In endeavoring to account for the identity of global evangelicalism today, considering the usage and significance of the term “evangelicals” in various heritages of centuries past is essential to understanding the evangelical identity that followed. The designation “evangelicals” existed well before the use of the term to characterize the eighteenth-century Great Awakenings or before its more modern usage to designate church or political identification. Of particular interest, which this paper will explore, is the use of “evangelicals” both by and for the protagonists of the sixteenth-century English Reformation. This paper will investigate the theological identity of these self-described “evangelicals” by contrasting the designation with terms used for their theological opponents who were labeled either “traditionalist” or “conservative.” In examining how the language of “evangelicals” was used to construct identity, this paper will conclude that the central Reformation tenets of sola Scriptura, sola fide, and sola Christus form critical aspects of the group’s sixteenth-century distinctiveness as “evangelicals.” It will also conclude that these theological principles significantly contribute to the identity of global evangelicalism.
By utilizing the methodologies of historical studies, historical theology, and biblical studies, this paper will explore the significance of the term “evangelicals” in the early English Reformation, including the practice of early English Reformers such as Thomas Cranmer self-identifying as “evangelical.” This paper will draw on the evangelical history and theology particularly explored by Diarmaid MacCulloch, who argues that “evangelical” most accurately describes the early sixteenth-century English reformers because it encompasses the primary concerns of the movement, and Ashley Null, who traces “evangelical” to Luther’s “evangelish” to describe the general Protestant movement based on the New Testament’s “euangelion.” As such, this paper will argue that “evangelicals” is an accurate historical term for the early English Reformers and the movement they shaped and led and that the use and significance of the term create a more robust understanding of what it means to be evangelical in the following centuries. In demonstrating that global evangelicalism owes a significant part of its legacy to these early “evangelicals,” this paper aims to contribute to a more robust understanding of the religious and theological history of global evangelicalism and to encourage further investigation into the multi-faceted heritages of the global evangelical movement.