Evangelicalism

==History==

===Background===
Evangelicalism emerged in the 18th century,<ref>{{oed|Evangelical}} – "As a distinct party designation, the term came into general use, in England, at the time of the Methodist revival; and it may be said, with substantial accuracy, to denote the school of theology which that movement represents, though its earlier associations were rather with the Calvinistic than the Arminian branch of the movement. In the early part of the 19th cent. the words 'Methodist' and 'Evangelical' were, by adversaries, often used indiscriminately, and associated with accusations of fanaticism and 'puritanical' disapproval of social pleasures. The portion of the 'evangelical' school which belongs to the Anglican church is practically identical with the 'Low Church' party. In the Church of Scotland during the latter part of the 18th and the early part of the 19th cent. the two leading parties were the 'Evangelical' and the 'Moderate' party."</ref> first in Britain and its North American colonies. Nevertheless, there were earlier developments within the larger Protestant world that preceded and influenced the later evangelical revivals. According to religion scholar [[Randall Balmer]], Evangelicalism resulted "from the confluence of [[Pietism]], Presbyterianism, and the vestiges of Puritanism. Evangelicalism picked up the peculiar characteristics from each strain – warmhearted spirituality from the Pietists (for instance), doctrinal precisionism from the Presbyterians, and individualistic introspection from the Puritans".{{sfn|Balmer|2002|pp=vii–viii}} Historian [[Mark Noll]] adds to this list [[High Church]] Anglicanism, which contributed to Evangelicalism a legacy of "rigorous spirituality and innovative organization."{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=50}} Historian Rick Kennedy has identified [[New England]] Puritan clergyman [[Cotton Mather]] as the "first American Evangelical".<ref>{{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Rick |title=The First American Evangelical: A Short Life of Cotton Mather |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2015}}</ref>

During the 17th century, Pietism emerged in Europe as a movement for the revival of [[piety]] and devotion within the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran church]]. As a protest against "cold orthodoxy" or against an overly formal and rational Christianity, Pietists advocated for an experiential religion that stressed high moral standards both for clergy and for lay people. The movement included both Christians who remained in the [[liturgical]], [[state church]]es as well as [[Separatism#Religious separatism|separatist]] groups who rejected the use of baptismal fonts, altars, pulpits, and confessionals. As [[Radical Pietism]] spread, the movement's ideals and aspirations influenced and were absorbed by evangelicals.{{sfn|Balmer|2002|pp=542–543}}

When [[George Fox]], who is considered the father of [[Quakerism]],{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} was eleven, he wrote that God spoke to him about "keeping pure and being faithful to God and man."<ref name="CYMF2018"/> After being troubled when his friends asked him to drink alcohol with them at the age of nineteen, Fox spent the night in prayer and soon afterwards he left his home in a four year search for spiritual satisfaction.<ref name="CYMF2018"/> In his ''Journal'', at age 23, he believed that he "found through faith in Jesus Christ the full assurance of salvation."<ref name="CYMF2018"/> Fox began to spread his message and his emphasis on "[[Born again#Quakerism|the necessity of an inward transformation of heart]]", as well as the possibility of [[Christian perfection]], drew opposition from English clergy and laity.<ref name="CYMF2018"/> In the mid-1600s, many people became attracted to Fox's preaching and his followers became known as the [[Religious Society of Friends]].<ref name="CYMF2018"/> By 1660, the Quakers grew to 35,000 and are considered to be among the first in the evangelical Christian movement.<ref name="Hope1997"/><ref name="CYMF2018"/>

The Presbyterian heritage not only gave Evangelicalism a commitment to Protestant orthodoxy but also contributed a revival tradition that stretched back to the 1620s in Scotland and Northern Ireland.{{sfn|Longfield|2013|p=7}} Central to this tradition was the [[communion season]], which normally occurred in the summer months. For Presbyterians, celebrations of [[Holy Communion]] were infrequent but popular events preceded by several Sundays of preparatory preaching and accompanied with preaching, singing, and prayers.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=44, 112}}

Puritanism combined [[Calvinism]] with a doctrine that conversion was a prerequisite for church membership and with an emphasis on the study of Scripture by lay people. It took root in the colonies of [[New England]], where the [[Congregational church]] became an established religion. There the [[Half-Way Covenant]] of 1662 allowed parents who had not testified to a conversion experience to have their children baptized, while reserving Holy Communion for converted church members alone.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=54–55}} By the 18th century Puritanism was in decline and many [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]]s expressed alarm at the loss of religious piety. This concern over declining religious commitment led many{{quantify|date=May 2020}} people to support evangelical revival.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=46–47}}

High-Church Anglicanism also exerted influence on early Evangelicalism. High Churchmen were distinguished by their desire to adhere to [[Christian primitivism|primitive Christianity]]. This desire included imitating the faith and ascetic practices of early Christians as well as regularly partaking of Holy Communion. High Churchmen were also enthusiastic organizers of voluntary religious societies. Two of the most prominent were the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]] (founded in London in 1698), which distributed Bibles and other literature and built schools, and the [[Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts]], which was founded in England in 1701 to facilitate missionary work in British colonies (especially among colonists in North America). [[Samuel Wesley (poet)|Samuel]] and [[Susanna Wesley]], the parents of [[John Wesley|John]] and [[Charles Wesley]] (born 1703 and 1707 respectively), were both devoted advocates of High-Church ideas.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=66–67}}<ref>{{harvtxt|Puzynin|2011|p=21}}: "Noll points out that the crucial spiritual emphasis of the High-Church was its stress on 'primitive Christianity' [...]. However, it seems more logical to consider 'Primitivism' as a separate framework characteristic of the Victorian era [...]."</ref>

===18th century===
{{See also|First Great Awakening}}
[[File:A Faithful Narrative of the Surprizing Work of God by Jonathan Edwards 1737.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Jonathan Edwards' account of the revival in Northampton was published in 1737 as ''[[A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton]]''.]]

In the 1730s, Evangelicalism emerged as a distinct phenomenon out of religious revivals that began in Britain and New England. While religious revivals had occurred within Protestant churches in the past, the evangelical revivals that marked the 18th century were more intense and radical.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=76}} Evangelical revivalism imbued ordinary men and women with a confidence and enthusiasm for sharing the gospel and converting others outside of the control of established churches, a key discontinuity with the Protestantism of the previous era.{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=74}}

It was developments in the doctrine of assurance that differentiated Evangelicalism from what went before. Bebbington says, "The dynamism of the Evangelical movement was possible only because its adherents were assured in their faith."{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=42}} He goes on:

{{Blockquote | Whereas the Puritans had held that assurance is rare, late and the fruit of struggle in the experience of believers, the Evangelicals believed it to be general, normally given at conversion and the result of simple acceptance of the gift of God. The consequence of the altered form of the doctrine was a metamorphosis in the nature of popular Protestantism. There was a change in patterns of piety, affecting devotional and practical life in all its departments. The shift, in fact, was responsible for creating in Evangelicalism a new movement and not merely a variation on themes heard since the Reformation.{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=43}}}}

The first local revival occurred in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]], under the leadership of Congregationalist minister [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]]. In the fall of 1734, Edwards preached a sermon series on "Justification By Faith Alone", and the community's response was extraordinary. Signs of religious commitment among the [[laity]] increased, especially among the town's young people. The revival ultimately spread to 25 communities in western Massachusetts and central Connecticut until it began to wane by the spring of 1735.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=76–78}} Edwards was heavily influenced by Pietism, so much so that one historian has stressed his "American Pietism".{{sfn|Lovelace|2007}} One practice clearly copied from European Pietists was the use of small groups divided by age and gender, which met in private homes to conserve and promote the fruits of revival.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=77}}

At the same time, students at [[Yale University]] (at that time Yale College) in New Haven, Connecticut, were also experiencing revival. Among them was [[Aaron Burr Sr.]], who would become a prominent Presbyterian minister and future president of [[Princeton University]]. In New Jersey, [[Gilbert Tennent]], another Presbyterian minister, was preaching the evangelical message and urging the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States of America|Presbyterian Church]] to stress the necessity of converted ministers.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=81–82}}

The spring of 1735 also marked important events in England and Wales. [[Howell Harris]], a Welsh schoolteacher, had a conversion experience on May 25 during a communion service. He described receiving assurance of God's [[Grace (Christianity)|grace]] after a period of [[fasting]], self-examination, and despair over his sins.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=79}} Sometime later, [[Daniel Rowland (preacher)|Daniel Rowland]], the Anglican [[curate]] of Llangeitho, Wales, experienced conversion as well. Both men began preaching the evangelical message to large audiences, becoming leaders of the [[Welsh Methodist revival]].{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=20}} At about the same time that Harris experienced conversion in Wales, [[George Whitefield]] was converted at Oxford University after his own prolonged spiritual crisis. Whitefield later remarked, "About this time God was pleased to enlighten my soul and bring me into the knowledge of His free grace, and the necessity of being justified in His sight by ''faith only.''"{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=79–80}}

[[File:John Wesley preaching outside a church. Engraving. Wellcome V0006868.jpg|thumb|When forbidden from preaching from the pulpits of [[parish church]]es, [[John Wesley]] began [[open-air preaching]].]]

Whitefield's fellow [[Holy Club]] member and spiritual mentor, [[Charles Wesley]], reported an evangelical conversion in 1738.{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=20}} In the same week, Charles' brother and future founder of Methodism, [[John Wesley]] was also converted after a long period of inward struggle. During this spiritual crisis, John Wesley was directly influenced by Pietism. Two years before his conversion, Wesley had traveled to the newly established colony of Georgia as a missionary for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. He shared his voyage with a group of [[Moravian Brethren]] led by [[August Gottlieb Spangenberg]]. The Moravians' faith and piety deeply impressed Wesley, especially their belief that it was a normal part of Christian life to have an assurance of one's salvation.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=84}} Wesley recounted the following exchange with Spangenberg on February 7, 1736:

{{Blockquote|[Spangenberg] said, "My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?" I was surprised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it, and asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" I paused, and said, "I know he is the Savior of the world." "True," he replied, "but do you know he has saved you?" I answered, "I hope he has died to save me." He only added, "Do you know yourself?" I said, "I do." But I fear they were vain words.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=85}}}}

Wesley finally received the assurance he had been searching for at a meeting of a religious society in London. While listening to a reading from Martin Luther's preface to the [[Epistle to the Romans]], Wesley felt spiritually transformed:

{{Blockquote|About a quarter before nine, while [the speaker] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away ''my'' sins, even ''mine'', and saved ''me'' from the law of sin and death.{{sfn|Noll|2004|p=97}}}}

Pietism continued to influence Wesley, who had translated 33 Pietist hymns from German to English. Numerous German Pietist hymns became part of the English Evangelical repertoire.{{sfn|Shantz|2013|pp=279–280}} By 1737, Whitefield had become a national celebrity in England where his preaching drew large crowds, especially in London where the [[Fetter Lane Society]] had become a center of evangelical activity.{{sfn|Noll|2004|pp=87, 95}} Whitfield joined forces with Edwards to "fan the flame of revival" in the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in 1739–40. Soon the [[First Great Awakening]] stirred Protestants throughout America.{{sfn|Bebbington|1993|p=20}}

Evangelical preachers emphasized personal salvation and piety more than ritual and tradition. Pamphlets and printed sermons crisscrossed the Atlantic, encouraging the revivalists.<ref>{{Citation |last=Snead |first=Jennifer |title=Print, Predestination, and the Public Sphere: Transatlantic Evangelical Periodicals, 1740–1745 |journal=Early American Literature |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=93–118 |year=2010 |doi=10.1353/eal.0.0092|s2cid=161160945 }}.</ref> The Awakening resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, the Great Awakening made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality. It reached people who were already church members. It changed their rituals, their piety and their self-awareness. To the evangelical imperatives of Reformation Protestantism, 18th century American Christians added emphases on divine outpourings of the Holy Spirit and conversions that implanted within new believers an intense love for God. Revivals encapsulated those hallmarks and forwarded the newly created Evangelicalism into the early republic.<ref>{{Citation |last=Stout |first=Harold 'Harry' |title=The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism |year=1991}}.</ref>

By the 1790s, the [[Evangelical Anglicanism|Evangelical party]] in the Church of England remained a small minority but were not without influence. [[John Newton]] and [[Joseph Milner (priest)|Joseph Milner]] were influential evangelical clerics. Evangelical clergy networked together through societies such as the [[Eclectic Society (Christian)|Eclectic Society]] in London and the [[Elland Society]] in Yorkshire.{{sfn|Wolffe|2007|p=36}} The Old [[English Dissenters|Dissenter]] denominations (the [[Baptists]], Congregationalists and [[Quakers]]) were falling under evangelical influence, with the Baptists most affected and Quakers the least. Evangelical ministers dissatisfied with both Anglicanism and Methodism often chose to work within these churches.{{sfn|Wolffe|2007|p=38}} In the 1790s, all of these evangelical groups, including the Anglicans, were Calvinist in orientation.{{sfn|Wolffe|2007|p=39}}

Methodism (the "New Dissent") was the most visible expression of evangelicalism by the end of the 18th century. The [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodists]] boasted around 70,000 members throughout the British Isles, in addition to the [[Calvinistic Methodists]] in Wales and the [[Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion]], which was organized under George Whitefield's influence. The Wesleyan Methodists, however, were still nominally affiliated with the Church of England and would not completely separate until 1795, four years after Wesley's death. The Wesleyan Methodist Church's [[Arminianism]] distinguished it from the other evangelical groups.{{sfn|Wolffe|2007|pp=38–39}}

At the same time, evangelicals were an important faction within the Presbyterian [[Church of Scotland]]. Influential ministers included [[John Erskine (theologian)|John Erskine]], [[Henry Wellwood Moncrieff]] and [[Stevenson Macgill]]. The church's [[General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|General Assembly]], however, was controlled by the [[Moderate Party (Scotland)|Moderate Party]], and evangelicals were involved in the [[First Secession|First]] and [[Second Secession]]s from the national church during the 18th century.{{sfn|Wolffe|2007|p=37}}

===19th century===

The start of the 19th century saw an increase in [[missionary]] work and many of the major missionary societies were founded around this time (see [[Timeline of Christian missions]]). Both the Evangelical and [[high church]] movements sponsored missionaries.

The [[Second Great Awakening]] (which actually began in 1790) was primarily an American revivalist movement and resulted in substantial growth of the Methodist and Baptist churches. [[Charles Grandison Finney]] was an important preacher of this period.

[[File:Wilberforce john rising.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[William Wilberforce]] was a politician, philanthropist and an evangelical Anglican, who led the British movement to [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolish the slave trade]].]]

In Britain in addition to stressing the traditional Wesleyan combination of "Bible, cross, conversion, and activism", the revivalist movement sought a universal appeal, hoping to include rich and poor, urban and rural, and men and women. Special efforts were made to attract children and to generate literature to spread the revivalist message.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bebbington |first=David W |title=The Evangelical Revival in Britain in the Nineteenth Century |date=Jan 2002 |work=Kyrkohistorisk Arsskrift |pages=63–70}}.</ref>

"Christian conscience" was used by the British Evangelical movement to promote social activism. Evangelicals believed activism in government and the social sphere was an essential method in reaching the goal of eliminating sin in a world drenched in wickedness.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bebbington |first=David W |title=The Evangelical Conscience |work=Welsh Journal of Religious History |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=27–44 |year=2007}}.</ref> The Evangelicals in the [[Clapham Sect]] included figures such as [[William Wilberforce]] who successfully campaigned for the abolition of slavery.

In the late 19th century, the revivalist [[Holiness movement|Wesleyan-Holiness movement]] based on [[John Wesley]]'s doctrine of "[[entire sanctification]]" came to the forefront, and while many adherents remained within mainline Methodism, others established new denominations, such as the [[Free Methodist Church]] and [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (United States)|Wesleyan Methodist Church]].<ref name="Winn">{{cite book |last1=Winn |first1=Christian T. Collins |title=From the Margins: A Celebration of the Theological Work of Donald W. Dayton |date=2007 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=9781630878320 |page=115 |language=en|quote=In addition to these separate denominational groupings, one needs to give attention to the large pockets of the Holiness movement that have remained within the United Methodist Church. The most influential of these would be the circles dominated by Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (both in Wilmore, KY), but one could speak of other colleges, innumerable local campmeetings, the vestiges of various local Holiness associations, independent Holiness oriented missionary societies and the like that have had great impact within United Methodism. A similar pattern would exist in England with the role of Cliff College within Methodism in that context.}}</ref> In urban Britain the Holiness message was less exclusive and censorious.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bebbington |first=David W |title=The Holiness Movements in British and Canadian Methodism in the Late Nineteenth Century |work=Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=203–28 |year=1996}}</ref>

[[Keswickianism]] taught the doctrine of the [[second work of grace|second blessing]] in non-Methodist circles and came to influence evangelicals of the Calvinistic (Reformed) tradition, leading to the establishment of denominations such as the [[Christian and Missionary Alliance]].<ref name="Sawyer2004">{{cite web |last1=Sawyer |first1=M. J. |title=Wesleyan and Keswick Models of Sanctification |url=https://bible.org/article/wesleyan-amp-keswick-models-sanctification |publisher=Bible.org |access-date=September 30, 2020 |language=en |date=May 25, 2004 |quote=With Keswick one finds a different situation than with the Holiness Movement. Whereas Wesleyan holiness theology is traceable directly to Wesley and has clearly identifiable tenets, Keswick is much more amorphous and comes in many varieties from the strict Keswick of a Major Ian Thomas, John Hunter, Alan Redpath and the Torchbearers fellowship to the milder Keswick of Campus Crusade For Christ and Moody Bible Institute and other respected Evangelical educational institutions. Whereas Holiness theology has tended to dominate in Arminian circles, Keswick has tended to dominate American Evangelicalism of a more Calvinistic bent. Indeed Packer asserts that it has become standard in virtually all of Evangelicalism except confessional Reformed and Lutheran.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hayford |first1=Jack W. |last2=Moore |first2=S. David |title=The Charismatic Century: The Enduring Impact of the Azusa Street Revival |date=June 27, 2009 |publisher=FaithWords |isbn=978-0-446-56235-5 |language=en |quote=Evangelist D.L. Moody was a proponent of the Kewsick movement along with others, including Hannah Whital Smith, whose book ''A Christian's Secret of a Happy Life'' is still read today by thousands. R.A. Torrey, an associate of Moody whose influence was rapidly increasing, championed Keswick's ideals and utilized the term "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" in reference to the experience. Keswick views had a significant inflience on A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance, which became a denomination by that name.}}</ref>

[[John Nelson Darby]] of the Plymouth Brethren was a 19th-century Irish Anglican minister who devised modern [[dispensationalism]], an innovative Protestant theological interpretation of the Bible that was incorporated in the development of modern Evangelicalism. [[Cyrus Scofield]] further promoted the influence of dispensationalism through the explanatory notes to his [[Scofield Reference Bible]]. According to scholar Mark S. Sweetnam, who takes a cultural studies perspective, dispensationalism can be defined in terms of its Evangelicalism, its insistence on the literal interpretation of Scripture, its recognition of stages in God's dealings with humanity, its expectation of the imminent return of Christ to rapture His saints, and its focus on both apocalypticism and [[premillennialism]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Sweetnam |first=Mark S |title=Defining Dispensationalism: A Cultural Studies Perspective |journal=Journal of Religious History |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=191–212 |year=2010 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9809.2010.00862.x}}.</ref>

During the 19th century, the [[megachurch]]es, churches with more than 2,000 people, began to develop.<ref>Anne C. Loveland, Otis B. Wheeler, '' From Meetinghouse to Megachurch: A Material and Cultural History'', University of Missouri Press, USA, 2003, p. 35</ref> The first evangelical megachurch, the [[Metropolitan Tabernacle]] with a 6000-seat auditorium, was inaugurated in 1861 in [[London]] by [[Charles Spurgeon]].<ref>Stephen J. Hunt, ''Handbook of Megachurches'', Brill, Leyde, 2019, p. 50</ref> [[Dwight L. Moody]] founded the [[Illinois Street Church]] in Chicago.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bebbington |first=David W |title=Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age of Spurgeon and Moody |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Findlay |first=James F |title=Dwight L. Moody: American Evangelist, 1837–1899 |year=1969}}.</ref>

An advanced theological perspective came from the [[Princeton theology|Princeton theologians]] from the 1850s to the 1920s, such as [[Charles Hodge]], [[Archibald Alexander]] and [[Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield|B.B. Warfield]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Hoffecker |first=W. Andrew |title=Piety and the Princeton Theologians |year=1981 |place=Nutley |publisher=Presbyterian & Reformed}}, v.</ref>

===20th century<!--'Neo-evangelicalism' and 'Neo-evangelical' redirect here-->===
After 1910 the [[Christian fundamentalism|Fundamentalist movement]] dominated Evangelicalism in the early part of the 20th century; the Fundamentalists rejected liberal theology and emphasized the inerrancy of the Scriptures.

Following the [[1904–1905 Welsh revival]], the [[Azusa Street Revival]] in 1906 began the spread of [[Pentecostalism]] in North America.

The 20th century also marked by the emergence of the [[televangelism]]. [[Aimee Semple McPherson]], who founded the megachurch ''[[Angelus Temple]]'' in Los Angeles, used radio in the 1920s to reach a wider audience.<ref>Mark Ward Sr., ''The Electronic Church in the Digital Age: Cultural Impacts of Evangelical Mass Media '', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2015, p. 104, 231</ref>

After the Scopes trial in 1925, ''Christian Century'' wrote of "Vanishing Fundamentalism".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=June 24, 1926 |title=Vanishing Fundamentalism |magazine=Christian Century |volume=4 |page=799 |number=3}}</ref> In 1929 Princeton University, once the bastion of conservative theology, added several modernists to its faculty, resulting in the departure of [[J. Gresham Machen]] and a split in the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States of America]].

Evangelicalism began to reassert itself in the second half of the 1930s. One factor was the advent of the radio as a means of mass communication. When <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Charles E. Fuller (Baptist minister)|Charles E. Fuller]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> began his "Old Fashioned Revival Hour" on October 3, 1937, he sought to avoid the contentious issues that had caused fundamentalists to be characterized as narrow.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fuller |first=Daniel |title=Give the Winds a Mighty Voice: The Story of Charles E. Fuller |date=1972 |publisher=Word Books |location=Waco, TX |page=140 |oclc=680000513}}</ref>

One hundred forty-seven representatives from thirty-four denominations met from April 7 through 9, 1942, in [[St. Louis]], Missouri, for a "National Conference for United Action among Evangelicals." The next year six hundred representatives in Chicago established the [[National Association of Evangelicals]] (NAE) with [[Harold Ockenga]] as its first president. The NAE was partly a reaction to the founding of the [[American Council of Christian Churches]] (ACCC) under the leadership of the fundamentalist [[Carl McIntire]]. The ACCC in turn had been founded to counter the influence of the [[Federal Council of Churches]] (later merged into the [[National Council of Churches]]), which fundamentalists saw as increasingly embracing modernism in its [[ecumenism]].{{sfn|Carpenter|1999|pp=141–150}} Those who established the NAE had come to view the name fundamentalist as "an embarrassment instead of a badge of honor."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kantzer |first=Kenneth |date=September 16, 1996 |title=Standing on the Promises |magazine=Christianity Today |volume=40 |page=30 |number=10}}</ref>

Evangelical revivalist radio preachers organized themselves in the [[National Religious Broadcasters]] in 1944 in order to regulate their activity.<ref>J. Gordon Melton, Phillip Charles Lucas, Jon R. Stone, ''Prime-time Religion: An Encyclopedia of Religious Broadcasting'', Oryx Press, USA, 1997, p. 383</ref>

With the founding of the NAE, American Protestantism was divided into three large groups&mdash;the fundamentalists, the modernists, and the new evangelicals, who sought to position themselves between the other two. In 1947 Harold Ockenga coined the term '''neo-evangelicalism'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> to identify a movement distinct from fundamentalism. The neo-evangelicals had three broad characteristics that distinguished them from the conservative fundamentalism of the ACCC:

{{ordered list | They encouraged engagement in social concerns; | They promoted high standards of academic scholarship; and | They rejected the ecclesiastical separatism promoted by McIntire,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.amcouncilcc.org/constitution.asp |title=Constitution of the American Council of Christian Churches |last=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=American Council of Christian Churches |access-date=December 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722180937/http://www.amcouncilcc.org/constitution.asp |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}</ref> often pursuing collaboration with others through parachurch organizations.{{sfn|Carpenter|1999|p=240}}}}

Each of these characteristics took concrete shape by the mid-1950s. In 1947 [[Carl F. H. Henry]]'s book ''The Uneasy Conscience of Fundamentalism'' called on evangelicals to engage in addressing social concerns:

{{Blockquote | text=[I]t remains true that the evangelical, in the very proportion that the culture in which he lives is not actually Christian, must unite with non-evangelicals for social betterment if it is to be achieved at all, simply because the evangelical forces do not predominate. To say that evangelicalism should not voice its convictions in a non-evangelical environment is simply to rob evangelicalism of its missionary vision.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Henry |first=Carl F. H. |title=The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism |date=2004 |publisher=Eerdmans |isbn=080282661X |edition=reprint |location=Grand Rapids, MI |pages=80–81 |orig-year=1947}}</ref>}}

In the same year [[Fuller Theological Seminary]] was established with Ockenga as its president and Henry as the head of its theology department.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 194-0798-29, Düsseldorf, Veranstaltung mit Billy Graham.jpg|thumb|The evangelical revivalist [[Billy Graham]] in [[Duisburg]], Germany, 1954.]]

The strongest impetus, however, was the development of the work of [[Billy Graham]]. In 1951, with producer Dick Ross, he founded the film production company [[World Wide Pictures]].<ref>John Lyden, ''The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film'', Taylor & Francis, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2009, p. 82</ref> Graham had begun his career with the support of McIntire and fellow conservatives [[Bob Jones Sr.]] and [[John R. Rice (pastor)|John R. Rice]]. However, in broadening the reach of his London crusade of 1954, he accepted the support of denominations that those men disapproved of. When he went even further in his 1957 New York crusade, conservatives strongly condemned him and withdrew their support.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=William |title=A Prophet with Honor: The Billy Graham Story |date=1991 |publisher=William Morrow |location=New York |pages=218–224}}</ref>{{sfn|Marsden|1987|pp=159–160}} According to William Martin:

{{Blockquote | text=The New York crusade did not cause the division between the old Fundamentalists and the New Evangelicals; that had been signaled by the nearly simultaneous founding of the NAE and McIntire's American Council of Christian Churches 15 years earlier. But it did provide an event around which the two groups were forced to define themselves.<ref>Martin, ''A Prophet with Honor'', 224.</ref>}}

A fourth development—the founding of ''[[Christianity Today]]'' (''CT'') with Henry as its first editor—was strategic in giving neo-evangelicals a platform to promote their views and in positioning them between the fundamentalists and modernists. In a letter to Harold Lindsell, Graham said that ''CT'' would:

{{Blockquote | text=plant the evangelical flag in the middle of the road, taking a conservative theological position but a definite liberal approach to social problems. It would combine the best in liberalism and the best in fundamentalism without compromising theologically.<ref>Billy Graham to Harold Lindsell, January 25, 1955, Harold Lindsell papers, Billy Graham Center Archive, Collection 192; quoted in Marsden, ''Reforming Fundamentalism'', p. 158.</ref>}}

The postwar period also saw growth of the [[ecumenical movement]] and the founding of the [[World Council of Churches]], which the Evangelical community generally regarded with suspicion.<ref>Martin Marty states, "To find foils on the church front, evangelicals have to exaggerate the power of the World Council of Churches and almost invent power for the National Council of Churches." Marty, "The Years of the Evangelicals." ''Christian Century'' (1989) February 15, 1989, pp. 171–174.</ref>

In the United Kingdom, [[John Stott]] (1921–2011) and [[Martyn Lloyd-Jones]] (1899–1981) emerged as key leaders in Evangelical Christianity.

The charismatic movement began in the 1960s and resulted in the introduction of Pentecostal theology and practice into many mainline denominations. New charismatic groups such as the [[Association of Vineyard Churches]] and [[Newfrontiers]] trace their roots to this period (see also [[British New Church Movement]]).

The closing years of the 20th century saw controversial [[postmodern]] influences entering some parts of Evangelicalism, particularly with the [[emerging church]] movement. Also controversial is the relationship between spiritualism and contemporary military metaphors and practices animating many branches of Christianity but especially relevant in the sphere of Evangelicalism. [[Spiritual warfare]] is the latest iteration in a long-standing partnership between religious organization and [[militarization]], two spheres that are rarely considered together, although aggressive forms of prayer have long been used to further the aims of expanding Evangelical influence. Major moments of increased political militarization have occurred concurrently with the growth of prominence of militaristic imagery in evangelical communities. This paradigmatic language, paired with an increasing reliance on sociological and academic research to bolster militarized sensibility, serves to illustrate the violent ethos that effectively underscores militarized forms of evangelical prayer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McAlister |first=Elizabeth |date=2015 |title=The militarization of prayer in America: white and Native American spiritual warfare |journal=Journal of Religious and Political Practice |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=114–130 |doi=10.1080/20566093.2016.1085239|doi-access=free }}</ref>
[[File:Lakewood worship.jpg|thumb|An [[evangelical charismatic movement|evangelical charismatic]] [[Worship service (evangelicalism)|worship service]] at [[Lakewood Church]], Houston, Texas, in 2013]]

===21st century===
In Nigeria, evangelical [[megachurches]], such as [[Redeemed Christian Church of God]] and [[Living Faith Church Worldwide]], have built autonomous cities with houses, supermarkets, banks, universities, and power plants.<ref name="s2">Ruth Maclean, [https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/11/eat-pray-live-lagos-nigeria-megachurches-redemption-camp Eat, pray, live: the Lagos megachurches building their very own cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912211615/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/11/eat-pray-live-lagos-nigeria-megachurches-redemption-camp |date=September 12, 2017 }}, theguardian.com, UK, September 11, 2017</ref>

Evangelical Christian film production societies were founded, such as [[Pure Flix]] in 2005 and [[Kendrick Brothers]] in 2013.<ref>Jim Wallace, [https://www.walb.com/story/21935069/kendrick-brothers-want-to-train-next-generation-of-christian-film-makers/ Kendrick brothers want to train next generation of Christian film makers], walb.com, USA, April 10, 2013</ref><ref>Mia Galuppo, [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/faith-based-company-pure-flix-841122 Faith-Based Company Pure Flix Launches Theatrical Distribution Arm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811225558/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/faith-based-company-pure-flix-841122 |date=August 11, 2017 }}, hollywoodreporter.com, USA, November 17, 2015</ref>

The growth of evangelical churches continues with the construction of new places of [[Worship service (evangelicalism)|worship]] or enlargements in various regions of the world.<ref>Marie Malzac, [https://www.la-croix.com/Religion/France/En-France-evangeliques-consolident-leur-croissance-2017-01-04-1200814724 En France, les évangéliques consolident leur croissance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220161317/https://www.la-croix.com/Religion/France/En-France-evangeliques-consolident-leur-croissance-2017-01-04-1200814724 |date=February 20, 2021 }}, la-croix.com, France, January 4, 2017</ref><ref>Nioni Masela, [http://adiac-congo.com/content/architecture-un-temple-de-trois-mille-places-erige-righini-24592 Architecture : un temple de trois mille places érigé à Righini] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103085306/http://adiac-congo.com/content/architecture-un-temple-de-trois-mille-places-erige-righini-24592 |date=November 3, 2020 }}, adiac-congo.com, Congo-Kinshasa, December 9, 2014</ref><ref>Marie-Ève Cousineau, [http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/mauricie/2013/11/17/003-eglises-evangeliques-populaires.shtml La montée des églises évangéliques] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315130549/http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/mauricie/2013/11/17/003-eglises-evangeliques-populaires.shtml |date=March 15, 2016 }}, radio-canada.ca, Canada, November 17, 2013</ref>