Evangelical

Ross Woods, 2022

Facing the rise of liberalism, many Protestant denominations had a common purpose of defending their high view of Scripture.

Besides those churches, the movement was also represented in InterVarsity Fellowship, interdenominational missions, the Lausanne conference on evangelism, the Billy Graham evangelistic organization, many Bible colleges and seminaries, and the World Evangelical Alliance.

The key doctrine was the the inspiration of Scripture, and evangelicals have generally used several particular terms to decribe their view:

• “Plenary” (lit. ful) Inspiration applies to the whole of Scripture.
• “Verbal” Inspiration applies to the words of Scripture
• “Revelation” Scripture is itself revelatory.
• “Authority” Scripture is authoriative.

The main topic of debate was whether the inspiration of Scripture also implied infallibility and/or inerrancy.

Although churches tended to maintain their denominational distinctives, all evangelicals saw themselves as the contunuation of the ancient church and of the Reformation. They shared similar doctrinal beliefs:

1. Salvation through the death of Christ.
2. Commitment to evangelism and missions.
3. Biblical miracles, including the virgin birth.
4. God created the world, although they did not say exactly when and how.
5. The second coming of Christ and universal judgment.

The theology of the movement has maintained its strength, but the life of the ordinary church members has been taken over by contemporary evangelicalism.

Contemporary evangelicalism

Contemporary evangelicalism arose when the conservative evangelical church responded to postmodernism. Church services have focused more on experiential worship, with new songs and music styles. Preaching has sought to be inspirational, with less direct exposition and little “theological lecture.” (Church members seldom know enough theology to be heretics.)

They have tended to Arminianism and have been less cessationist. This has reduced (and sometimes removed) the barriers between evangelicals and modern Pentecostals.

Extreme form

Fundamentalism was the main extreme form of conservative evangelicalism.