Protestantism

==Terminology==
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|caption1=[[Gedächtniskirche (Speyer)|Memorial Church]], finished and consecrated 1904, in [[Speyer]], Germany commemorates the [[Protestation at Speyer|Protestation]].
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===Protestant===
Six princes of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and rulers of fourteen [[Imperial Free City|Imperial Free Cities]], who issued [[protestation at Speyer|a protest]] (or dissent) against the edict of the [[Diet of Speyer (1529)]], were the first individuals to be called Protestants.<ref name="etymonline.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=protestant|title=protestant – Origin and meaning of protestant |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=31 December 2014|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231135327/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=protestant|url-status=live}}</ref> The edict reversed concessions made to the [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] with the approval of [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] [[Diet of Speyer (1526)|three years earlier]]. The term ''protestant'', though initially purely political in nature, later acquired a broader sense, referring to a member of any Western church which subscribed to the main Protestant principles.<ref name="etymonline.com"/> A Protestant is an adherent of any of those Christian bodies that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended from them.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Definition of Protestant |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/protestant |website=Dictionary.com |access-date=15 October 2019 |archive-date=15 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015034937/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/protestant |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the Reformation, the term ''protestant'' was hardly used outside of German politics. People who were involved in the religious movement used the word ''evangelical'' ({{lang-de|evangelisch}}). For further details, see the section below. Gradually, ''protestant'' became a general term, meaning any adherent of the Reformation in the German-speaking area. It was ultimately somewhat taken up by Lutherans, even though [[Martin Luther]] himself insisted on ''Christian'' or ''evangelical'' as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed faith in Christ. [[Huguenots|French]] and [[Reformation in Switzerland|Swiss Protestants]] instead preferred the word ''reformed'' ({{lang-fr|réformé}}), which became a popular, neutral, and alternative name for Calvinists.

===Evangelical===
The word ''evangelical'' ({{lang-de|evangelisch}}), which refers to [[the gospel]], was widely used for those involved in the religious movement in the German-speaking area beginning in 1517.<ref>{{cite book |last=MacCulloch |first=Diarmaid |title=The Reformation: A History |location=New York |publisher=Penguin |year=2003 |author-link=Diarmaid MacCulloch |page=xx|title-link=The Reformation: A History}}</ref> ''Evangelical'' is still preferred among some of the historical Protestant denominations in the Lutheran, Calvinist, and United (Lutheran and Reformed) Protestant traditions in Europe, and those with strong ties to them. Above all the term is used by Protestant bodies in the [[German-speaking Europe|German-speaking area]], such as the [[Protestant Church in Germany]]. Thus, the [[German language|German]] word ''{{lang|de|evangelisch}}'' means Protestant, while the German ''{{lang|de|evangelikal}}'', refers to churches shaped by [[Evangelicalism]]. The English word ''evangelical'' usually refers to [[evangelical Protestant]] churches, and therefore to a certain part of Protestantism rather than to Protestantism as a whole. The English word traces its roots back to the [[Puritans]] in England, where Evangelicalism originated, and then was brought to the United States.

Martin Luther always disliked the term ''Lutheran'', preferring the term ''evangelical'', which was derived from ''euangelion'', a Greek word meaning "good news", i.e. "[[The Gospel|gospel]]".<ref name=OOE796>Espín, Orlando O. and Nickoloff, James B. ''An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies''. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, p. 796.</ref> The followers of [[John Calvin]], [[Huldrych Zwingli]], and other theologians linked to the [[Reformed tradition]] also began to use that term. To distinguish the two evangelical groups, others began to refer to the two groups as ''Evangelical Lutheran'' and ''Evangelical Reformed''. The word also pertains in the same way to some other mainline groups, for example ''Evangelical Methodist''. As time passed by, the word ''evangelical'' was dropped. Lutherans themselves began to use the term ''Lutheran'' in the middle of the 16th century, in order to distinguish themselves from other groups such as the [[Philippists]] and [[Calvinists]].

===Reformational===
The [[German language|German]] word ''{{lang|de|reformatorisch}}'', which roughly translates to English as "reformational" or "reforming", is used as an alternative for ''{{lang|de|evangelisch}}'' in German, and is different from English ''reformed'' ({{lang-de|reformiert}}), which refers to churches shaped by ideas of [[John Calvin]], [[Huldrych Zwingli]], and other Reformed theologians. Derived from the word "Reformation", the term emerged around the same time as ''Evangelical'' (1517) and ''Protestant'' (1529).