Portal:Evangelical Christianity

The Evangelical Christianity Portal

Introduction

Evangelicalism (/ˌvænˈɛlɪkəlɪzəm, ˌɛvæn-, -ən-/), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian gospel. The term evangelical is derived from the Koine Greek word euangelion, meaning "good news," in reference to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Evangelicalism typically places a strong emphasis on personal conversion, often described as being "born again," and regards the Bible as the ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. The definition and scope of evangelicalism are subjects of debate among theologians and scholars. Some critics argue that the term encompasses a wide and diverse range of beliefs and practices, making it difficult to define as a coherent or unified movement.

The theological roots of evangelicalism can be traced to the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe, particularly Martin Luther's 1517 Ninety-five Theses, which emphasized the authority of Scripture and the preaching of the gospel over church tradition. The modern evangelical movement is generally dated to around 1738, influenced by theological currents such as Pietism, Puritanism, Quakerism, and Moravianism—notably the work of Nicolaus Zinzendorf and the Herrnhut community. Evangelicalism gained momentum during the First Great Awakening, with figures like John Wesley and the early Methodists playing central roles.

It has had a longstanding presence in the Anglosphere, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States, before expanding globally in the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. The movement grew substantially during the 18th and 19th centuries, notably through the series of religious revivals known as the Great Awakening in the United States and various revival movements and reform efforts in Britain. Today, evangelicals are found across many Protestant denominations and global contexts, without being confined to a single tradition. Notable evangelical leaders have included Zinzendorf, George Fox, Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Harold Ockenga, Gudina Tumsa, John Stott, Francisco Olazábal, William J. Seymour, Luis Palau, Os Guinness, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones. (Full article...)

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Includes beliefs, Jesus, rites, practices, sacred texts, symbols, festivals and more

A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Anglicanism, pastors are always ordained. In Methodism, pastors may be either licensed or ordained.

The New Testament typically uses the words "bishops" (Acts 20:28) and "presbyter" (1 Peter 5:1) to indicate the ordained leadership in early Christianity. Likewise, Peter instructs these particular servants to "act like shepherds" as they "oversee" the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2). The words "bishop" and "presbyter" were sometimes used in an interchangeable way, such as in Titus 1:5-6. However, there is ongoing dispute between branches of Christianity over whether there are two ordained classes (presbyters and deacons), or three (bishops, priests, and deacons). The first view is affirmed by the Presbyterian Church. On the other hand, Christians of the Roman Catholic, Persian, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Moravian, Scandinavian Lutheran, Anglican, and Old Catholic traditions maintain the latter view and affirm the doctrine of apostolic succession. (Full article...)

List of topics

Denominations

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

Hillsong and its music have been highly successful globally, with its presence described as a global corporate brand, but a series of scandals and criticisms have negatively affected its image in recent years. In March 2022, Houston stepped down as global senior pastor after an internal investigation found that he had breached the church's moral code of conduct for pastors by engaging in inappropriate behaviour with women on two occasions in the 2010s. In February 2023, Phil and Lucinda Dooley, who had been acting in the position since January 2022, took over as global senior pastors. (Full article...)

Music topics

Lecrae in 2014

Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979) is an American Christian rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, and recording producer and executive. Since having begun his career in 2004, he has released ten studio albums and four mixtapes as a solo artist, as well as recording with the hip-hop collective 116, which he co-founded.

Lecrae's first two studio albums, Real Talk (2004) and After the Music Stops (2006), were both released independently and met with critical praise. His third, Rebel (2008), became the first Christian hip-hop album to peak atop the Billboard Top Gospel Albums, and his first to enter the Billboard 200. After the release of his fourth album, Rehab (2010), Lecrae began attracting mainstream attention following his performance at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, and his guest appearance on Statik Selektah's single "Live and Let Live" that same year. His sixth album, Gravity (2012), and has been called the most important album in Christian hip hop history by Rapzilla and Atlanta Daily World. Along with continued critical praise, it peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and made Lecrae the first hip hop artist to win in the category of Best Gospel Album — at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. His seventh album, Anomaly (2014), became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200, as well as the first album to peak both the Billboard 200 and Top Gospel Album charts simultaneously. (Full article...)

Biographies

  • See List of evangelical Christians for a list of people who are notable due to their influence on the popularity or development of evangelical Christianity or for their professed evangelicalism.

Megachurches

Worship in 2013

Lakewood Church is a evangelical Pentecostal and Word of Faith megachurch located in Houston, Texas. It was formerly a Baptist church from 1959 until 1961, and a non-denominational Christian church from 1961 to 1979. It is among the largest congregations in the United States, averaging about 45,000 attendees per week. The 16,800-seat Lakewood Church building, home to four English-language services and two Spanish-language services per week, is located at the former Compaq Center. Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church with his wife, Victoria, who serves as co-pastor.

It has 368 full-time and part-time staff. (Full article...)

Education topics

Central Philippine University (also known as Central or CPU) is a private, Protestant, and research university located in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. Established in 1905 through a grant from the American industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller as the Jaro Industrial School and Bible School under the supervision of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, it is "the first Baptist university and the second American and Protestant-founded university in the Philippines and Asia".

CPU played a pioneering role in nursing education in the Philippines by establishing the Union Mission Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1906, which later became the Central Philippine University - College of Nursing, the first nursing school in the Philippines. Additionally, the university was the first to establish a Baptist theological seminary in the country, the CPU College of Theology; the first student council in Southeast Asia, the CPU Republic; the first government-recognized agricultural school outside of Luzon, the CPU College of Agriculture, Resources, and Environmental Sciences; the first wind research facility in the country, the CPU DOST Wind Research Laboratory; and the first packaging engineering research and resource center in Southeast Asia, the CPU Philippine Center of Packaging Engineering and Technology. (Full article...)

Media topics

Organizations

Logo since 2021

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches with 600 million adherents that was founded in 1846 in London, England, to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA is the largest international organization of evangelical churches. It has offices at the United Nations in New York City, Geneva, and Bonn. It brings together nine regional and 143 national evangelical alliances of churches, and over one hundred member organizations. Moreover, a number of international evangelical denominations are members of the WEA. Its leader is Zimbabwean Pastor Goodwill Shana. (Full article...)

Humanitarianism

International Justice Mission is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights and law enforcement. It was founded in 1997 by lawyer Gary Haugen in Washington, D.C. All IJM employees are required to be practicing Christians, and 94% are nationals of the countries they work in.

IJM works to combat sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation, cybersex trafficking, forced labor, slavery, property grabbing, and police abuse of power, and addresses citizenship rights of minorities. Some have criticized IJM for its targeting of voluntary sex workers, including through brothel raids, as well as its collaboration with law enforcement, with some alleging that its quota-driven prosecution requirements have led to misidentified targets in their rescue operations (Full article...)

Categories

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Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism by continent
Evangelicalism by country
Evangelical Christian art
Evangelical churches
Evangelical Christian conferences
Evangelical denominations
Evangelical documents
Evangelical ecclesiology
Evangelicals
International bodies of evangelical denominations
Evangelical Christianity-related lists
Evangelical Christian literature
Evangelical Christian mass media
Evangelical megachurches
Missional Christianity
Evangelical missionary societies
Evangelical Christian missions
Evangelical movement
National evangelical alliances
Open-air preaching
Evangelical organizations
Evangelicalism in popular culture
Scandals in Evangelicalism
Sexuality in Evangelicalism
Evangelical Christianity and society
Evangelical statements of faith
Televangelism
Evangelical theology

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WikiProject Evangelical Christianity

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