Go Deeper · Culture & Society

On Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism has never been easy to define — and the current moment has made definition more urgent than ever. What is it, and is it still worth saving?

Curated by Christian Curator · Updated regularly

Last updated: April 17, 2026

TL;DR

The evangelical movement is experiencing significant division over politics, theology, and cultural engagement, leading many to question whether it remains a coherent movement. While some advocate for reform and return to theological essentials, others believe evangelicalism has fractured beyond repair and propose new frameworks for gospel-centered Christianity.

Evangelicalism is in crisis — or at least in a moment of unusually intense self-examination. The term, which once united a broad coalition of Protestants around a core of shared convictions (the authority of Scripture, the necessity of conversion, the centrality of the cross, the urgency of mission), now carries layers of political, cultural, and social association that have complicated its usefulness as a theological identifier. Many who hold evangelical convictions have begun to wonder whether the label is worth keeping.

The historians and theologians who study evangelicalism have generally worked with David Bebbington's quadrilateral: conversionism, activism, biblicism, and crucicentrism — the conviction that the new birth is necessary, that faith must issue in action, that Scripture is the supreme authority, and that the cross is central. That framework has served well as a descriptive tool, but it has also been criticized as too thin — allowing too much in without theological guardrails, and failing to capture the confessional depth that the best evangelical traditions have always possessed. The current debate is, at its core, about whether evangelicalism is a theological identity or a cultural one — and what to do if those two things have come apart.

Key Questions This Topic Addresses

What is the defining theological core of evangelicalism — and is Bebbington's quadrilateral sufficient?
How has evangelicalism's relationship with American politics reshaped (and damaged) its theological identity?
What is the difference between historical evangelicalism and what now often travels under that name?
Is there a meaningful distinction between evangelical and fundamentalist — and does it still hold?
Can evangelicalism be reformed from within, or has the movement lost its coherence?

The Evangelical Debate

Three Positions on Evangelical Identity

Evangelicals are increasingly divided over what their movement is and should be. The sharpest divides are between those who emphasize confessional theological commitments, those who stress historical sociology and diversity, and those who call for significant theological revision. Here are the three main positions shaping the conversation.

Position One

Historical/Confessional Evangelicalism

Carl Trueman, Michael Horton, D.A. Carson, Kevin DeYoung

True evangelicalism is defined by its confessional, theological commitments — not its cultural expressions, political affiliations, or media profiles. Trueman and Horton argue that what has gone wrong with American evangelicalism is precisely the replacement of robust theology with therapeutic individualism, political tribalism, and celebrity culture. The remedy is not to abandon the evangelical identity but to recover its historical substance: Reformation soteriology, a high view of Scripture, the ordinary means of grace, and ecclesial accountability. The movement needs theological depth, not progressive accommodation.

Key Reads

The Failure of Evangelical Elites (Trueman, First Things)What Is an Evangelical? (Ligonier)

Position Two

Sociological/Moderate Evangelicalism

Mark Noll, Timothy Larsen, David Bebbington, Thomas Kidd

Evangelicalism is best understood sociologically and historically — as a movement defined by certain family resemblances rather than a strict creedal formula. Noll and Larsen argue that the movement has always been more diverse than its critics admit, and that its problems today are not unique to it but are shared by all American Christianity. The way forward is not retreat to a confessional fortress but honest engagement with evangelical history — its genuine reforms and real failures — with a commitment to the core convictions the movement has always shared.

Key Reads

Does Evangelicalism Have a History? (Crossway)David Bebbington on Evangelical Preaching (TGC)

Position Three

Post-Conservative/Progressive Evangelicalism

Roger Olson, Scot McKnight, Brian McLaren

Evangelicalism needs significant reform — not just cultural but theological. Post-conservative evangelicals argue that the movement's commitments to biblical inerrancy (in its Chicago Statement form), complementarianism, and political conservatism are themselves historical accretions rather than essential convictions. They call for a more generous orthodoxy that remains committed to Scripture's authority and the gospel's centrality while reopening questions that the evangelical establishment has prematurely closed.

Key Reads

The Progressive Evangelical Package (Mere Orthodoxy)What Is an Evangelical? The Post-Conservative View (TGC)

What the Conversation Adds Up To

All three positions share a profound concern about evangelicalism's future. Whether emphasizing confessional recovery, historical honesty, or theological reform, serious evangelicals agree that something has gone wrong — that the word "evangelical" no longer carries the theological weight it once did, and that the movement's alignment with American political tribalism has caused real spiritual damage. The crisis is neither external nor merely sociological; it is fundamentally theological and institutional.

The path forward requires evangelicalism to recover what has always made it distinctive: uncompromising confidence in Scripture's authority, profound conviction about conversion and the cross, and the willingness to challenge culture rather than be captured by it. Whether that recovery happens through confessional deepening, historical reconstruction, or theological revision remains contested. But the movement cannot survive by remaining what it has become in recent decades — a political identity without theological substance, a tribe without conviction, a label that means everything to everyone and nothing to no one. Evangelicalism is worth saving, but only if evangelicals remember what they are supposed to be saved for.

The Evangelical Conversation, Curated

Who Are Evangelicals?

· Christianity Today

An essential starting point for understanding evangelicalism in 2025, this article examines recent Pew research data on who evangelicals actually are versus who they claim to be. The piece grapples with the gap between evangelical identity and evangelical belief, showing how polling data increasingly shows that the term correlates more with political identity than theological conviction. Critical reading for understanding why "evangelical" has become nearly unusable as a religious descriptor.

Defining Evangelical

· First Things

First Things offers a sharp analysis of why defining "evangelical" has become both more urgent and more difficult. The article traces the historical meaning of evangelicalism as a set of religious distinctives — emphasis on conversion, biblical authority, the cross, and active faith — and shows how those meanings have been displaced by political and cultural associations. A penetrating look at how words lose their meaning when they become tribal markers.

David Bebbington on Evangelical Preaching in North America

· The Gospel Coalition

Historian David Bebbington — author of the famous quadrilateral that defines evangelicalism — reflects on evangelical preaching traditions in North America. The article provides historical context for understanding evangelicalism not as a static creed but as a dynamic renewal movement marked by certain emphases and commitments. Essential for grasping how the Bebbington framework actually works and what it reveals about evangelical practice.

The Failure of Evangelical Elites

Carl Trueman · First Things

Carl Trueman, one of the leading voices calling for evangelicalism's recovery, analyzes the failure of evangelical leadership to maintain theological coherence and institutional integrity. Trueman argues that evangelical elites — both those attempting institutional renewal and those driving progressive change — have abandoned the theological and confessional resources necessary to resist cultural pressures. A challenging diagnosis of why evangelical institutions have become fragile.

Can Evangelicalism Be Defined?

· Crossway

Crossway tackles the fundamental question at the heart of evangelical identity: whether evangelicalism is a coherent theological movement that can be defined or whether it has become so diffuse that definition is no longer possible. The article surveys various attempts at definition — from Bebbington to contemporary proposals — and assesses their strengths and weaknesses, concluding that definition remains possible but only if evangelicalism returns to its theological moorings.

The Results from Our 2025 State of Theology Survey Are In

· Ligonier

Ligonier Ministries releases its annual State of Theology survey, which measures evangelical beliefs on core Christian doctrines. The 2025 results reveal deep theological confusion and inconsistency among those who identify as evangelical — showing that many hold positions directly contradictory to historic evangelical commitments. Data-driven evidence of the identity crisis within evangelicalism and what it means theologically.

The Loosening of American Evangelicalism

· Christianity Today

This article examines what has been lost — and gained — as evangelical norms have loosened in recent decades. The piece shows how the death of thick denominational identity and the rise of institutional fragility have paradoxically led some evangelicals to embrace older liturgical and confessional practices. A nuanced look at how evangelicalism is both fragmenting and, in some quarters, seeking deeper theological roots.

What Is an Evangelical? The Post-Conservative View

Trevin Wax · The Gospel Coalition

TGC editor Trevin Wax presents the post-conservative evangelical perspective — the position that calls for theological revision while remaining committed to biblical authority and the gospel. The article explains how post-conservatives differ from both confessional evangelicals (who resist theological change) and progressive evangelicals (who are willing to revise more substantially). Essential for understanding the middle ground in the evangelical debate.

Does Evangelicalism Have a History?

· Crossway

This article asks a deceptively simple question: what is evangelicalism's historical trajectory, and does it have a coherent story? The piece argues that understanding evangelicalism requires genuine historical engagement rather than mere assertion of contemporary positions. It shows how evangelicals have always been diverse, yet also shows what theological commitments have actually held the movement together across generations.

What Is an Evangelical?

· Ligonier

Ligonier offers a direct, theologically grounded answer to the question "What is an evangelical?" The article returns evangelicalism to its doctrinal foundations — conversionism, biblicism, crucicentrism, and activism — and argues that these are not arbitrary traditions but gospel-defining convictions. A clear statement of what evangelicalism should be based on its own theological claims and historical commitments.