Evangelicalism, in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus is the savior. To be evangelical would then mean to be merely Christian - that is, founded upon, motivated by, acting in agreement with, or in some other way identified with τὸ ευαγγελιον (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον): the good news, the Gospel of salvation given to humanity by Jesus. However, the popular definition refers to people or things related to spreading the Good News, often globally, and to converting people in the name of Christ. This article is about the figure known by both Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ. For other usages, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ...

Scriptural basis

In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Jesus gives his apostles instructions to spread the Gospel to all the earth. This is commonly known as the Great Commission. The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Scriptures, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλιος biblios, meaning book, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... Alternate meanings: See Apostle (Mormonism), The Apostle (1997 movie) The Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the world. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... The Great Commission is to evangelical Christians the basis for their worldview and activities arising from it. ...

Early Christian Church period

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, some of the disciples or followers of Jesus travelled throughout the region to spread the teachings of Jesus. Among these include Paul of Tarsus and Saint Timothy. DISCiPLE, Miles Gordon Technologys first product, was a floppy disk interface for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum home computer. ... A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (fl. ... Timothy (died AD 80) was a first century Christian bishop; he is venerated as a saint by most Christians that venerate saints. ...

1700-1799

During this century, there was a religious revival in the Americas which is known as the First Great Awakening. But the actual launch of the modern Evangelical movement is credited to John Wesley. His Aldersgate experience in 1738- "I felt my heart strangely warmed," is referenced in this regard. Wesley's ministry started in his native England, and spread to the American colonies, from which it spread to the rest of the world. It was never his intention to break from the Church of England, but to work within its already existing parameters. After his death, the American Methodist Church was officially formed as a entity separate from the Anglican Church. A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held with an eye to encourage active members of a religious body and to provoke those outside of it to become part of it. ... The First Great Awakening was a religious movement among American colonial Protestants in the 1730s and 1740s. ... John Wesley John Wesley was an 18th century preacher and the founder of the Methodist denomination of Protestant Christianity. ... The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. ...

Characteristics (based on the most common definition)

Commentators and historians have described four distinctive characteristics of evangelicals (Bebbington):

1. An emphasis on the conversion experience. The conversion is also called being 'saved' or the "new birth" or being "born again" after John 3:3 (Evangelicals are sometimes referred to as "born-again Christians" because of this emphasis.)
2. The use of the Bible as the primary source of God's revelation to man, and therefore the ultimate religious authority.
3. Encourage evangelism, that is the act of sharing one's beliefs in the gospel with others in order to convince them to convert, either in organized missionary work or through personal evangelism.
4. A central focus on Christ's redeeming work on the cross, especially as the means for salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

Evangelicals generally believe the Bible to be reliable and the ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice and subscribe to the doctrines of sola scriptura and sola fide. They believe in the historicity of the miracles of Jesus and his literal virgin birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and Second Coming. It follows that they generally adhere to their interpretation of biblical views which may affect their social outlook, believing, for example, that homosexual behavior is sinful and that human life begins at conception. Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλιος biblios, meaning book, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... This page is about sin in the context of religion. ... Sola scriptura (Latin by Scripture alone) is one of five important slogans of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. ... Sola fide (by faith alone), also historically known as the justification of faith, is a doctrine held by some Protestant denominations of Christianity, which asserts that it is on the basis of their faith that believers are forgiven their transgressions of the Law of God, rather than on the basis... According to the New Testament, especially the Gospels, God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. ... This article refers to the religious usage of the term. ...

Active involvement in secular society is a characteristic of modern evangelicals, who see the danger of withdrawal on the one hand, and accommodation, on the other, and try to take the middle course, that of following the biblical injunction to be "in the world yet not of the world". As such, evangelicals are highly active in social causes.

Historically, Evangelicals have often been in the forefront of movements such as abolition, prison reform, orphanage establishment, hospital building, and founding educational institutions. This poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influencial in mobilizing public opinion against slavery in Great Britain and the United States. ... This article is about the institutions for orphans. ... A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ...

Today this activism is also expressed in literacy training, adoption agencies, food banks, and day-care centers for children, as well as more politically controversial causes such as the pro-life movement and the prohibition of same-sex marriage. Within US mainline denominations there is often a political dichotomy, with the non-evangelicals and evangelicals both actively lobbying in Washington, but for opposite causes.

Evangelicals also tend to prefer individual understanding of the Bible and participation in the service by all on an equal footing to a highly structured liturgy and church hierarchy. On the other hand, there is little variation of understanding of the Bible within individual evangelical churches. From the Greek word λειτουργια, which can be transliterated as leitourgia, meaning the work of the people, a liturgy comprises a prescribed religious ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular religion; it may be refer to, or include, an elaborate formal ritual (such as the Catholic Mass), a daily...

Evangelicals can be found in a wide variety of Christian traditions and locations, although they are most commonly Protestant. Many fundamentalists can also be defined as evangelicals, although not all evangelicals are fundamentalists, because they may not hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible. Some Evangelicals also identify with the Pentecostal movement. In the late 20th century, several evangelicals became involved with the informal renewal movement referred to as paleo-orthodoxy. Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ...

A 1992 survey (Green) showed that in the United States and Canada evangelicals make up both the largest and the most active group of Christians (surpassing both Roman Catholics and non-Evangelical Protestant groups).

On a worldwide scale evangelical Churches are (together with Pentecostals) the most rapidly growing Christian churches. The two are even beginning to overlap, in a movement sometimes called Transformationalism. The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... Transformationalism, or Transformational Christianity, represents a fusion of evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and ecumenicalism that started becoming prominent in the early 21st century. ...

According to the Washington Post, John C. Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in Ohio, said that despite many variations, evangelicals generally adhere to four core beliefs: ... The University of Akron is an institution of higher learning located in Akron, Ohio. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ...

1. The Bible is without error
2. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus and not good works
3. Individuals must accept Jesus as adults
4. All Christians must evangelize

Barna Research [1]  (http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=17) defines an evangelical based on a nine question test covering these criteria

1. being born again
2. say their faith is very important in their life today
3. believe they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians
4. believe that Satan exists
5. believe that the eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works
6. believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth
7. describe God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today.

Other information

Famous evangelicals include:

Historical:

• Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897 - 1963) - preacher and author
• Albert Benjamin Simpson (1843-1919) - preacher, writer, and founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA)
• Billy Sunday - American evangelist
• C. S. Lewis - British academic and author; although Lewis was an Anglican who did not identify himself with Evangelicals, he was (and his books are still) nonetheless influential within modern Evangelicalism.
• Carl F. H. Henry - founding editor of Christianity Today
• Charles Grandison Finney - a preacher in the Second Great Awakening
• Charles Spurgeon, 19th century English Baptist preacher and advocate of Calvinism
• Charles Wesley - brother of John Wesley, hymnwriter of Methodism
• Dwight L. Moody - American evangelist, pastor and educator
• Fanny Crosby - blind American hymnwriter of many famous hymns including Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine
• Francis Schaeffer - evangelist, speaker, and writer
• George Whitefield - early Methodist preacher and associate of John Wesley
• Henry Venn (1725 - 1797) - founder of the small, but highly influential Clapham Sect in Britain. His grandson, also named Henry Venn (1796-1873), pioneered the basic principles of indigenous church mission theory.
• John Newton - author of Amazing Grace
• John Wesley - founder of Methodism
• Jonathan Edwards - preacher in the First Great Awakening
• Joseph M. Scriven - Irish poet, moved to Canada and wrote What a Friend We Have in Jesus after his fiancee's tragic death.
• Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813 - 1843) - Scottish preacher and minister of St Peter's, Dundee.
• William Cowper - English poet/author of numerous hymns
• William Wilberforce - worked to abolish slavery in the British Empire
• Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones - a famous Evangelical preacher and author
• Gareth Davies - a Methodist preacher and a leader of Evangelicalism in Wales

Contemporaries: (many of these would be more accurately listed under Neo-evangelicalism) Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963) was a renown preacher and author. ... Albert Benjamin Simpson (December 15, 1843 _ October 29, 1919) was a preacher, theologian, author, and founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), an evangelical protestant denomination with an emphasis on global evangelism. ... The Christian And Missionary Alliance (C&MA) is an Evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity. ... Billy Sunday William Ashley Billy Sunday (November 19, 1862 - November 6, 1935) was noted first as a professional baseball player, and then more famous evangelist. ... Clive Staples Lewis ( November 29, 1898– November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Carl F. H. Henry (January 22, 1913 _ December 7, 2003) was an evangelical Christian theologian, who founded the magazine Christianity Today as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and as a challenge to the liberal Christian Century. ... Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ... Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875), often called Americas foremost revivalist, was a major leader of the Second Great Awakening in America that had a profound impact on the history of the United States. ... The Second Great Awakening was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of several kinds of activity, distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. ... Charles Haddon Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892) was Englands best-known and most-loved preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. ... Calvinism has been known at times for its simple, unadorned churches and lifestyles, as depicted in this painting by Emmanuel de Witte where the 17th century congregation stands to hear a sermon. ... Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. ... Dwight Lyman Moody, circa 1900. ... Frances Jane Crosby (March 24, 1820 - February 12, 1915) usually known as Fanny Crosby, was one of the most prolific hymnists in history. ... Francis A Schaeffer (1912-1984) is most famous for his writing and his establishment of the lAbri community. ... George Whitefield was a minister in the Church of England and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. ... Henry Venn (1725 - 1797), English evangelical divine, was born at Barnes, Surrey, and educated at Cambridge. ... The Clapham Sect was an influential group of like-minded social reformers in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century (active c. ... Henry Venn (1796 - 1873) and Rufus Anderson (1796 - 1880) were contemporaries and the modern pioneers of indigenous church mission theory. ... John Newton (July 24, 1725 -December 21, 1807) was an English clergyman and songwriter, best known for the hymn, Amazing Grace. Newton was born in London. ... Amazing Grace is one of the most well-known Protestant hymns. ... John Wesley John Wesley was an 18th century preacher and the founder of the Methodist denomination of Protestant Christianity. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703- March 22, 1758) was a colonial American Congregational preacher and theologian. ... Great Awakenings are commonly said to be periods of religious revival in Anglo-American religious history. ... Robert Murray MCheyne, in an illustration from his biography Robert Murray MCheyne ( 1813 - 1843) was a minister in the Church of Scotland from 1835 to 1843. ... See also William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper. ... William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 - 29 July 1833) was a British parliamentarian and leader of the campaign against the slave trade. ... Neo-Evangelicalism is the trend that started in the Fundamentalist movement in the middle of the twentieth century, among conservative Protestants, as a rejection of Fundamentalist separatism. ...

• Billy Graham
• Charles Colson
• Chuck Swindoll
• Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham
• George Barna
• George W. Bush, current President of the United States
• Hugh Hewitt
• James Dobson
• Luis Palau
• Philip Yancey
• Richard Mouw
• Rick Warren
• Tony Campolo
• David Pawson
• John Stott
• John MacArthur
• John Piper
• Thomas C. Oden
• Andrew Purves
• John Frame

For other uses, see Billy Graham (disambiguation) and Bill Graham. ... Charles Wendell Chuck Colson was the chief counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973. ... Charles R. Chuck Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, educator and radio preacher. ... William Franklin Graham, III (born July 14, 1952), best known as Franklin Graham, is a American evangelical Christian preacher and missionary. ... George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specialising in studying non-profit organizations and Christian groups. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... Hugh Hewitt is a United States conservative radio talk show host, author and blogger. ... Dr. James Dobson James Clayton Dobson, Ph. ... Luis Palau (1934 - )is a Christian evangelist, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina but now resident in the United States of America. ... Philip Yancey is a Christian author. ... Richard Mouw is currently President at Fuller Theological Seminary. ... Rick Warren (born 1954) is an American Southern Baptist Christian pastor and author. ... Categories: Stub | Baptists | Christian evangelicalism ... David Pawson (1930 - ) is a popular British born Bible Teacher. ... Dr. John Stott (born 27 April 1921) is an English Christian leader and Anglican priest who is noted as the one of the leaders of the world-wide evangelical movement. ... John Piper John Stephen Piper (born 1946) is the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church and a prolific author from the Calvinist perspective. ... Dr. John M. Frame (1939-) is an American philosopher and a Calvinist theologian especially noted for his work in epistemology and presuppositional apologetics, systematic theology, and ethics. ...

Evangelical para-church organizations

Many Evangelical Christians share an understanding of cross denominational collaboration in mission and evangelism, while at the same time eschewing large institutional church structures. As a result of this emergence, a plethora of not local church-based but church-related organizations, often founded with a direct and limited purpose in mind which are sometimes called para-churches or para church organizations. A mission literally means something that is sent, from the Latin word missum, sent. Thus we may refer to space exploration expeditions as space missions, or to a diplomatic outpost in a foreign territory as a diplomatic mission. Christian missions are movements or outposts of Christian proselytism. ... Evangelism is the proclaiming of the Christian Gospel. ...

Some examples of larger, international organisations of this kind, are:

• World Vision Worldwide relief agency
• Prison Fellowship visits and ministers to prisoners worldwide
• International Fellowship of Evangelical Students association of Christian student movements worldwide
• Operation Mobilisation international mission agency with particular focus on Islamic people groups
• The Navigators individualized teaching and publishing group
• Youth with a Mission international mission agency with particular focus on youth and the World's poor and disadvantaged.
• Jesus To The World Mission (http://www.jesustotheworld.com)
• Christ For All Nations (http://www.cfan.org)
• Campus Crusade for Christ (http://www.ccci.org)

Parachurch organizations well-known in the United States, are: World Vision, founded in the United States in 1950, is an international Christian relief and development organization with a mandate to promote the well being of all people – especially children. ... The Prison Fellowship was founded in 1976 in the United States by Charles W. Colson, chief counsel for Richard Nixon, following his release from prison for his part in the Watergate Scandal. ... The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students or IFES is an association of about 160 evangelical Christian student movements worldwide. ... Operation Mobilisation is a Evangelical Christian organisation founded by George Verwer to mobilise young people to live and share the Gospel of Jesus. ... The Navigators is a worldwide Christian para-church organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Its main purpose is the discipling (training) of Christians with a particular emphasis on enabling them to share their faith with others. ...

• Promise Keepers A renewal movement for men
• Christianity Today A leading periodical for evangelicals, founded by Billy Graham in 1956
• Samaritan's Purse Interdemoninational disaster relief aid
• Laubach Literacy Each one teach one a literacy program instituted by Dr. Frank Laubach that has taught 60 million people to read.
• Habitat for Humanity Helping poor families build homes; President Jimmy Carter has worked extensively with them.
• Focus on the Family Resources for Christian families, singles, and various age groups, professions
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (http://www.ivcf.org) College ministry

Promise Keepers is an international Christian organization based in Denver, Colorado USA that describes itself as dedicated to introducing men to Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then helping them to grow in their personal Christian faith. ... Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ... Samaritans Purse is an international Christian relief and missionary organization. ... Dr. Frank C. Laubach (1884-1970) was a Christian Evangelical missionary and mystic known as The Apostle to the Illiterates. ... Official Habitat for Humanity logo Habitat for Humanity is an international, Christian, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building quality, low-cost, affordable housing. ... President of the United States - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Order: 39th President Vice President: Walter Mondale Term of office: January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 Preceded by: Gerald Ford Succeeded by: Ronald Reagan Date of birth: October 1, 1924 Place of birth: Plains, Georgia First Lady: Rosalynn Carter Political party: Democratic James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... Focus on the Family is a US Evangelical Christian group founded by Dr. James Dobson and based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ...

References

• Bebbington, David. Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s. Unwin Hyman (London), 1989.
• Green, John, Guth, James, et.al. Akron Survey of Religion and Politics in America 1992. As quoted in Noll, Mark. Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. Eerdmans, 1994.

See also

• Charismatic movement
• Christian fundamentalism
• Evangelism
• Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
• Missions
• National Association of Evangelicals
• Neo-evangelicalism
• Pentecostalism
• Protestantism
• Paleo-Orthodoxy
• Sydney Anglicans (the Diocese of Sydney is an influential evangelical group within the Anglican communion)
• Transformationalism
• Evangelical Movement of Wales

For a description of the personality trait, see Charismatic authority. ... Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... Evangelism is the proclaiming of the Christian Gospel. ... Since the Lausanne Congress of 1974, a widely-accepted definition of a Christian mission has been to form a viable indigenous church-planting movement. ... The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an agency dedicated to coordinating cooperative ministry for evangelical denominations of Christians in the United States. ... Neo-Evangelicalism is the trend that started in the Fundamentalist movement in the middle of the twentieth century, among conservative Protestants, as a rejection of Fundamentalist separatism. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia is unique in Western Anglicanism in that the majority of the diocese is Evangelical in nature, and committed to Reformed and Calvinist theology. ... This is about the city of Sydney in Australia. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Transformationalism, or Transformational Christianity, represents a fusion of evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and ecumenicalism that started becoming prominent in the early 21st century. ...

External links

• Institute for the Study of American Evangelicalism (http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/), Wheaton College
• National Association of Evangelicals (http://www.nae.net) (United States)
• World Evangelical Alliance (http://www.worldevangelical.org), A list of evangelical organizations from many nations.
• Plymouth Brethren Biblical Resource Database (http://www.plymouthbrethren.org) (Dispensational/Fundamentalist)
• Know The Word Ministries (http://www.knowtheword.com) Bible Studies and Audio Resources Online