The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word EVANGEL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
V
A
N
G
E
L
More clues leading to the result EVANGEL
- Matthew maybe read up on church's central area
- Church body backing member about basic doctrine
- . Gospel backfiring on church body
- Gospel in centre of church rejected by setter
- Reflect on part of church gospel
- Raised on one area of church gospel
- Unusually, Len gave four good books
- Support section of church overturning gospel
- Gospel passage in church upset member turning up
- English used with advantage to crystallise good news
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Matthew maybe" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case matthew maybe = evangel.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EVANGEL mean?
EVANGEL noun- The Christian gospel.
- A salutary principle relating to morals, politics, etc.
- An evangelist.