Definition of the term "Evangelical"
within North American Christianity
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Origin, and the usage of the term "Evangelical in Europe:"
"Evangelical" was derived from the Greek word "euangelion" which means: gospel or good news.
During the Reformation, Martin Luther referred to his movement as the evangelische kirche (evangelical church).
Later, "Evangelical" became a near-synonym for "Protestant" in Europe. It retains this meaning in Germany today.
A British historian, David Bebbington, defines an "Evangelical Christian" as a person exhibiting four beliefs and behaviors:
Conversionism: the belief that lives of all humans need to be changed
by way of a "born again" decision to repent of
their sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Activism: the expression of the gospel in various ways, including
missionary outreach and social reform.
A Community Leader of an Anglican congregation in the UK suggests:
"...that mainstream Christians in the UK seem to use 'Evangelical
Christian' to describe those that meet David Bebbington's
definition...and 'Christian Evangelists' to describe the more
Conservative groups. Confusingly, they often describe a charismatic leader
of EITHER group as a 'Christian Evangelist' or just an 'Evangelist'.
Usage of the term "Evangelical" in North America:
In North America, "Evangelical" does not have a unique
meaning that
is acceptable to all. Various groups and individuals define it as a specific
conservative Christian system of beliefs, or a type of religious experience, or a
commitment to proselytize the unsaved, or as a style of religious service, or
as having a personal "walk with God," or
as a group of denominations, or as a personal acceptance of a "biblical
worldview," or as some combination of the above.
In a study comparing Evangelical and mainline denominations, a Princeton
University study included the following as Evangelical denominations :
Assemblies of God, Southern Baptists, Independent Baptists, black Protestants,
African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion; Church of Christ,
Churches of God in Christ, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, National Baptist
Church, National Progressive Baptist Church, Nondenominational, Pentecostal
denominations, and the Presbyterian Church in America. 1
Many theologians would also include the conservative faction within such mainline denominations as the
Episcopal Church, USA, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the
United Methodist Church.
The names of a few American mainline or liberal denominations contain the word "Evangelical." These include the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCC). However, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which as a similar name,
is a very conservative Protestant group.
Some definitions; take your pick:
There are probably as many different definitions of the Christian term "Evangelical"
and "Evangelicalism" as there are Evangelical Christian congregations.
Various definitions that we have seen are:
Of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel,
especially as it is presented in the four [canonical] Gospels.
Protestant,
Emphasizing salvation by faith in the
atoning death of Jesus Christ, through personal
conversion, the authority of scripture, and
the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual.
Of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism. 2
Dictionary.com also has a number of definitions, including:
"...a Protestant church that founds its teaching on the gospel."
"...a Christian church believing in the sole
authority and inerrancy of the Bible, in
salvation only through regeneration, and in a
spiritually transformed personal life." 3
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) publishes a
Statement of Faith to which churches must agree if they wish to join
the Association. It implies a definition of their concept of
"Evangelical:"
"We believe the Bible to be the inspired,
the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three
persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His
virgin birth, in His
sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death
through His shed blood, in His bodily
resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and
in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that for the salvation of
lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely
essential.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose
indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost;
they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost
unto the resurrection of damnation.4
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus
Christ."
Michael S. Horton of the Alliance of
Confessing Evangelicals comments:
"Since 'The Year of the
Evangelical,' corresponding to our nation's Bicentennial in 1976,
the term (in North America, at least) has come to identify those who
highlight a particular brand of politics, a moralistic and often
legalistic approach to life, and a sort of ersatz, "corny" style of
evangelism. For some, the term encompasses the emotionalism they see
on religious TV. For others, hypocrisy and self-righteousness." 17
Barna Research Ltd.: This is the main Evangelical polling
organization in the U.S. They define an "evangelical" very
precisely, as a person who can affirm all of the following:
They have been "born again;" i.e. they have been
saved by having trusted Jesus as Lord and
Savior.
"...their faith is very important in their life today."
They feel that they have a personal responsibility to share their
religious beliefs with non-Christians.
They believe that Satan exists as a
living entity.
They estimate that about 5% of the population, and 11% of all Protestants
meet their rather specific definition. 5
Cal Thomas: "An evangelical Christian is one who believes
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and who has repented of sin and
accepted Jesus as his or her savior. The evangelical believes he has the
privilege and obligation to share the "good news" that Jesus came to save
sinners with others so they might go to heaven
rather than hell." 6
California-Nevada Annual Conference Evangelical Renewal Fellowship:
"...evangelicals believe in the affirmations of the
Nicene Creed,
the divinity of Jesus Christ, the authority and reliability of Scripture,
the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the necessity of conversion to
experience salvation by grace through faith, the reality of heaven and
hell, and salvation through Jesus Christ alone." 7
G.A. Mather & L.A. Nichols: "...all forms of Christianity
that are favorable to the preaching of the gospel." 8
Jim Packer: A Christian who gives "ultimate authority to
scripture" (as compared to liberal Christians who give major weight to
science, biblical,
archaeological research, etc., and to
Roman Catholics who give considerable weight to church tradition). 9
Leon Morris: "...someone concerned for the gospel....for him
[sic] the gospel of Christ is central....The gospel is at the centre of
his [sic] thinking and living." 10
Kevin Reed: Individuals who have had "an emotional religious
experience...[and who] possess a zeal for sharing their experience with
others." 11
Sydney Ahlstrom commented on a number of authors' descriptions
of "Evangelical:"
Bernard "Ramm praises Scholastic Orthodoxy, tends to reject
modern thought and yet speaks of 35 to 40 million evangelicals located
almost everywhere.
Bloesch calls evangelicalism a 'mood,' yet names nine hallmarks
and then undoes that sign of precision by throwing out dozens of names
from St. Theresa of Avila to Bonhoeffer.
Shelley, as an historian of the National Association of
Evangelicals, is more inclusive than Ramm, less eclectic than Bloesch,
and more inclined to stress 'a true decision for Christ.'
All three distance themselves to varying degrees from fundamentalism, but
do not exclude it." 12
Larry Eskridge: A style of religion, as much as a set of
beliefs, which includes such diverse groups as black Baptists, Dutch
Reformed Churches, Mennonites, Pentecostals, Catholic Charismatics, and
Southern Baptists. 13
Tim and Sandy Kruse: They define the term "Evangelical
Catholic" to mean a Roman "Catholic Christian committed to living
an evangelical life and doing evangelical ministry within the Catholic
Church." 15
WorldReference.com has three
definitions:
"relating to or being a Christian church believing in personal conversion and the inerrancy of the Bible especially the 4 Gospels;
'evangelical Christianity'; 'an ultraconservative evangelical message'."
"of or pertaining to or in keeping with the Christian gospel especially as in the first 4 books of the New Testament."
"marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause." 16
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Usage of "Evangelical" on this web site:
Since about 95% of our site's visitors are residents of North America, we
will use the following definition:
Evangelical: "The conservative wing of Protestant Christianity comprising
many denominations and other faith groups that tightly hold to historical Christian creeds, beliefs and
practices." This umbrella term includes
Christian Identity, Fundamentalist,
Pentecostal and
Reconstructionist, some Baptist, and many other faith groups, as noted
above.
We realize that this definition deviates from that used by many Christians --
particularly in Europe. But, until a consensus is reached on definitions,
confusion will continue.
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
Robert Wuthnow, "Study on Religion and Politics Finds Widespread
Interest in Progressive Issues: Survey Suggests Political Potential of
Mainline Protestants," at:
http://www.princeton.edu/
Sydney Ahlstrom, "From Puritanism to Evangelicalism: A Critical
Perspective," in "The Evangelicals: What They Believe, Who They
Are, Where They Are Changing," Abingdon, (1975), Pages 269 - 270, 288,
Note 1.
Mentioned in Larry Eskridge, "Defining Evangelicalism," Wheaton
College, at:
http://www.wheaton.edu/
Dave Stewart, review of Donald Lewis, "Blackwell Dictionary of
Evangelical Biography, 1730-1860, 2 V," Blackwell Pub, (1995).