Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a global, cross-denominational movement within Protestant Christianity that centers on evangelism—actively sharing the Christian gospel. The word "evangelical" comes from the Koine Greek *euangelion*, meaning "good news," which refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. The movement strongly emphasizes personal conversion, often called being "born again," and holds the Bible as the highest authority for faith and practice. Scholars and theologians debate how to define evangelicalism, with some critics noting its wide range of beliefs and practices make it hard to pin down as a single, unified movement.

The movement's theological roots go back to the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, which stressed Scripture's authority and gospel preaching. Historically, the term "Evangelical" first referred to Evangelical-Lutheran Churches, highlighting their commitment to pure gospel doctrines and the Bible. Modern evangelicalism is generally traced to around 1734, shaped by Pietism, Puritanism, Quakerism, and Moravianism—especially the work of Nicolaus Zinzendorf and the Herrnhut community. It gained momentum during the First Great Awakening, with figures like John Wesley and early Methodists playing key roles.

Evangelicalism has a long history in the Anglosphere, especially the United Kingdom and the United States, before spreading worldwide in the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. It grew significantly during the 18th and 19th centuries through revival movements like the Great Awakening in the U.S. and various reform efforts in Britain. Today, evangelicals are found across many Protestant denominations and global contexts, not limited to one tradition. Notable leaders have included Nicolaus Zinzendorf, George Fox, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Harold Ockenga, Gudina Tumsa, John Stott, Francisco Olazábal, William J. Seymour, Luis Palau, Os Guinness, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

The World Evangelical Alliance reports 600 million believers in 2025, about one in four Christians worldwide. In the United States, evangelicals make up roughly a quarter of the population and are the largest religious group. The movement is transdenominational, appearing in Reformed traditions like Presbyterianism and Congregationalism, as well as Anglicanism, Plymouth Brethren, Baptists, Methodism (especially Wesleyan-Arminian), Lutheranism, Moravians, Free Church bodies, Mennonites, Quakers, Pentecostal and charismatic movements, and various non-denominational churches.

**Terminology**

The word "evangelical" comes from the Greek *euangelion* (gospel or good news), from *eu* ("good") and *angelos* ("messenger, angel") with the neuter suffix *-ion*. By the English Middle Ages, the term had expanded to include not just the message, but also the New Testament and specifically the Gospels about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The first published English use was in 1531, when William Tyndale wrote, "He exhorteth them to proceed constantly in the evangelical truth." A year later, Thomas More used it in a theological sense, referring to "Tyndale [and] his evangelical brother Barns."

During the Reformation, Protestant theologians used the term to mean "gospel truth." Martin Luther called the Protestant church the *evangelische Kirche* ("evangelical church") to distinguish it from the Catholic Church. Into the 21st century, "evangelical" remains a synonym for Protestant in Lutheran denominations. The Evangelical Lutheran Catechism states the Church uses "Evangelical" to show "her adherence to the pure evangelical or gospel doctrines, and to the Scriptures in general." This appears in names like the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. The German term *evangelisch* broadly matches the English "Protestant" and should not be confused with the narrower German *evangelikal* or *pietistisch* (related to Pietist and Radical Pietist movements), which describe the evangelical movement discussed here. Protestant denominations with Lutheran backgrounds are not evangelical in the *evangelikal* sense but Protestant in the *evangelisch* sense; they have translated *evangelisch* (or Protestant) into English as "Evangelical," even though the two German words differ. In other parts of the world, especially the English-speaking world, "evangelical" (German: *evangelikal* or *pietistisch*) commonly describes the interdenominational Born-Again believing movement.

Christian historian David W. Bebbington notes that while "evangelical" with a lowercase initial sometimes means "of the gospel," the capitalized "Evangelical" applies to any aspect of the movement that began in the 1730s.