What Is an Evangelical?

Emma Danzey

Evangelical is a term that is often used in American churches, but many people may not know what it actually means. Whether you are looking into a new church or learning more about the concept of evangelicalism, we are going to gain more knowledge about the value of understanding and applying this term to our lives. What is evangelical?

As a young person, I was involved in a variety of different denominations because my family moved around. One common thread between all of the churches was that they were all evangelical. Bruce Hindmarsh from Christianity Today tells us that Evangelicalism is a branch of the Protestant church and has been around for over three hundred years and is on five continents. These can include Anglicans, Methodists, Moravians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, or Baptists. Some famous evangelicals include John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Billy Graham, and J. I. Packer. Being an evangelical means that a person is focused on “true religion,” not a church building or religious laws and practices.

The main focus of an evangelical is that a person is saved by grace through faith in Jesus, a person has a genuine conversion, the Bible is the foundation for faith, and it is important to share the gospel with others through evangelism. It is not a denomination, but many denominations align with this belief. In fact, great theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin were reformed, evangelicals.

D.W. Bebbington came out with a book titled, A survey of Church history, within the pages of his book, he included four points of evangelicalism.

1. Authority of the Bible

An evangelical believes that the Bible is God’s Word to us and has all authority. This means that the Bible is used as a guide in life and is to be shared with others as a tool for teaching the gospel. There is a high view of Scripture because the Lord Himself says that we are to revere His Word.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
• Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
• Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

2. Jesus Focused

Evangelicals keep the main thing, the main thing. They believe that the gospel of Jesus is the most important message of the Bible and place a high value on the cross of Jesus because his death and resurrection are key to our salvation.

• Acts 5:30 says, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.”
• 1 Peter 2:24 says, “‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’”

3: Christians Experience Conversion

Evangelicals believe that there is a true heart and life change when a person encounters Jesus. There is a joy in seeing people go from darkness into light. Just like you can tell that a peach tree is a peach tree because it produces peaches, a Christian is a Christian because he or she produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

• Matthew 7:19-20 says, “ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
• Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

4. Evangelism Is Important

Evangelicals know that Jesus’ last words on earth before ascending to Heaven were to makes disciples of all nations. There is a burden and a responsibility that evangelicals take on to share Jesus with the world. As modeled by the disciples and apostles in Jesus’ time, we too are called to tell of the good news that we have in Christ. Evangelicals know that this is not just for a certain group of people, but for all people. It is a free gift from God.

• Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Mark 16:15 says, “He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”

Within Evangelicals, there are also more specific types of Evangelicals that you can learn more about from Matthew Barrett from the Gospel Coalition.

Glory Dy from Christianity shares, “Evangelical Christianity is one of the most popular types of Christianity in the world. In fact, one-third of the 78.4% of American adults who identify as Christians identify themselves as Evangelical. But to clear things up, Evangelical Christianity is neither a religion nor a denomination. Instead, it is a faith movement that has grown in importance in the United States over the last five decades.”

As you examine the beliefs of an evangelical, maybe you are resonating with these four points? This likely means that you are an evangelical. You would believe in the authority of Scripture, know that Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection made the way for salvation, believe that true conversion is not based on a religious act, but a matter of heart and life change, and are called by Jesus to tell others about Him. Evangelicals seek to know Jesus, understand His word, apply it to their lives and communicate it to others.

Below are some top Evangelical quotes:

• “The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus.” Oswald Chambers
• “I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles -- the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Saviour and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to... The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scripture... Apart from obedience, there can be no salvation, for salvation without obedience is a self-contradictory impossibility.” A.W. Tozer
• “When God gets ready to shake America, He may not take the Ph.D. and the D.D. God may choose a country boy ... God may choose the man that no one knows, a little nobody, to shake America for Jesus Christ in this day, and I pray that He would!” Billy Graham

Next time we hear or see the word evangelical, may we remember the truth and history of how this word applies to the church and us as individuals today.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/SDI Productions

Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.