I thought Cruz was a Baptist? Enlighten me on this, please - Is there not a difference between Evangelicals and Baptists? And, also, is there not various denominations of Baptists?
You Protestants have so many divisions that I have lost count, and it is just confusing as all hell to know who is what and when!
Evangelicals are protestants who believe in the mission to spread the Gospel in everything they do. They meet a lot of resistance and are hated for intruding into the spiritual zone of society where ostensibly they were never invited. But they reason that if they are able to turn people to Christ, even one soul, then it is worth it, it is victory.
Evangelicalism is important in the political sphere because it is a force that holds society to account.
Any standard text on Theology will brief you on the evolution of the various Protestant sects. It’s not that difficult and the various factions are simply a reflection of the war that goes on inside each human soul. Same with Catholics that we see today. The Orthodox are also splintered, but at least, their Divine Liturgy is unchanged for nearly 2000 years, although they argue and quibble stupidly outside the Church at times.
If you’re frustrated, then you might consider liberalism which posits that to solve the human problem, all that is necessary is to destroy humanity. There you have it.
Good luck.