Evangelicals (Protestantism)

Evangelicals (Protestantism)
Name	Evangelicals (Protestantism)
Main classification	Protestantism
Scripture	Bible
Theology	Protestant theology, revivalism
Founded date	18th century (revival origins)
Founded place	Great Britain, North America
Leader	Varied
Area	Global

Evangelicals (Protestantism) are a diverse transdenominational movement within Protestantism characterized by emphases on biblical authority, personal conversion, and active evangelism. Emerging from revivals in Great Britain and British America, the movement has shaped institutions, politics, and cultural life across regions including Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia. Evangelicalism intersects with numerous denominations, social movements, and international organizations while producing influential leaders, missions agencies, and educational institutions.

History and Origins

Evangelical origins trace to 18th-century revivals associated with figures such as John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Wesley, and movements like the Great Awakening and the Methodist revival. Later influences include 19th-century activists and institutions such as William Wilberforce, the Clapham Sect, Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and the London Missionary Society; these linked evangelical religion to abolitionist campaigns, missions, and philanthropic societies. The 20th century saw institutional consolidation via organizations like the National Association of Evangelicals, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the World Evangelical Alliance, and educational hubs such as Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College (Illinois), Biola University, and Dallas Theological Seminary. Schisms and realignments involved actors including J. Gresham Machen, the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, Carl F. H. Henry, Francis Schaeffer, and denominational shifts in bodies like the Southern Baptist Convention, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, and the Church of England.

Theology and Core Beliefs

Core evangelical theology emphasizes the authority of the Bible as the primary source of doctrine, the necessity of personal conversion or being "born again" as taught by Jesus, and the atoning work of Jesus Christ as central to salvation. Doctrinal positions vary across traditions from conservative dispensationalism in institutions like Dallas Theological Seminary to more progressive post-evangelical thinkers associated with Wesleyan theology or Reformed evangelicalism represented by figures such as John Stott, J. I. Packer, Alister McGrath, and Tim Keller. Key theological debates have engaged doctrines such as predestination linked to John Calvin, free will associated with Arminius, biblical inerrancy debates evident in controversies surrounding the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and participants like Harold Ockenga and Carl F. H. Henry. Evangelical eschatologies include premillennial dispensationalism popularized by C. I. Scofield and figures like Hal Lindsey, alongside amillennial and postmillennial positions within Reformed churches.

Denominations and Movements

Evangelicalism spans denominations and movements including Baptists (notably the Southern Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA), Methodists influenced by John Wesley, Anglicans with evangelical wings in the Church of England and the Anglican Church in North America, Pietist and Lutheran evangelical strands, and non-denominational churches such as those linked to leaders like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen. Movement-specific networks include Plymouth Brethren, Pentecostalism overlaps exemplified by Assemblies of God and Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), charismatic renewal within Catholic Charismatic Renewal contact, and parachurch organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru), Youth for Christ, World Vision, and Samaritan's Purse. Global denominational growth appears in bodies such as the Brazilian Baptist Convention, Korean Methodist Church, Nairobi Evangelical Fellowship, and African Pentecostal networks.

Worship, Practices, and Spirituality

Evangelical worship ranges from liturgical services in evangelical Anglicanism to contemporary praise-and-worship in megachurches associated with pastors like Bill Hybels and T. D. Jakes. Practices emphasize preaching, Bible study, personal prayer, small groups or cell churches linked to movements such as House church movement, baptism by immersion in Baptist contexts, and evangelistic outreach as practiced by Billy Graham’s crusades and organizations like Operation Mobilisation. Spirituality often involves revivalist expressions evident in Great Awakening patterns, healing ministries popularized by Kathryn Kuhlman, contemplative developments engaged by figures like Richard Foster, and social ministries enacted through agencies such as Habitat for Humanity.

Social and Political Engagement

Evangelicals have engaged public life through political organizations like the Christian Coalition, the Moral Majority, the Family Research Council, and the National Association of Evangelicals, influencing policy debates in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, and Poland. Social action has included abolitionism linked to William Wilberforce, temperance movements associated with Frances Willard and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and humanitarian responses coordinated by agencies like World Vision and Samaritan's Purse. Political alignment varies: some evangelicals participate in conservative parties such as the Republican Party or Law and Justice (Poland), while others support progressive causes tied to figures like Jim Wallis and organizations such as Sojourners.

Global Distribution and Demographics

Evangelicalism is numerically significant in North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and East Asia with major centers in countries like the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, and Philippines. Demographic research involves surveys by bodies such as the Pew Research Center, the World Christian Database, and scholarly work from institutions like Barna Group. Growth trajectories show rapid expansion in African and Latin American contexts through Pentecostal and evangelical networks, while established evangelical populations persist in United Kingdom and Australia with organizations like the Evangelical Alliance.

Criticism and Controversies

Evangelicals face criticism over political activism exemplified by the Moral Majority and cultural influence in the United States; controversies include internal disputes over biblical inerrancy during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, scandals involving leaders such as Ted Haggard and Bill Hybels, debates about the prosperity gospel associated with figures like Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn, and tensions between evangelicalism and academic institutions like Princeton Theological Seminary and Harvard University. Other controversies address gender roles debated in writings by Complementarianism proponents like John Piper and egalitarian critics linked to Egalitarianism (theology) advocates, as well as disputes over missionary practices during colonial eras involving entities like the London Missionary Society.

Category:Protestantism