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111-473: It was founded in 1819 as The Christian Spectator to support Evangelicalism . Over time it began to publish more on history and economics and was renamed The New Englander in 1843. In 1885 it was renamed The New Englander and Yale Review until 1892, when it took its current name The Yale Review . At the same time, editor Henry Wolcott Farnam gave the periodical a focus on American and international politics, economics, and history. The modern history of

222-638: A purity ring . In some evangelical churches, young adults and unmarried couples are encouraged to marry early in order to live a sexuality according to the will of God. A 2009 American study of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 80 percent of young, unmarried evangelicals have had sex and that 42 percent were in a relationship with sex, when surveyed. The majority of evangelical Christian churches are against abortion and support adoption agencies and social support agencies for young mothers. Masturbation

333-412: 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 has been called a subset or "subspecies" of Evangelicalism. Fundamentalism regards biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth of Jesus , penal substitutionary atonement, the literal resurrection of Christ , and

444-681: A Lutheran denomination with a largely Pietistic following with some Presbyterian and Pentecostal influence and primarily based in Ethiopia and among the Ethiopian diaspora , is the largest individual member Lutheran denomination within the Lutheran World Federation . Whereas Pietistic Lutherans stayed within the Lutheran tradition, adherents of a related movement known as Radical Pietism believed in separating from

555-430: A Lutheran theologian whose emphasis on personal transformation through spiritual rebirth and renewal, individual devotion, and piety laid the foundations for the movement. Although Spener did not directly advocate the quietistic , legalistic, and semi-separatist practices of Pietism, they were more or less involved in the positions he assumed or the practices which he encouraged. Pietism spread from Germany to Switzerland,

666-758: A Reform of the True Evangelical Church , the title giving rise to the term "Pietists". This was originally a pejorative term given to the adherents of the movement by its enemies as a form of ridicule, like that of "Methodists" somewhat later in England. In Pia desideria , Spener made six proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the church: This work produced a great impression throughout Germany. While large numbers of orthodox Lutheran theologians and pastors were deeply offended by Spener's book, many other pastors immediately adopted Spener's proposals. In 1686 Spener accepted an appointment to

777-515: A crisis and ultimately a decision to start a new, Christ-centered life." Pietistic Lutherans emphasize following "biblical divine commands of believers to live a holy life and to strive for holy living, or sanctification ". Pietism did not die out in the 18th century, but was alive and active in the American Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchenverein des Westens (German Evangelical Church Society of

888-507: 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

999-577: A distinct group within the broader community of Christians , with a renewed focus on the Lutheran Confessions as a key source of Lutheran doctrine. Associated with these changes was a renewed focus on traditional doctrine and liturgy, which paralleled the growth of Anglo-Catholicism in England. In Denmark , Pietistic Lutheranism became popular in 1703. There, the faithful were organized into conventicles that "met for prayer and Bible reading". Pietistic Lutheranism entered Sweden in

1110-613: A function of supervision over churches on a regional or national scale is present in all the Evangelical Christian denominations , even if the titles president of the council or general overseer are mainly used for this function. The term bishop is explicitly used in certain denominations. Some evangelical denominations are members of the World Evangelical Alliance and its 129 national alliances. Some evangelical denominations officially authorize

1221-531: A majority of evangelical Christians, a belief in biblical inerrancy ensures that the miracles described in the Bible are still relevant and may be present in the life of the believer. Healings, academic or professional successes, the birth of a child after several attempts, the end of an addiction , etc., would be tangible examples of God's intervention with the faith and prayer , by the Holy Spirit . In

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1332-402: 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

1443-872: A movement or a single movement. The theological nature of evangelicalism was first explored during the Protestant Reformation in 16th century Europe . Martin Luther 's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 emphasized that scripture and the preaching of the gospel had ultimate authority over the practices of the Church . The origins of modern evangelicalism are usually traced to 1738, with various theological streams contributing to its foundation, including Pietism and Radical Pietism , Puritanism , Quakerism and Moravianism (in particular its bishop Nicolaus Zinzendorf and his community at Herrnhut ). Preeminently, John Wesley and other early Methodists were at

1554-555: A new form of justification by works. Its ecclesiolae in ecclesia also weakened the power and meaning of church organization. These Pietistic attitudes caused a counter-movement at the beginning of the 18th century; one leader was Valentin Ernst Löscher , superintendent at Dresden. Authorities within state-endorsed Churches were suspicious of pietist doctrine which they often viewed as a social danger, as it "seemed either to generate an excess of evangelical fervor and so disturb

1665-581: 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

1776-700: A presence in the Anglosphere before spreading further afield in the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. The movement gained significant momentum during the 18th and 19th centuries with the Great Awakening in the United States , and also in Great Britain 's reformations. As of 2016, there were an estimated 619 million evangelicals in the world, meaning that one in four Christians would be classified as evangelical. The United States has

1887-733: A profound opinion that the Christian life within Evangelical Lutheranism was being sacrificed to zeal for rigid Lutheran orthodoxy . Pietism, as a distinct movement in the German Church, began with religious meetings at Spener's house ( collegia pietatis ) where he repeated his sermons, expounded passages of the New Testament , and induced those present to join in conversation on religious questions. In 1675, Spener published his Pia desideria or Earnest Desire for

1998-461: A quadrilateral of priorities that is the basis of Evangelicalism." Conversionism, or belief in the necessity of being " born again ," has been a constant theme of evangelicalism since its beginnings. To evangelicals, the central message of the gospel is justification by faith in Christ and repentance , or turning away, from sin . Conversion differentiates the Christian from the non-Christian, and

2109-608: A result, Laestadian Lutherans have remained a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland , the national Church in that country, with some Laestadian Lutherans being consecrated as bishops . In the United States, Laestadian Lutheran Churches were formed for Laestadian Pietists. Laestadian Lutherans observe the Lutheran sacraments , holding classical Lutheran theology on infant baptism and

2220-478: A time for summer revival services in which many young adults find their future spouses. R. J. Hollingdale , who translated Friedrich Nietzsche 's Thus Spake Zarathustra into English, argued that a number of the themes of the work (especially amor fati ) originated in the Lutheran Pietism of Nietzsche's childhood – Nietzsche's father, Carl Ludwig Nietzsche , was a Lutheran pastor who supported

2331-576: A year in Geneva , and was powerfully influenced by the strict moral life and rigid ecclesiastical discipline prevalent there, and also by the preaching and the piety of the Waldensian professor Antoine Leger and the converted Jesuit preacher Jean de Labadie . During a stay in Tübingen , Spener read Grossgebauer's Alarm Cry , and in 1666 he entered upon his first pastoral charge at Frankfurt with

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2442-565: Is Meghan O'Rourke , nonfiction writer, poet, and critic. This article about a literary magazine published in the US is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . See tips for writing articles about magazines . Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page . This article relating to a magazine connected with the visual arts is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . See tips for writing articles about magazines . Further suggestions might be found on

2553-498: Is congregational polity . This is especially common among nondenominational evangelical churches. Many churches are members of a national and international denomination for a cooperative relationship in common organizations, for the mission and social areas, such as humanitarian aid , schools, theological institutes and hospitals. Common ministries within evangelical congregations are pastor , elder , deacon , evangelist and worship leader . The ministry of bishop with

2664-420: 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 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

2775-538: Is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life. Although the movement is aligned with Lutheranism, it has had a tremendous impact on Protestantism worldwide, particularly in North America and Europe. Pietism originated in modern Germany in the late 17th century with the work of Philipp Spener ,

2886-689: Is a quintessentially North American phenomenon, deriving as it did from the confluence of Pietism, Presbyterianism , and the vestiges of Puritanism . Evangelicalism picked up the peculiar characteristics from each strain – warmhearted spirituality from the Pietists (for instance), doctrinal precisionism from the Presbyterians, and individualistic introspection from the Puritans – even as the North American context itself has profoundly shaped

2997-400: Is a wide variety of thought among evangelicals and evangelical churches, but they tend to be conservative and prescriptive in general. Many evangelical churches promote the virginity pledge (abstinence pledge) among young evangelical Christians, who are invited to commit themselves, during a public ceremony, to sexual abstinence until Christian marriage . This pledge is often symbolized by

3108-504: Is commonly applied to describe the interdenominational Born-Again believing movement. Christian historian David W. Bebbington writes that, "Although 'evangelical,' with a lower-case initial, is occasionally used to mean 'of the gospel,' the term 'Evangelical' with a capital letter, is applied to any aspect of the movement beginning in the 1730s." According to the Oxford English Dictionary , evangelicalism

3219-507: Is presented by some churches as a protection against sexual misconduct and a compulsory step to obtain a position of responsibility in the church. This concept, however, has been challenged by numerous sex scandals involving married evangelical leaders. Finally, evangelical theologians recalled that celibacy should be more valued in the Church today, since the gift of celibacy was taught and lived by Jesus Christ and Paul of Tarsus . For

3330-509: Is reverence for the Bible and high regard for biblical authority . All evangelicals believe in biblical inspiration , though they disagree over how this inspiration should be defined. Many evangelicals believe in biblical inerrancy , while other evangelicals believe in biblical infallibility . Crucicentrism is the centrality that evangelicals give to the Atonement , the saving death and

3441-462: 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

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3552-556: Is seen as forbidden by some evangelical pastors because of the sexual thoughts that may accompany it. However, evangelical pastors have pointed out that the practice has been erroneously associated with Onan by scholars, that it is not a sin if it is not practiced with fantasies or compulsively, and that it was useful in a married couple, if his or her partner did not have the same frequency of sexual needs. Some evangelical churches speak only of sexual abstinence and do not speak of sexuality in marriage. Other evangelical churches in

3663-525: Is still alive in groups inside the Evangelical Church in Germany . These groups are called Landeskirchliche Gemeinschaften and emerged in the second half of the 19th century in the so-called Gemeinschaftsbewegung . The 19th century saw a revival of confessional Lutheran doctrine, known as the neo-Lutheran movement . This movement focused on a reassertion of the identity of Lutherans as

3774-531: 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

3885-463: Is the cause of many social problems, such as terrorism. Some churches have a conservative moderate position. Although they do not approve homosexual practices, they claim to show sympathy and respect for homosexuals. Some evangelical denominations have adopted neutral positions, leaving the choice to local churches to decide for same-sex marriage . There are some international evangelical denominations that are gay-friendly . Christian marriage

3996-406: Is usually run by a Christian pastor . A service is often divided into several parts, including congregational singing, a sermon, intercessory prayer , and other ministry. During worship there is usually a nursery for babies. Children and young people receive an adapted education, Sunday school , in a separate room. Places of worship are usually called "churches." In some megachurches ,

4107-483: 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 ,

4218-689: 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

4329-710: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada , and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England , who are not evangelical in the evangelikal sense but Protestant in the evangelisch sense, have translated the German term evangelisch (or Protestant) into the English term Evangelical , although the two German words have different meanings. In other parts of the world, especially in the English-speaking world, evangelical (German: evangelikal or pietistisch )

4440-546: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Church of Sweden . After encountering a Sami woman who experienced a conversion, Laestadius had a similar experience that "transformed his life and defined his calling". As such, Laestadius "spend the rest of his life advancing his idea of Lutheran pietism, focusing his energies on marginalized groups in the northernmost regions of the Nordic countries". Laestadius called on his followers to embrace their Lutheran identity and as

4551-640: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland . The Eielsen Synod and Association of Free Lutheran Congregations are Pietist Lutheran bodies that emerged in the Pietist Lutheran movement in Norway , which was spearheaded by Hans Nielsen Hauge . In 1900, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was founded and it adheres to Pietist Lutheran theology, emphasizing a personal conversion experience . The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus ,

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4662-679: The Evangelical Synod of North America , which is now a part of the United Church of Christ .) In the middle of the 19th century, Lars Levi Laestadius spearheaded a Pietist revival in Scandinavia that upheld what came to be known as Laestadian Lutheran theology , which is heralded today by the Laestadian Lutheran Church as well as by several congregations within mainstream Lutheran Churches, such as

4773-912: The National Baptist Convention, USA . In 1969, in the Progressive National Baptist Convention . In 1975, in The Foursquare Church . For evangelicals, there are three interrelated meanings to the term worship . It can refer to living a "God-pleasing and God-focused way of life," specific actions of praise to God, and a public worship service . Diversity characterizes evangelical worship practices. Liturgical , contemporary , charismatic and seeker-sensitive worship styles can all be found among evangelical churches. Overall, evangelicals tend to be more flexible and experimental with worship practices than mainline Protestant churches. It

4884-485: 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

4995-941: The Old Order River Brethren and the United Zion Church ), as well as the Schwarzenau Brethren (that include Old Order groups such as the Old Brethren German Baptist , Conservative groups such as the Dunkard Brethren Church , and mainline groups such as the Church of the Brethren ). As with Moravianism , Pietism was a major influence on John Wesley and others who began the Methodist movement in 18th-century Great Britain . John Wesley

5106-422: The Pietist Lutheran movement in Norway , which was spearheaded by Hans Nielsen Hauge . In 1900, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was founded and it adheres to Pietist Lutheran theology, emphasizing a personal conversion experience . Radical Pietism are those Christian Churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Churches in

5217-866: The School of Salamanca Lutheran scholasticism during Lutheran orthodoxy Ramism among the Reformed orthodoxy Metaphysical poets in the Church of England The Jesuits against Jansenism Labadists against the Jesuits Pietism against orthodox Lutherans Nadere Reformatie within Dutch Calvinism Richard Hooker against the Ramists Neologists against Lutherans Spinozists against Dutch Calvinists Deists against Anglicanism John Locke against Bishop Stillingfleet The subject

5328-578: 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

5439-634: 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. 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

5550-565: The capitalist economy , Merton argued for a similar positive correlation between the rise of Protestant Pietism and early experimental science. The Merton Thesis has resulted in continuous debates. In the United States, Richard L. McCormick says, "In the nineteenth century voters whose religious heritage was pietistic or evangelical were prone to support the Whigs and, later, the Republicans." Paul Kleppner generalizes, "the more pietistic

5661-861: The confessions of the Reformed churches ) provides such protection. Confessional evangelicals are represented by conservative Presbyterian churches (emphasizing the Westminster Confession ), certain 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

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5772-407: 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". Pietism Bible Translators Theologians Pietism ( / ˈ p aɪ . ɪ t ɪ z əm / ), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism ,

5883-539: 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

5994-673: The font , the pulpit , the confessional , and the altar as "the four dumb idols of the Lutheran Church"; the theologian Johann Valentin Andrea , court chaplain of the Landgrave of Hesse; Schuppius, who sought to restore the Bible to its place in the pulpit; and Theophilus Grossgebauer (d. 1661) of Rostock , who from his pulpit and by his writings raised what he called "the alarm cry of a watchman in Sion ". The direct originator of

6105-745: The infallibility of their interpretation . 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

6216-655: The ordination of women in churches. The female ministry is justified by the fact that Mary Magdalene was chosen by Jesus to announce his resurrection to the apostles. The first Baptist woman who was consecrated pastor is the American Clarissa Danforth in the denomination Free Will Baptist in 1815. In 1882, in the American Baptist Churches USA . In the Assemblies of God of the United States, since 1927. In 1965, in

6327-475: The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist , and also heavily emphasize Confession . Uniquely, Laestadian Lutherans "discourage watching television, attending movies, dancing, playing card games or games of chance, and drinking alcoholic beverages", as well as avoiding birth control – Laestadian Lutheran families usually have four to ten children. Laestadian Lutherans gather in a central location for weeks at

6438-466: The resurrection of Jesus , that offers forgiveness of sins and new life. This is understood most commonly in terms of a substitutionary atonement , in which Christ died as a substitute for sinful humanity by taking on himself the guilt and punishment for sin. Activism describes the tendency toward active expression and sharing of the gospel in diverse ways that include preaching and social action. This aspect of evangelicalism continues to be seen today in

6549-592: The sacraments or ordinances ( baptism and the Lord's Supper , but some evangelicals also count footwashing as an ordinance as well). Many evangelical traditions adhere to the doctrine of the believers' Church , which teaches that one becomes a member of the Church by the new birth and profession of faith. This originated in the Radical Reformation with Anabaptists but is held by denominations that practice believer's baptism . Evangelicals in

6660-444: The salvation from sin is considered "the good news". The process of personal conversion involves complete surrender to Jesus Christ (commonly referred to as being " born again "). The conversion process is authoritatively guided by the Bible , the God in Christianity 's revelation to humanity. Critics of the conceptualization of evangelicalism argue that it is too broad, too diverse, or too ill-defined to be adequately seen as

6771-674: The think tank Discovery Institute , established in 1991 in Seattle , defends this thesis. Other evangelicals who accept the scientific consensus on evolution and the age of Earth believe in theistic evolution or evolutionary creation —the notion that God used the process of evolution to create life; a Christian organization that espouses this view is the BioLogos Foundation . 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

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6882-401: The 1600s after the writings of Johann Arndt, Philipp Jakob Spener, and August Hermann Francke became popular. Pietistic Lutheranism gained patronage under Archbishop Erik Benzelius , who encouraged the Pietistic Lutheran practices. Laestadian Lutheranism , a form of Pietistic Lutheranism, continues to flourish in Scandinavia, where Church of Sweden priest Lars Levi Laestadius spearheaded

6993-471: The 18th-century foundation of evangelicalism , an interdenominational movement within Protestantism that today has some 300 million followers. In the middle of the 19th century, Lars Levi Laestadius spearheaded a Pietist revival in Scandinavia that upheld what came to be known as Laestadian Lutheran theology , which is adhered to today by the Laestadian Lutheran Churches as well as by several congregations within other mainstream Lutheran Churches, such as

7104-570: The 1980s, the neo-charismatic movement re-emphasized miracles and faith healing . In certain churches, a special place is thus reserved for faith healings with laying on of hands during worship services or for evangelization campaigns. Faith healing or divine healing is considered to be an inheritance of Jesus acquired by his death and resurrection. This view is typically ascribed to Pentecostal denominations, and not others that are cessationist (believing that miraculous gifts have ceased.) In terms of denominational beliefs regarding science and

7215-438: The Anglican, Methodist and Reformed traditions practice infant baptism as one's initiation into the community of faith and the New Testament counterpart to circumcision , while also stressing the necessity of personal conversion later in life for salvation . Some evangelical denominations operate according to episcopal polity or presbyterian polity . However, the most common form of church government within Evangelicalism

7326-425: The Greek word for ' gospel ' or 'good news': εὐαγγέλιον euangelion , from eu 'good', angel- the stem of, among other words, angelos 'messenger, angel', and the neuter suffix -ion . By the English Middle Ages, the term had expanded semantically to include not only the message, but also the New Testament which contained the message as well as more specifically the Gospels , which portray

7437-411: The Lutheran and Reformed churches in Prussia to unite; they took the name "Evangelical" as a name both groups had previously identified with. This union movement spread through many German lands in the 1800s. Pietism, with its looser attitude toward confessional theology, had opened the churches to the possibility of uniting. The unification of the two branches of German Protestantism sparked the Schism of

7548-422: The Old Lutherans . Many Lutherans, called Old Lutherans formed free churches or emigrated to the United States and Australia , where they formed bodies that would later become the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and the Lutheran Church of Australia , respectively. (Many immigrants to America, who agreed with the union movement, formed German Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed congregations, later combined into

7659-403: The Pietist movement. In 1900, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was founded and it adheres to Pietist Lutheran theology, emphasizing a personal conversion experience . Pietistic Lutheranism influenced existing Lutheran denominations such as the Church of Norway and many Pietistic Lutherans have remained in them, though other Pietistic Lutherans have established their own Synods too. In

7770-417: The Protestant Reformation". While approving of the evangelical distinctions proposed by Bebbington, confessional evangelicals believe that authentic evangelicalism requires more concrete definition in order 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

7881-421: The Radical Pietist movement include the Mennonite Brethren Church , Community of True Inspiration (Inspirationalists), the Baptist General Conference , members of the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (such as the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Evangelical Free Church ), the Templers , the River Brethren (inclusive of the Brethren in Christ Church , the Calvary Holiness Church ,

7992-610: The Scriptures of a practical and devotional character, and in the German language , which were zealously frequented by both students and townsmen. The lectures aroused the ill-will of the other theologians and pastors of Leipzig, and Francke and his friends left the city, and with the aid of Christian Thomasius and Spener founded the new University of Halle . The theological chairs in the new university were filled in complete conformity with Spener's proposals. The main difference between

8103-513: The Socialist movement." This usage refers to evangelism , rather than evangelicalism as discussed here; though sharing an etymology and conceptual basis, the words have diverged significantly in meaning. One influential definition of evangelicalism has been proposed by historian David Bebbington. Bebbington notes four distinctive aspects of evangelical faith: conversionism , biblicism , crucicentrism , and activism, noting, "Together they form

8214-400: The United States and Switzerland speak of satisfying sexuality as a gift from God and a component of a Christian marriage harmonious, in messages during worship services or conferences. Many evangelical books and websites are specialized on the subject. The book The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love published in 1976 by Baptist pastor Tim LaHaye and his wife Beverly LaHaye

8325-633: The West, based in Gravois, Missouri , later German Evangelical Synod of North America and still later the Evangelical and Reformed Church , a precursor of the United Church of Christ .) The church president from 1901 to 1914 was a pietist named Jakob Pister. Some vestiges of Pietism were still present in 1957 at the time of the formation of the United Church of Christ. In the 21st century Pietism

8436-596: The article's talk page . Evangelicalism Evangelicalism ( / ˌ iː v æ n ˈ dʒ ɛ l ɪ k əl ɪ z əm , ˌ ɛ v æ n -, - ə n -/ ), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism , is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that puts primary emphasis on evangelization . The word evangelic comes from the Greek word for ' good news ' ( evangelion ). The Gospel story of

8547-543: The broad English term Protestant and should not be confused with the narrower German term evangelikal , or the term pietistisch (a term etymologically related to the Pietist and Radical Pietist movements), which are used to described Evangelicalism in the sense used in this article. Mainline Protestant denominations with a Lutheran or semi-Lutheran background, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ,

8658-415: The building is called "campus." The architecture of places of worship is mainly characterized by its sobriety. The Latin cross is one of the only spiritual symbols that can usually be seen on the building of an evangelical church and that identifies the place's belonging. Some services take place in theaters, schools or multipurpose rooms, rented for Sunday only. Because of their understanding of

8769-507: The change in life it leads to is marked by both a rejection of sin and a corresponding personal holiness of life. A conversion experience can be emotional, including grief and sorrow for sin followed by great relief at receiving forgiveness. The stress on conversion differentiates evangelicalism from other forms of Protestantism by the associated belief that an assurance will accompany conversion. Among evangelicals, individuals have testified to both sudden and gradual conversions. Biblicism

8880-435: The court-chaplaincy at Dresden , which opened to him a wider though more difficult sphere of labor. In Leipzig , a society of young theologians was formed under his influence for the learned study and devout application of the Bible. Three magistrates belonging to that society, one of whom was August Hermann Francke , subsequently the founder of the famous orphanage at Halle (1695), commenced courses of expository lectures on

8991-973: The established Lutheran Churches. Some of the theological tenets of Pietism also influenced other traditions of Protestantism , inspiring the Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement and Alexander Mack to begin the Anabaptist Schwarzenau Brethren movement. The word pietism (in lower case spelling) is also used to refer to an "emphasis on devotional experience and practices", or an "affectation of devotion", "pious sentiment, especially of an exaggerated or affected nature", not necessarily connected with Lutheranism or even Christianity. Pietistic Lutherans meet together in conventicles , "apart from Divine Service in order to mutually encourage piety". They believe "that any true Christian could point back in his or her life to an inner struggle with sin that culminated in

9102-519: The establishment of elementary and secondary schools. It also enabled the development of several bible colleges , colleges and universities in the United States during the 19th century. Other evangelical universities have been established in various countries of the world. The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities was founded in 1976. In 2023, the CCCU had 185 members in 21 countries. The Association of Christian Schools International

9213-435: The first Pietist missionary to India. Spener stressed the necessity of a new birth and separation of Christians from the world (see Asceticism ). Many Pietists maintained that the new birth always had to be preceded by agonies of repentance, and that only a regenerated theologian could teach theology. The whole school shunned all common worldly amusements, such as dancing, the theatre, and public games. Some believe this led to

9324-617: The group's outlook the more intensely Republican its partisan affiliation." McCormick notes that the key link between religious values and politics resulted from the "urge of evangelicals and Pietists to 'reach out and purge the world of sin'". Pietism became influential among Scandinavian Lutherans; additionally it affected other denominations in the United States, such as the Northern Methodists , Northern Baptists , Congregationalists , Presbyterians , Disciples of Christ , and some smaller groups. The great majority were based in

9435-569: The journal starts in 1911 under the editorship of Wilbur Cross . Cross remained the editor for thirty years, throughout the magazine's heyday. Contributors during this period, according to the Review's website, included Thomas Mann , Henry Adams , Virginia Woolf , George Santayana , Robert Frost , José Ortega y Gasset , Eugene O'Neill , Leon Trotsky , H. G. Wells , Thomas Wolfe , John Maynard Keynes , H. L. Mencken , A. E. Housman , Ford Madox Ford , and Wallace Stevens . The current editor

9546-637: The largest proportion of evangelicals in the world. American evangelicals are a quarter of the nation's population and its single largest religious group . As a transdenominational praxis, evangelicals may be found in nearly every Protestant denomination and tradition, particularly within the Reformed ( Continental Reformed , Anglicanism , Presbyterian , Congregational ), Plymouth Brethren , Baptist , Methodist ( Wesleyan–Arminian ), Lutheran , Moravian , Free Church , Mennonite , Quaker , Pentecostal / charismatic and non-denominational churches. The word evangelical has its etymological roots in

9657-560: The last attempt to save Christianity as a religion: Given that for him religion was a negative term, more or less an opposite to revelation , this constitutes a rather scathing judgment. Bonhoeffer denounced the basic aim of Pietism, to produce a "desired piety" in a person, as unbiblical. Pietism is considered the major influence that led to the creation of the " Evangelical Church of the Union " in Prussia in 1817. The King of Prussia ordered

9768-496: The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus . The first published use of evangelical in English was in 1531, when William Tyndale wrote "He exhorteth them to proceed constantly in the evangelical truth." One year later, Thomas More wrote the earliest recorded use in reference to a theological distinction when he spoke of "Tyndale [and] his evangelical brother Barns." During the Reformation , Protestant theologians embraced

9879-562: The middle of the 19th century, Lars Levi Laestadius spearheaded a Pietist revival in Scandinavia that upheld what came to be known as Laestadian Lutheran theology , which is adhered to today by the Laestadian Lutheran Churches as well as by several congregations within other mainstream Lutheran Churches, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland . The Eielsen Synod and Association of Free Lutheran Congregations are Pietist Lutheran bodies that emerged in

9990-678: The movement was Philipp Spener . Born at Rappoltsweiler in Alsace, now in France, on 13 January 1635, trained by a devout godmother who used books of devotion like Arndt's True Christianity , Spener was convinced of the necessity of a moral and religious reformation within German Lutheranism. He studied theology at Strasbourg , where the professors at the time (and especially Sebastian Schmidt) were more inclined to "practical" Christianity than to theological disputation. He afterwards spent

10101-434: The new Pietistic Lutheran school and the orthodox Lutherans arose from the Pietists' conception of Christianity as chiefly consisting in a change of heart and consequent holiness of life. Orthodox Lutherans rejected this viewpoint as a gross simplification, stressing the need for the church and for sound theological underpinnings. Spener died in 1705, but the movement, guided by Francke and fertilized from Halle, spread through

10212-831: The northern states; some of these groups in the South would rather support the Democrats. In England in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Nonconformist Protestant denominations, such as the Methodists, Baptists and Congregationalists, formed the base of the Liberal Party . David Hempton states, "The Liberal Party was the main beneficiary of Methodist political loyalties." Protestant Reformation Counter-Reformation Aristotelianism Scholasticism Patristics Second scholasticism of

10323-549: The only option for many Christians to live their faith in community. For example, there is the Evangelical house churches in China movement. The meetings thus take place in private houses, in secret and in illegality. The main Christian feasts celebrated by the Evangelicals are Christmas , Pentecost (by a majority of Evangelical denominations) and Easter for all believers. Evangelical churches have been involved in

10434-909: The origin of the earth and human life, some evangelicals support young Earth creationism . For example, Answers in Genesis , founded in Australia in 1986, is an evangelical organization that seeks to defend the thesis. In 2007, they founded the Creation Museum in Petersburg, in Kentucky and in 2016 the Ark Encounter in Williamstown . Since the end of the 20th century, literalist creationism has been abandoned by some evangelicals in favor of intelligent design . For example,

10545-411: The orthodoxy via new media and formats: Periodical journals gained importance versus the former pasquills and single thesis, traditional disputation was replaced by competitive debating, which tried to gain new knowledge instead of defending orthodox scholarship. As a distinct movement, Pietism had its greatest strength by the middle of the 18th century; its very individualism in fact helped to prepare

10656-436: The principle of 'guidance by inner light' was often a signal to follow the most intense of her inner sentiments… the supremacy of feeling over reason". Religious authorities could bring pressure on pietists, such as when they brought some of Magny's followers before the local consistory to answer questions about their unorthodox views or when they banished Magny from Vevey for heterodoxy in 1713. Likewise, pietism challenged

10767-415: The proliferation of evangelical voluntary religious groups and parachurch organizations . The word church has several meanings among evangelicals. It can refer to the universal church (the body of Christ ) including all Christians everywhere. It can also refer to the church (congregation) , which is the visible representation of the invisible church . It is responsible for teaching and administering

10878-409: The public tranquility or to promote a mysticism so nebulous as to obscure the imperatives of morality. A movement which cultivated religious feeling almost as an end itself". While some pietists (such as Francis Magny) held that "mysticism and the moral law went together", for others (like his pupil Françoise-Louise de la Tour) "pietist mysticism did less to reinforce the moral law than to take its place…

10989-796: The rest of German-speaking Europe, and to Scandinavia and the Baltics, where it was heavily influential, leaving a permanent mark on the region's dominant Lutheranism, with figures like Hans Nielsen Hauge in Norway , Peter Spaak and Carl Olof Rosenius in Sweden , Katarina Asplund in Finland , and Barbara von Krüdener in the Baltics, and to the rest of Europe. It was further taken to North America, primarily by German and Scandinavian immigrants. There, it influenced Protestants of other ethnic and other (non-Lutheran) denominational backgrounds, contributing to

11100-465: The revival in the 19th century. As the forerunners of the Pietists in the strict sense, certain voices had been heard bewailing the shortcomings of the church and advocating a revival of practical and devout Christianity. Amongst them were the Christian mystic Jakob Böhme (Behmen); Johann Arndt , whose work, True Christianity , became widely known and appreciated; Heinrich Müller , who described

11211-654: The root of sparking this new movement during the First Great Awakening . Today, evangelicals are found across many Protestant branches, as well as in various denominations around the world, not subsumed to a specific branch. Among leaders and major figures of the evangelical Protestant movement were 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 , and Martyn Lloyd-Jones . Evangelicalism has long had

11322-664: The second of the Ten Commandments , some evangelicals do not have religious material representations such as statues, icons, or paintings in their places of worship. There is usually a baptistery on what is variously known as the chancel (also called sanctuary) or stage, though they may be alternatively found in a separate room, for the baptisms by immersion . In some countries of the world which apply sharia or communism , government authorizations for worship are complex for Evangelical Christians. Because of persecution of Christians , Evangelical house churches are

11433-561: The term as referring to "gospel truth." Martin Luther referred to the evangelische Kirche ("evangelical church") to distinguish Protestants from Catholics in the Catholic Church . Into the 21st century, evangelical has continued in use as a synonym for Mainline Protestant in continental Europe . This usage is reflected in the names of Protestant denominations, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The German term evangelisch more accurately corresponds to

11544-417: The various manifestations of evangelicalism: fundamentalism, neo-evangelicalism, the holiness movement, Pentecostalism, the charismatic movement , and various forms of African-American and Hispanic evangelicalism. The Merton Thesis is an argument about the nature of early experimental science proposed by Robert K. Merton . Similar to Max Weber 's famous claim on the link between Protestant ethic and

11655-468: The way for the Enlightenment ( Aufklärung ), which took the church in an altogether different direction. Yet some claim that Pietism contributed largely to the revival of Biblical studies in Germany and to making religion once more an affair of the heart and of life and not merely of the intellect. It likewise gave a new emphasis to the role of the laity in the church. Rudolf Sohm claimed that "It

11766-573: The whole of Middle and North Germany. Among its greatest achievements, apart from the philanthropic institutions founded at Halle, were the revival of the Moravian Church in 1727 by Count von Zinzendorf , formerly a pupil in Francke's School for Young Noblemen in Halle, and the establishment of Protestant missions. In particular, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (10 July 1682 – 23 February 1719) became

11877-533: Was a pioneer in the field. The perceptions of homosexuality in the Evangelical Churches are varied. They range from liberal to fundamentalist or moderate conservative and neutral. A 2011 Pew Research Center study found that 84 percent of evangelical leaders surveyed believed homosexuality should be discouraged. It is in the fundamentalist conservative positions that there are antigay activists on TV or radio who claim that homosexuality

11988-625: Was first used in 1831. In 1812, the term evangelicalism appeared in The History of Lynn by William Richards . In the summer of 1811 the term evangelicalists was used in The Sin and Danger of Schism by Rev. Dr. Andrew Burnaby , Archdeacon of Leicester . The term may also be used outside any religious context to characterize a generic missionary, reforming, or redeeming impulse or purpose. For example, The Times Literary Supplement refers to "the rise and fall of evangelical fervor within

12099-507: Was founded in 1978 by 3 American associations of evangelical Christian schools. Various international schools have joined the network. In 2023, it had 23,000 schools in 100 countries. The International Council for Evangelical Theological Education was founded in 1980 by the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance . In 2023, it had 850 member schools in 113 countries. In matters of sexuality , there

12210-649: Was influenced significantly by Moravians (e.g., Zinzendorf , Peter Boehler ) and Pietists connected to Francke and Halle Pietism. The fruit of these Pietist influences can be seen in the modern American Methodists, especially those who are aligned with the Holiness movement . Pietism had an influence on religion in America, as many German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania, New York, and other areas. Its influence can be traced in certain sectors of Evangelicalism . Balmer says that: Evangelicalism itself, I believe,

12321-608: Was the last great surge of the waves of the ecclesiastical movement begun by the Reformation ; it was the completion and the final form of the Protestantism created by the Reformation. Then came a time when another intellectual power took possession of the minds of men." Dietrich Bonhoeffer of the German Confessing Church framed the same characterization in less positive terms when he called Pietism

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