Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a big movement within Protestant Christianity that focuses on sharing the Christian message, called the gospel, with others. The word "evangelical" comes from a Greek word meaning "good news," referring to the news of salvation through Jesus Christ. People in this movement believe strongly in personal change through faith, often called being "born again," and they see the Bible as the most important guide for life and belief.

The ideas behind evangelicalism began during the Protestant Reformation in Europe, when leaders started emphasizing the importance of the Bible and preaching. The movement grew especially during a time of religious excitement in the 1700s called the First Great Awakening, with important leaders like John Wesley helping it spread. Over time, evangelicalism has become a worldwide movement, with followers in many different church traditions.

Today, evangelical Christians are found all over the world, and in places like the United States, they make up a large part of the population. They are united by their passion for sharing their faith and their deep respect for the Bible, even though they come from many different church backgrounds.

Terminology

The word evangelical comes from the Greek word for "good news," referring to the message about Jesus. Over time, it came to mean the teachings found in the New Testament, especially the Gospels, which tell the story of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.

The word was first used in English in 1531 by William Tyndale, and later by Thomas More. During the Reformation, Protestant leaders like Martin Luther used the term to describe their churches, which were different from the Catholic Church. Today, many Lutheran churches still use the word evangelical to show they follow the teachings of the Bible. In other parts of the world, especially in English-speaking countries, the term evangelical describes a wider movement of Christians who believe strongly in sharing their faith and following the Bible.

Beliefs

Evangelicalism is a big movement within Protestant Christianity that focuses on sharing the good news about Jesus. It has four main ideas: believing in being "born again," respecting the Bible highly, focusing on Jesus' death and resurrection, and being active in sharing the faith.

Evangelicals believe that being a Christian means turning away from sin and living a holy life. They highly respect the Bible and see it as very important. They also believe that Jesus' death and resurrection save people from sin. Evangelicals are active in sharing their faith through preaching and helping others. They organize themselves in different ways, and some allow women to be leaders in churches. Their worship services can vary but often include singing, sermons, and prayer. Many evangelicals also start schools and universities to teach about their faith.

Diversity

Further information: Conservative Christianity, Liberal Christianity, Moderate Christianity, Progressive Christianity, List of Christian denominations

The Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Churches of Christ, Plymouth Brethren, charismatic Protestant, and nondenominational Protestant traditions have all had strong influence within contemporary evangelicalism. Some Anabaptist denominations (such as the Brethren Church) are evangelical, and some Lutherans self-identify as evangelicals. There are also evangelical Anglicans and Quakers.

In the early 20th century, evangelical influence declined within mainline Protestantism and Christian fundamentalism developed as a distinct religious movement. Between 1950 and 2000 a mainstream evangelical consensus developed that sought to be more inclusive and more culturally relevant than fundamentalism while maintaining theologically conservative Protestant teaching. According to Brian Stanley, professor of world Christianity, this new postwar consensus is termed neoevangelicalism, the new evangelicalism, or simply evangelicalism in the United States, while in Great Britain and in other English-speaking countries, it is commonly termed conservative evangelicalism. Over the years, less conservative evangelicals have challenged this mainstream consensus to varying degrees. Such movements have been classified by a variety of labels, such as progressive, open, postconservative, and postevangelical.

Outside of self-consciously evangelical denominations, there is a broader "evangelical streak" in mainline Protestantism. Mainline Protestant churches predominantly have a liberal theology while evangelical churches predominantly have a fundamentalist or moderate conservative or progressive theology.

Some commentators have complained that Evangelicalism as a movement is too broad and its definition too vague to be of any practical value. Theologian Donald Dayton has called for a "moratorium" on use of the term. Historian D. G. Hart has also argued that "evangelicalism needs to be relinquished as a religious identity because it does not exist".

Christian fundamentalism

Main article: Christian fundamentalism

Christian fundamentalism has been called a subset or "subspecies" of Evangelicalism. Fundamentalism regards biblical literalism, the virgin birth of Jesus, penal substitutionary atonement, the literal resurrection of Christ, and the Second Coming of Christ as fundamental Christian doctrines. Fundamentalism arose among evangelicals in the 1920s—primarily as an American phenomenon, but with counterparts in Britain and British Empire—to combat modernist or liberal theology in mainline Protestant churches. Failing to reform the mainline churches, fundamentalists separated from them and established their own churches, refusing to participate in ecumenical organizations (such as the National Council of Churches, founded in 1950), and making separatism (rigid separation from nonfundamentalist churches and their culture) a true test of faith. Most fundamentalists are Baptists and dispensationalist or Pentecostals and Charismatics.

Great emphasis is placed on the literal interpretation of the Bible as the primary method of Bible study as well as the biblical inerrancy and the infallibility of their interpretation.

Mainstream varieties

Mainstream evangelicalism is historically divided between two main orientations: confessionalism and revivalism. These two streams have been critical of each other. Confessional evangelicals have been suspicious of unguarded religious experience, while revivalist evangelicals have been critical of overly intellectual teaching that (they suspect) stifles vibrant spirituality. In an effort to broaden their appeal, many contemporary evangelical congregations intentionally avoid identifying with any single form of evangelicalism. These "generic evangelicals" are usually theologically and socially conservative, but their churches often present themselves as nondenominational (or, if a denominational member, strongly deemphasize its ties to such, such as a church name which excludes the denominational name) within the broader evangelical movement.

In the words of Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, confessional evangelicalism refers to "that movement of Christian believers who seek a constant convictional continuity with the theological formulas of the Protestant Reformation". While approving of the evangelical distinctions proposed by Bebbington, confessional evangelicals believe that authentic evangelicalism requires more concrete definition to protect the movement from theological liberalism and from heresy. According to confessional evangelicals, subscription to the ecumenical creeds and to the Reformation-era confessions of faith (such as the confessions of the Reformed churches) provides such protection. Confessional evangelicals are represented by conservative Presbyterian churches (emphasizing the Westminster Confession), Baptist churches that emphasize historic Baptist confessions such as the Second London Confession, evangelical Anglicans who emphasize the Thirty-Nine Articles (such as in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Australia), Methodist churches that adhere to the Articles of Religion, and some confessional Lutherans with pietistic convictions.

The emphasis on historic Protestant orthodoxy among confessional evangelicals stands in direct contrast to an anticreedal outlook that has exerted its own influence on evangelicalism, particularly among churches strongly affected by revivalism and by pietism. Revivalist evangelicals are represented by some quarters of Methodism, the Wesleyan Holiness churches, the Pentecostal and charismatic churches, some Anabaptist churches, and some Baptists and Presbyterians. Revivalist evangelicals tend to place greater emphasis on religious experience than their confessional counterparts.

Progressive evangelicals

Evangelicals dissatisfied with the movement's fundamentalism mainstream have been variously described as progressive evangelicals, postconservative evangelicals, open evangelicals and postevangelicals. Progressive evangelicals, also known as the evangelical left, share theological or social views with other progressive Christians while also identifying with evangelicalism. Progressive evangelicals commonly advocate for women's equality, pacifism and social justice.

As described by Baptist theologian Roger E. Olson, postconservative evangelicalism is a theological school of thought that adheres to the four marks of evangelicalism, while being less rigid and more inclusive of other Christians. According to Olson, postconservatives believe that doctrinal truth is secondary to spiritual experience shaped by Scripture. Postconservative evangelicals seek greater dialogue with other Christian traditions and support the development of a multicultural evangelical theology that incorporates the voices of women, racial minorities, and Christians in the developing world. Some postconservative evangelicals also support open theism and the possibility of near universal salvation.

The term "open evangelical" refers to a particular Christian school of thought or churchmanship, primarily in Great Britain (especially in the Church of England). Open evangelicals describe their position as combining a traditional evangelical emphasis on the nature of scriptural authority, the teaching of the ecumenical creeds and other traditional doctrinal teachings, with an approach towards culture and other theological points-of-view which tends to be more inclusive than that taken by other evangelicals. Some open evangelicals aim to take a middle position between conservative and charismatic evangelicals, while others would combine conservative theological emphases with more liberal social positions.

British author Dave Tomlinson coined the phrase postevangelical to describe a movement comprising various trends of dissatisfaction among evangelicals. Others use the term with comparable intent, often to distinguish evangelicals in the emerging church movement from postevangelicals and antievangelicals. Tomlinson argues that "linguistically, the distinction [between evangelical and postevangelical] resembles the one that sociologists make between the modern and postmodern eras".

History

Modern evangelicalism started in the 18th century in Britain and its North American colonies. It grew from earlier Protestant movements that influenced later revivals. It combines ideas from Pietism, Presbyterianism, and Puritanism, bringing together warm spirituality, careful doctrine, and personal reflection.

In the 1730s, evangelicalism became distinct through religious revivals in Britain and New England. These revivals were more intense and affected everyday people deeply, encouraging them to share their faith outside traditional church settings. Key figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield led these movements, emphasizing personal faith and transformation.

The 19th century saw more missionary work and the rise of major revival movements like the Second Great Awakening in America. Leaders such as Charles Finney played important roles. In Britain, evangelicals worked to address social issues like slavery, showing their belief in using faith to improve society.

The 20th century brought new developments, including the rise of radio and television evangelism. Figures like Billy Graham became influential, reaching wide audiences. New groups formed, and evangelicalism continued to grow and adapt, remaining a significant part of global Christianity.

Global statistics

Evangelicalism is a movement within Protestant Christianity that focuses on sharing the Christian message. According to a study from 2011, about 285 million Christians, or 13.1 percent, are Evangelicals. This does not include Pentecostal or Charismatic movements.

There are different estimates for the future growth of Evangelical Christians. One group believes there will be 600 million Evangelical Christians by 2025, while another estimates 700 million. A third estimate, including all types of Evangelicals, suggests there could be 937 million by 2025.

Africa

Evangelical churches are active in many African countries and have grown a lot, especially since the 1960s. They are strongest in areas with Pentecostal beliefs.

Nigeria

In Nigeria, the Evangelical Church Winning All is the largest church group, with over ten million members and thousands of places of worship.

Ethiopia and Eritrea

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Evangelical Christians are known as P'ent'ay. They follow different traditions like Pentecostalism, Baptist, Lutheran, and Mennonite.

Kenya

In Kenya, Evangelical churches have been active in supporting political causes.

South Africa

The Berlin Missionary Society was active in South Africa from the 1800s to the 1900s, focusing on spiritual growth and values.

Latin America

In Latin America, the term "Evangelical" often means Protestant.

Brazil

Protestantism in Brazil began with German immigrants and missionaries in the 1800s. It grew slowly at first but expanded a lot in the late 1900s. Today, many Brazilians are Protestants, with Pentecostal groups making up a large part of this growth.

Asia

China

Evangelical Christianity came to China in the 1800s through Protestant missionaries. It grew again in the early 1900s with local preachers.

South Korea

Protestant missionary work was very successful in Korea. Since the 1950s, many Korean Christians have moved to the U.S., but those who stayed have become successful in society. South Korea now sends many missionaries around the world.

Europe

Great Britain

Evangelicalism was strong in the Anglican Church from the 1800s to the 1860s. Today, there are about 2 million Evangelicals in the UK who are active in their churches and communities.

North America

United States

By the early 1900s, most American Protestants were Evangelicals. After World War II, Evangelical groups became more organized. Today, Evangelicals are active in many social issues and are often associated with the Christian right.

Evangelical humanitarian aid

In the 1940s in the United States, many churches focused on helping others started to grow. Many groups that help people around the world were created in the second half of the 1900s. Some of the well-known groups include World Vision International, started in 1950, Samaritan's Purse in 1970, Mercy Ships in 1978, Prison Fellowship International in 1979, and International Justice Mission in 1997. These groups work in many countries to support people in need.