The term evangelicalism derives from the Greek word euangélion (εὐαγγέλιον), literally means good news. In Old English Bible translations, euangélion was translated as gōdspel (gōd = good + spel = news). Middle English Bible translations modified this to gospel, which is still used in modern translations. In terms of etymology, evangelicalism and gospel are synonymous and both mean good news. In this sense, evangelicalism is the Christian practice of sharing the Gospel message, especially to unbelievers with the goal of conversion.
Although there are different historical opinions as to the precursors of evangelicalism as a movement, many trace it back to a combination of 17th century German pietism and 18th century Methodist revivals in England. German pietism focused on the Bible, individual piety, and living a holy Christian life. The Methodist revival movement also focused on living a holy life, but added a strong focus on revival and conversion through open preaching in public spaces. The modern form of evangelicalism began in America with the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s and the Second Great Awakening of the 1790s and early 1800s.
The First Great Awakening was largely led by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, with a focus on the South. Theirs was a message of salvation that transcended denominational boundaries. A Christian begins by recognizing their hopeless sinful nature. This prepares a person for conversion through repentance and placing faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once saved, a person gradually increases their assurance of salvation through self-reflection, living a sin-free life, and pursuing Christian virtues. The results of the First Great Awakening were increased enthusiasm among existing Christians, many conversions of non-Christians, an increased Christian role for women, an increased exposure of Christianity to southern African-Americans, and a greatly increased sense of unity for Christians of different denominations.
The Second Great Awakening was more focused on denominational outreach efforts to newly-settled frontier areas. These efforts were primarily undertaken by Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists. Traveling preachers called circuit riders would typically travel to a newly settled area and hold “camp meetings,” which were often a week long. These camp meetings were typically large outdoor worship services that included preaching, singing, the Lord’s Supper, and sometimes even dancing. The theological message was similar to that of the First Great Awakening, but often with the addition of postmillennialism. Christ would return after a long period of peace and happiness, and Christians therefore had a duty to purify society in preparation for this return. Many conversions happened through these camp meetings and the converted often formed local churches. Significant growth resulted, especially for the Methodists and Baptists.
Evangelicalism in the context of the Great Awakenings was a cross-denominational movement with a focus on four core beliefs: the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, salvation made possible through Christ’s death on the cross, the personal conversion experience, and the responsibility of believers to share the Gospel with non-believers. This is still a very good definition of evangelicalism. It is not unlike the Merriam-Webster definition: “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.”
As described in the previous section on fundamentalism, a new form of evangelicalism emerged from a split within fundamentalism. One group felt that fellowship with Christians that do not hold fundamentalist beliefs is inappropriate. Another group felt that Christian fellowship across denominations is in the spirit of the Body of Christ and is therefore to be encouraged. This latter group initially called themselves neoevangelicals, but this was later shortened to simply evangelicals. Therefore, evangelicalism today can refer to the softer form of the Great Awakenings or to the stricter form that closely resembles fundamentalism.
Evangelicals today that came from the fundamentalist tradition typically view the Bible is literally inerrant, at least in the original manuscripts. However, these evangelicals are typically tolerant of those who do not believe in plenary inerrancy, especially if the alternative view is infallibility in matters of faith and practice. Evangelicals today that came from the Great Awakening tradition will often not believe that an evangelical needs to believe in the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, resulting in self-described evangelicals who disagree on this issue.
Good insight into evangelicalism and the doctrine of inerrancy comes from an examination of the Baptist theologian Carl Henry (1913–2003). Henry argued that the main focus of evangelicalism should be to avoid cultural isolationism. Fundamentalists were against smoking, drinking alcohol, movies, and dancing and therefore isolated themselves from society. Evangelicals should do the precisely the opposite and engage with modern culture so as to transform it from within.
Henry viewed the goal of evangelicalism as primarily to convert unbelievers and to transform society and did not think that the doctrine of biblical inerrancy was of critical importance in the advancement of these goals. Rather, requiring all evangelicals to believe in biblical inerrancy might shrink the ranks significantly and inhibit evangelical progress. Henry himself believed in biblical inerrancy, but also recognized that it is not explicitly taught in Scripture. Therefore, people believing in infallibility rather than inerrancy are still being faithful to the Bible. For all of the above reasons, Henry strongly opposed the believe in biblical inerrancy to be required for evangelicals in good standing.
There is much more to the story that cannot be addresses here, except that the debate continues. Fuller Seminary in Southern California dropped its inerrancy statement in 1962, which became a growing trend for other seminaries. In response to this, about 200 conservative evangelical leaders gathered at a conference held in Chicago in October 1978 and wrote the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. It ends with Article XIX stating:
“We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ. We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences, both to the individual and to the church.”
This council was organized by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, making its conclusions unsurprising. But many evangelicals disagree with the Chicago Statement. As such, the evangelical debate in biblical inerrancy continues.
Most discussions of evangelicalism include extensive treatment of Billy Graham (1918–2018). Interested readers are referred elsewhere, as Graham was not part of important theological debates. However, Graham extensively engaged with other Christian denominations, including Roman Catholicism, and for this he was predictably criticized by many fundamentalist leaders.
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