By Ed Vasicek on
Forum category
Fundamentalism & Evangelicalism
Featured Poll

In this poll, we are not talking about who is saved or which is best. We are asking for your understanding of GROUPS that, by and large, can be described as evangelical. We obviously cannot list all choices. And we are assuming that evangelical is the broad term, and that fundamentalism is a sub-category of evangelical.

We are talking about the term as used in the United States. For example, in Europe, the term “evangelical” has traditionally been the preferred term for Protestant.

But, as you use the term, which is the first group that you would feel comfortable describing as “evangelical.” We know there are plenty of exceptions, so let’s no go there.

Where does the appropriate use of the term "evangelical," (denominationally) as used in the United States, begin? (Not the same as asking "who is saved")

Conservative Roman Catholics and conservative orthodox
0% (0 votes)
Conservative Anglicans and/or conservative Episcopalians
17% (1 vote)
Conservative Lutherans
33% (2 votes)
Conservative Reformed/Presbyterians, Charismatic, Baptist, Nondenom, etc.
50% (3 votes)
Other
0% (0 votes)
Total votes: 6

Discussion

Sun, 07/05/26

It’s an interesting question, and a bit difficult.

I read a series of novels by Dorothy Sayers recently. They were written in UK in the late 1920s. In the characters’ perspectives at the time, there were Catholics, Church of England (I’m not sure if the term ‘protestant’ is used much… don’t recall) and “evangelicals.” Inferring from the references, Sayers’ perspective seemed to be that evangelicals were everybody who was Christian an independent. So, not Catholic, not Church of England, presumably not Lutheran or Presbyterian or the various Reformed. Seems like they were using the term for “nondenominational.”

Either that or they meant something closer to “revivalist.”

I have often wished I could sit down and have a chat with Dorothy Sayers. Very interesting mind.

All of that to say I think there is a way to sort of home in on a pretty strong answer based on English history. There was an ‘evangelical’ movement at the turn of the century in England, I’m inferring, and that’s probably where the English term was born.

(I wonder if CH Spurgeon used the term… much earlier than Sayers’ era.)

So that would be a historico-linguistic answer. But there is also a theological way to answer it. Evangelical comes from euangelion, so the first evangelicals were the twelve apostles, in that sense—those who preached the gospel.

But the term does have a more recent history, so I think it’s better to answer it that way, probably.

(Edit, I would probably get the whole historic/linguistic answer from Gemini or Claude, but right now I’m just enjoying being curious.)

Edit: Somehow I forgot about the ‘as used in the United States’ part. 😆
So in the U.S. I’d have to say the Anglicans who came to Jamestown were the first evangelicals.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.