frequently - especially when speaking to Black folks -- just listen to how he changes the way he talks.
“but one could be called an evangelist of anything that they are promoting to be good for someone: exercise, healthy food, etc.”
I’m familiar with this sense of the word, and have no problem with it, so long as people know they’re using it as a metaphor. There are better words, but whatever. The problem with using it for Beck is that the entire article is about religion, not about the values of the Founding Fathers, hence my calling it prejudicial.