Evangelism

Clarification

This Anglo-Saxon direction is generally evoked in the expressions like “Christianity evangelic” or “(them) evangelic”. However, the claim with being evangelic overflows the framework of the communities specifically called like such, so that, more largely, “evangelic” can, and in certain connections would have, being included/understood like a manner of saying and of living the faith which crosses various denominations. For this reason, one will consider by preoccupation with a clearness that the distinction is to be operated between “ Églises of professing ” on a side (which is evangelic Églises in a strict sense), and, beyond the circles strictly evangelic, a evangelic tendency broader in Protestantism (with individual Churches or established Churches being, so evangelic tendency).

Many amalgams are however due to the polysemia of the term and the confusion generated by its use in circumstances which are never recut completely. The evangelism is not to be confused with

the protesting conservatism, which is a tendency sticking to the importance of a more traditional comprehension of the focal points of the Christianisme (mainly on Christ and its person). It does not remain about it less than conservatism on doctrinal questions, at the same time as the Progressisme about ritual questions or of theology practices for example, often influenced the evangelic evolution of the movement in Europe, and more tardily (Années 1920 and 1930) with the the United States;
the protesting Fundamentalism, which is current a theological private individual of the Protestantism evangelic, marked here in particular by the biblical Littéralisme and the protest, but that one finds in other Christian confessions like in other religions;
the evangelization - There is sometimes confusion between “evangelists” (which refers to the evangelization) and “evangelic”.

The series of articles on the evangelism relates to with the first chief the Churches of professing, “core evangelic, separated from the established Churches”. One could not however overlook unavoidable fastenings which exist between the Churches of professing and the other Churches of evangelic tendency but not being called like such, particularly within the established Churches. One will thus treat also these last, without thus missing speaking about broadest the evangelic tendency . passage will be probably to adapt and insert in the part treating of the evangelism in the world

From a lexical point of view, English makes the distinction between the adjectives evangelical (“evangelic”, “of the Gospel” or “the Gospels”; but sometimes also means as adherent substantive an “with Christianity evangelic”) and evangelistic (“related to the promotion of the Prédication and the dissemination of the Christian Gospel”), that the French names evangelist . In French, from a European point of view, the term is lexicalement closer to the German evangelisch (adjectival) or Evangelisch (in) (substantive) which in Germany indicates in a generic way the Protestants (Lutherans and reformed). One notes however since the Années 1980 that the German Protestant historical currents prefer to name protestantisch .

“Évangélique” is thus a generic term. It indicates today in the areas with prevalence of Germanic languages (Germany, Scandinavian Europe, England the Lutherans and reformed, the dominant form of the Christianisme resulting from the Réforme ((15th and 16th centuries). With the the United States, with the Canada, in South Africa, Australia, it characterizes a singular and frequently preserving standpoint in Protestant Christianity.

It is at such a point that elsewhere in the world the term “evangelic” can be simply taken as Synonyme with “Protestant”. For example, in Belgium one speaks readily about the worship Protestant-évangélique; in much of French-speaking countries in Africa, the evangelic Church indicates the whole of the Christian Churches not catholic recognized (in other words, Protestant Churches). --> A “religion of the choice”

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Evangelic churches - ecclesiologic Approach

See also: Organization of the evangelic Churches

Henrik Lindell, French journalist, wrote in June 2006 in the columns of the catholic magazine Christian Témoignage :

The whole of the confused evangelic Churches all represents today around 500 million people in the world, placing them at the second rank among the religions resulting from Christianity, after the Catholicisme. The world evangelic of today is a true mosaic. It reigns there an immense diversity, energy of people extremely open on the level theological and oecumenical, with others extremely closed from these points of view, but between the two, there is place for the variety. And variety there is also in the organization: épiscopaliennes (under the authority of only one, the bishop), presbytériennes (authority of the council of old) or congregationalist (authority of the whole of the members of the assembly).

Although there are certain points that almost each evangelic denomination division with others (Churches of professing, principal points of the profession of faith…), these Churches are thus characterized by a very great diversity, as well in the organization as in the dogmas of faith, as in the report/ratio with the Bible, the social questions or the oecumenism.

Approaches historical

See also: evangelic History of the movement

In Europe, the birth of the evangelic Churches is as from the 18th century and is resulting from the traditional Protestant Churches (Anglican, reformed, Lutheran). One cannot allot their birth to only one event in particular, but the radical Reform, the wars of Gueux, the catch of party of Luther in favor of the German nobility have their share there.

One can quote the important names Anglo-American thinkers John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Smith Wigglesworth who are regarded as founders of the evangelic faith.

Theological approach

Profession of faith: an invaluable heritage

It is a report impossible to circumvent: among the Christians, and even among the Protestants, the évangéliques ones are characterized particularly by their piety and the place which they grant to the practice of their religion. That is so true that the sociologists most noticed could not really give of another distinction of the evangelic identity that in what the évangéliques ones believe.

Thus is not it unjust to mention at which point what one can call “evangelic theology” supports initially on a profession of faith, singularly carrying identification, since it is this crucial importance of the profession of faith itself which allows certain evangelic socioreligieuses characteristics the such Interdénominationalisme, the oecumenism of the converts, and the thought globalist.

The evangelic profession of faith, or the expression of the points of faith in which all the évangéliques ones are found and which founds evangelic theology, is built on

le Biblicisme : considerations on the centrality of the Bible and the approach that one has some (study, interpretation), called Bibliologie;
une Christologie preserving : which includes the virginal birth of the Christ and the principle of the Incarnation, the reality and the historicity of its miracles and especially of its Résurrection, the variable considerations on the relation between the accounts of the Gospel and the reality of the life of Jesus;
la doctrines of the Sacrifice of subrogation of Christ : “Attached to the Cross for me/It took my sin, it delivered me”
le conversion nism : “to recognize” the work of Christ by repentance, and to make the step of a personal choice “to receive” the “gift” of the inalienable hello corresponds to a new birth (or regeneration in theological language), indissociable of the quality of Christian.

One cannot continue without adding to it other elements of expression of the traditional Christian faith and Protestant Reform, less private individuals with the évangéliques ones:

the Trinity
the Justification and the principle of the Hello by the Faith and not by works
the principle of the “invisible” or “spiritual” Church, called universal Church .

Into sociology of the religions, these points of faith result in sociological attitudes which make it possible to identify a behavior sociologiquement evangelic. detailed Article: Sociology of the movements evangelic.

Melting pot of theological orientations

All the confused evangelic tendencies, that they raise of the Churches of professing or other denominations, are found in the large features of what one can describe as evangelic theology. In fact, there is no evangelic authority ruling on the doctrines; it is a typical feature of the Protestantisme. One cannot indicate single reference for evangelic theology, although certain Churches decide collégialement for their communities of the doctrinal orientations whose application can sometimes go until being very rigorous, even inflexible (leaving the Libre-pensée consequently that one recognizes like a base of the Protestant thought ).

It is differently that it should be said that the evangelic tendencies find in their theology a variable amount of the large currents of Protestantism. It results from it that the observer aguerri will recognize in evangelic theology the leg

of the Piétisme;
of the Conservatism;
of the Progressionism;
of the Christian Existentialisme;
of the social Christianity (more particularly, of social theology wesley enne);
of other more minor influences;

currents to which each denomination can draw variablement, by articulating them most of the time with principal theologies which found their denomination (Calvinisme, Méthodisme, Luthéranisme, Baptisme, Pentecôtisme).

Doctrinalism and rigorism

Since second half of the 20th century, the Protestants test more and more difficulty of reflecting in terms of Doctrine when it is question of the principal beliefs. The question arises with more acuity for the évangéliques ones which, by the tradition of attachment to the traditional expressions of the Christian faith, the fear of the Hérésie S and the authority conferred on the Bible, constituted a body of beliefs considered as essential. Thus at more Fundamentalist S, certain points of doctrines appear closer to Dogme S (in the design Catholique which it is necessary A) when their comprehension and their interpretation are made in a rigorous way. It is in these currents that the border between theology , doctrines and dogma is thinnest and most confused.

Without disavowing the essential character of the evangelic profession of faith, other currents evangelic more sensitive to the Progressisme periodically revealed their opening to reflections more Critique S on the “Christian truths”, in a step of defense of these truths (insistence on the “judicious doctrines”, sound doctrines ). The rise in force of this current - from now on majority - evangelism started to be shown in particular with the the United States (although this current existed in Europe, more silently, but since longer) as from the years 1920-1930. It is in this time that a marked divorce was consumed between evangelic fundamentalist and called “the neo-evangelicalists”, that one will name more conveniently evangelic moderate . In the years 1960-1970, the first generations formed in the United States with this critical approach, challenged by the Secularization of the american company and by the movements of counter-culture, launched a revival of the Christian Apologétique (apologetic from now on enriched by the scientific Démarche), in a movement tending to impose the concept of doctrines like true and rational belief , to which one adheres by reasoning and conviction rather than by blind faith.

A plural Christian mobility

The diversity of these movements is to be allotted to a characteristic even one of the pillars of Protestantism, the Sola Scriptura (“the Writing alone”), establishing the Bible like the supreme authority as regards faith (other than the Tradition, in rupture with the Roman Catholicism) and the ultimate base of this one, associated with a deliberate choice for the Libre examination: the believer has to read the Bible for itself and to forge his opinion on the basis of of his own criticism and lightings of the specialists. It is thus starting from divergent interpretations of certain particular points of the biblical writings (of the protesting gun), or then of emphase on certain nondoctrinal points which can be or not be disputed, that different schools constituted in Churches, called denominations.

“Denominations”

To date, the principal evangelic denominations are:

Baptists

Mennonites or Anabaptists

See also: Amish, Hutterite, Doukhobors, Brethren

Movement rested by Christians reformed of Western Europe (Swiss, France, Belgium, Netherlands) at the 16th century; figurehead: the Dutch reformer Menno Simons with which one owes the title of this denomination. Strictly not violent ones, the mennonites were as of their appearance the partisans of a radical separation between the religious order and the political order, preferring to turn to pacifism and the social action, according to the design of the teaching Gospel that a Christian must bear fruit. At the same time, they conceive that the baptism can be received only after request, by an agreeing adult, unacceptable thing for practically all at the time; they thus do not hesitate to preach the Re-baptism of the adults (from where their other name of anabaptists , literally “Re-baptizers”). This radical attitude was worth to them sharp dissensions of the other movements Protestant (mainly Lutherans and calvinists), combined with the hostilities of the catholics, who confined them in a secret practice of their faith, and pushed a good number of them to be exiled in North America. The mennonites today represent a rather reduced branch of Protestantism (1 million members), though their sharp engagement for the social action and the 'apolitical attitude was translated into associations and reflection on the great questions in the modern society.

Adventist of the Seventh Day (or simply “adventists”)

Movement resulting from the preaching of the American William Miller (1782-1849), strongly directed towards the Christian Eschatologie , in particular preaching the return in glory of the Christ on ground (in Latin Secundum Adventum Christi , from where the name of adventists). He was a certain success since 50 000 Millerites are acquired with its cause in less than fifteen years. On the basis of calculation starting from the Bible (especially the prophetic book of Daniel), it advanced that the Second Advent (or Second Arrival) of Christ was to be held in 1844, this event being actually announced in the Bible but without explicit dating.

The history having given him wrong, great disappointment gave a severe blow to the popularity of the millerism. Ellen White (1827 - 1915) will play a big role, if not determining, in the Re-popularization of the movement by stressing the mistakes in interpretation of Miller and especially the attachment at the respect of the day of Saturday (seventh day of the Jewish week ) as a day of the rest rather than the Sunday). Of aucuns, in the protesting medium, regarded the adventism as a Secte.

The principal doctrinal dissensions with the other movements evangelic concerned:

authority that the faithful ones to Ellen White give which regards it as a prophetess,
its doctrinal standpoint on the Sabbat,
the rigor of the vestimentary codes and lifestyle (formal prohibition of the consumption of the Tabac and alcoholic drinks),
the insulation of with the other Christians,
the tendency to Légalisme (here, an attachment considered erroneous and too large with the Jewish Law , or Torah).

One however observed in this mobility a tendency to bringing together towards Protestant Christianity. On its side, the remainder of Protestantism during the last decades more and more joined the opinion of the adventists on the imminence of the Second Arrival of Christ, announcing according to the Bible the end of time and the Judgment. The adventists gave up certain positions which were the subject of reproaches like the excess of leadership and direction. Nevertheless, their position did not really change concerning the Sabbath, the codes vestimentary or the consumption of alcohol, for example. It follows that the adventists are probably the Protestants who have the most doctrinal dissensions with the remainder of the évangéliques ones, so that their classification among the évangéliques ones always does not go from oneself. Nevertheless, it is to the adventists that one owes an important part of the literature and thought eschatologic contemporary Christian woman, and a stronger emphase on the judaïque heritage of Christianity and the Christian doctrines.

Méthodistes

Founded by the English preacher John Wesley (1703 - 1791), which did not have as an aiming to create a new Church, in England and in the American colonies. John Wesley is often regarded as one of the pioneers of Christianity evangelic (although this last did not carry yet of name at the time). The appearance of the methodism and the design of Wesley are, indeed, characteristic of principal features of Christianity evangelic: importance of personal conversion, the life and the testimony of faith, the study of the Bible, the music for the praise and the worship and of the social engagement of christic inspiration , and especially of the “Annunciation” (or: Preaching) of the Christian Gospel, or evangelization.

It is advisable to note the current influence of the Méthodisme on the “historical Churches” and its proximity with, in particular, the Churches reformed Anglicans or .

Pentecôtistes

Existing in a traditional form since the beginning of the 20th century, it is today one of the two principal mobilities spread by the charismatic Renouveau initiated in the years 1950, with the most success in the communities Afro-Americans of the the United States, but universally generalized and concerning same 60 million catholics. It is Douglas Scott and his wife, missionaries English, who made known the pentecotism in France in a community Baptiste with the Havre starting from January 1st, 1930.
The pentecotism puts the emphase on the Saint Spirit (considered like demonstration spiritual and continuous of God in the human history and the stories of the human lives) and its gifts, as presented in the New Testament, especially the writings pauliniens and the Acts of the Apostles (Glossolalie, miraculous cures, and even Résurrection S belongs to these gifts). It sticks, within the framework protesting - and even more since one movement called the “third vagueness” born in the United States in the Années 1980 - on the return in conformity possible to the primitive Église described in these books. In practice religious, it is distinguished extremely from traditional Protestantism by a dynamic worship, very emotional and charismatic, often pouring with the exaltation and the extase, even with the Transe. The pentecotism wiped many criticisms at its beginnings, mainly resulting from the rows pietists and Baptistes among the evangelic , which then regarded it as a deformation of Christian spirituality. Certain currents of inspiration pentecotist are regarded as sectarian by the Catholic church, even if none of them is regarded as such by the various communities pentecotists, nor by the Community Pentecôtiste Mondiale (World Pentecostal Fellowship).

Messianic Jews

The Messianic Judaism is a heteroclite whole of religious movements combining a Christian theology with a Jewish religious practice, in light of the Jews affirming the messianity of Yechoua (Jesus). These movements can comprise members in Juifs majority as well as of the Christian members in majority. The most known group, though not the most important of number, is very discussed Jews for Jesus. Its posted goals are to educate the Christians evangelic on the Jewish origins of their faith, and to convert the Jews with Christianity.

Though many Messianic Jews are ethniquement, and halakhiquement, Juifs (i.e. could be regarded as Juifs even according to the orthodoxe standards), the Messianic Judaism is not recognized as legitimate by some Jewish organization that it is, including the reformed Jews, with share two votes dissenting and marginal of reformed source or reconstructionnist, namely Rabbanit Carol Harris-Shapiro and Rav reformed daN Cohn-Sherbok.

The Messianic Jews generally recognize themselves for Christians, while stressing the importance of their Jewish identity which they make a point of preserving, like some of their traditions, in so far as they are in agreement with the Gospel.

The majority of the Messianic communities are gathered within the IMJA (International Messianic Jewish Alliance), whose seat is in the United States. The French branch of the IMJA is the AFJM (French-speaking Alliance of the Messianic Jews).

Before 1939, the number of Messianic Jews was estimated at 100.000. After the war and the Holocaust, communities reconstituted themselves in particular in the United States. Today they would be 500.000, mainly on the American continent.

Churches of the Alarm clock

The pentecotism gave place to the birth of what is called the Églises of the Alarm clock, a unit itself burst joining together a variety of unions of Churches and institutions of teaching. He knows today a great expansion in South America (especially with the Brésil) and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Churches librists, or evangelic Charismatic S

The second principal mobility born from the charismatic Revival initiated in the years 1950. They are characterized by a free liturgy (in the sense that it is flexible), few regulations, an organization of the associative type, and a predilection for the most modern methods of exercise of the worship and evangelization. In the absence of clear label, they are often them which will be declared “evangelic more directly”, as a catholic would be declared Christian.

Salvation Army ==== -->

Linked in diversities

Diversities which are reflected in social terms, cultural, political, ethnic and linguistic as much as dénominationnels pose with evangelic, paradoxically perhaps, no problem of a doctrinal nature. It is a direct consequence of another pillar of Protestantism, that of the Sola fide (“faith alone”) according to which, to say it simply, it does not matter the denomination of a person, it is its faith alone and not its actions which are seen by God like criterion to find favor in its eyes, and in the final analysis for its safety or not. The évangéliques ones are, it seems, the least sensitive to the cold to admit that the members of their Church or their denomination necessarily all will not be saved at the time of the Day of the Judgment. Also they prefer, without reference to denominations (and when well even Roman Catholicism is seen by them only like another denomination), speech of the Church (very short) so called universal Église following the Symbole of the apostles (“I believe in… the Holy universal Church…”), who am to be included/understood like the whole of “truths” believers as a Christ, saved by their faith.