History of Evangelicalism

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In continental Europe since the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century Lutheran churches have been called "Evangelical" (German Evangelische) churches, in contradistinction to the Reformed churches of Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and their associates. This usage is not widely standard in the English language.^{[citation needed]}

From the 17th century onward the Puritan party in the Church of England, which sought to identify that church with the Reformed movement of the Reformation, was also called the evangelical party. Some evangelicals withdrew from that Communion and became known as "Non-Conformists" and "Dissenters". The more radical of the Non-Conformist evangelicals were known as "Separatists" or "Independents". Today, Evangelicals in the Anglican Communion generally fall into three broad groups: conservative, open, charismatic.^{[citation needed]}

In the 18th century the Wesleyan revival within the Church of England influenced the formation of a party of pietistic Anglicans, whose descendant movement is still called the "Evangelical party". In the United States, Jonathan Edwards and the "New Lights" (revival Calvinists) were opposed by "Old Lights" (confessional Calvinists). George Whitfield, a Methodist, continued and expanded this pietistic "New Light" revivalism together with the non-Calvinist, Arminian Methodist movement. This broad movement became known as the First Great Awakening, which is the foundation of what is most commonly called "Evangelicalism" in the United States today.^{[citation needed]}

In the 19th century evangelicals were the supporters of the Revival and the social activism that arose from it ("Second Great Awakening" in the United States) everywhere that Protestantism had taken root.^{[citation needed]}

From the late 20th century such conservative Protestant Christians, and their churches and social movements, are often called evangelical to distinguish them from Protestants who have a tendency towards more liberal Christianity.^{[citation needed]}

In foreign languages, words derived from ευαγγελιον evangelion should not automatically be equated with "evangelical(ism)". In the German language, the word "evangelisch" means Protestant, contrasted to "evangelikal" (borrowed from English). Germany's union of Protestant churches, including mainstream Lutheran and Reformed churches, is the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland or Evangelical Church in Germany.

Note that in continental Europe the word Evangelical is often understood to mean simply Protestant, or specifically Lutheran, as a literal translation of the German "evangelisch". In Germany churches of the Protestant religious tradition known as Lutheran in the USA and other parts of the world are referred to specifically as Evangelische (literally "Evangelicals"), which is not the same as evangelical in English. See more under "Usage" below.^{[citation needed]}