evangelicalism

The beliefs of some Protestant Christian movements that stress biblical authority, faith, and the personal commitment of the ‘born again’ experience.

Evangelical groups constituted the fastest-growing part of American Christianity during the 1970s and 1980s; their influence was spread through Bible colleges, Christian publishing houses and bookstores, television evangelism, and missionary efforts.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which has 5.2 million members, voted in August 1997 to merge with the Presbyterian Church (USA), with 2.7 million members, the United Church of Christ, with 1.5 million members, and the Reformed Church in America, with 400,000 members. The churches agreed to share clergy and enter into full communion.