Are Protestants Evangelical? And are Evangelicals Protestant?
While Protestantism and Evangelicalism share historical and theological roots, they are not identical. Protestantism emerged from the sixteenth-century Reformation, characterized by the Five Solas—faith, grace, Scripture, Christ, and God’s glory alone—and emphasized the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, and continuity with historic orthodoxy. Evangelicalism later emerged as a movement within Protestantism, centered on Biblicism, Crucicentrism, Conversionism, and Activism. The two overlap in rejecting Roman Catholic dogma and affirming salvation by faith, yet diverge as Evangelicalism often prioritizes personal experience, revivalism, and innovation over historical theology and ecclesial order. Some Protestants reject the Evangelical label due to modern theological drift, while some Evangelicals dismiss the Protestant title as outdated, favoring renewal and cultural adaptability. Evangelicalism is at its healthiest when it is consciously Protestant—rooted in Reformation convictions—while Protestantism remains vital when it is truly Evangelical in its gospel mission.
With the emergence of distinctly Protestant apologists and the expansion of online apologetics, it’s essential to understand the key distinctions among Christian groups to avoid inappropriate or unfair assessments. Eastern Orthodox Christians, for example, are often characterized as being basically Roman Catholic by those who simply don’t know any better. The truth is, the schism between the churches happened before many caricatures of Roman Catholocism emerged, so there is significant difference between the two groups. Similarly, Evangelicals and Protestants are often conflated, although this distinction is more nuanced and challenging to define. The Orthodox and Catholic churches divided regionally (for the most part) and doctrinally in what became known as the Great Schism (1054). However, Evangelicalism gradually emerged from Protestantism in the years following the Reformation, in some ways as a consequence of core Protestant beliefs, which would later be compromised or innovated in many Evangelical circles. The result is that there are few Protestants who reject the label “Evangelical” and few Evangelicals who reject the label “Protestant.” Yet, most happily understand themselves as both Protestant and Evangelical, while holding to beliefs that vary in ways from both theological traditions! Place “Protestant” and “Evangelical” in the two circles of a Venn diagram, and you’ll invariably find a great deal of overlap and yet, in individual congregations, a great deal of difference.
So I pose these two questions:
Are Protestants Evangelical?
And are Evangelicals Protestant?
I ask for this reason: It’s far too easy to make generalizations about one or both traditions and, invariably, this will never be an accurate way to assess either group, for reasons that will become clear. Far more helpful is to identify the primary convictions that undergird any doctrine or practice in question, rather than to criticize the groups as a whole. We’ll begin with an explanation of each movement, followed by their overlap, and points where the two traditions diverge, before drawing some brief conclusions.
What is a Protestant?
The term “Protestant” was first used in the early years of the Reformation in the 16th century, referring to groups that were separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Specifically, the term originated in 1529 after a formal “protest” at the Second Diet of Speyer, following the loss of the right to determine religious positions independently. A key characteristic of Protestantism is the belief in the priesthood of all believers, which grants individual Christians direct access to God and the freedom to interpret Scripture independently of pundit authority. However, this tendency towards autonomy has led to both innovative approaches and the fracturing of Christian denominations. Most notably, Protestants do not recognize papal authority, emphasize the role of the Bible and grace, and believe that faith, not good works, justifies the Christian in the eyes of God. Protestants view the Good News of Jesus—particularly his atoning death and resurrection—as the core of their biblical tradition, not entirely unlike the Evangelicals, but subject to historical and literary understanding.
Classically, Protestant doctrine is defined by the Five Solas of the Reformation:
Sola Fide: Christians are justified by faith alone, not even partially, based on good works. For early Protestants, faith rarely meant mere intellectual ascent, but conscious and convictional trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
Sola Gratia: Salvation is credited to man only according to the grace of God in Jesus Christ and not human merit. This does not mean that good works play no role in the Christian life, but that whatever goodness exists in works, they do not merit salvation; it is the gift of God.
Sola Scriptura: Scripture is the only source of infallible revelation and is sufficient for Christian faith and practice. This is not to say that divine revelation cannot or does not come through any other means, but that these means, however valid they may be, cannot be infallible, whether they are seen as gifts of the Spirit or direction from ecclesiastical sources.
Soli Deo Gloria: All glory is reserved for God alone and should not be given to any other person or being, including Mary, saints, other deceased relatives, or angels. Protestants tend not to acknowledge the fine line between veneration and worship, often rejecting all forms of iconography, statuary, and depictions of Christ, as these compromise the doctrine of Soli Deo Gloria.
Solus Christus: Christ is the only mediator between God and human beings, apart from a priestly class or sacraments. This is discussed both in the context of a human priesthood and in the practice of praying through saints and angels in historical Christian traditions.
The Protestant Reformation was a multifaceted movement, led by independent but correlated Reformers. The intent was aimed at reclaiming the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) after the institutional accretions of the Roman Catholic Church in the Medieval period. The following is a list of the most discussed Reformers and the movements they influenced, all of which shared at least some of the core convictions of the Five Solas.
Martin Luther (1483–1546), Lutheranism.
John Calvin (1509–1564), Calvinism, or the Reformed tradition.
Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531), Swiss Reformed tradition.
Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556), Anglicanism.
John Knox (c. 1514–1572), Presbyterianism.
A Protestant may belong to any number of Christian denominations or even belong to a non-denominational Church. Yet, you can see many of the historical denominations represented in the short list of Reformers above. Any member of those churches and more ought to consider themselves a Protestant.
What is an Evangelical?
In everyday use, “Evangelicalism” refers to the doctrines, practices, and history of a modern form of Protestantism that emerged from the Reformation movement and describes the majority of modern Protestantism today. Though the Five Solas characterize Protestant theology, Evangelicalism is characterized by four core beliefs, each of which is closely related to practice. These are the four beliefs from David Bebbington’s quadrilateral of priorities (See David Bebbington’s The Evangelical Quadrilateral, 2021) that have come to define evangelicalism:
Biblicism: A high regard for the Bible as the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, which is central to understanding the gospel. The Evangelical emphasis on the Bible assumes a nuanced character in many, if not most, Evangelical churches, focusing on a literalistic interpretation of Scripture rather than reading Scripture within its historical context. Evangelical biblicism aligns well with the discontinuity of a dispensational reading of Scripture, as it permits historical innovation, since the Scriptures must clearly teach the truth, even if historical interpretations are challenged.
Crucicentrism: The belief in the importance of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross as the means by which humanity’s sins are atoned for and salvation is made possible. The cross is most certainly central to the work of Christ; however, a cruciform reading of Scripture often hijacks the biblical narrative, centralizing the Christian faith, not on the meaning or fruits of the crucifixion, but on the event itself. For this reason, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, which has a historical form in early Christianity as well as early Protestantism, becomes the only way to understand the biblical text and the lens through which every other text is read. This flattens the Gospel and diminishes the value of the biblical narrative. In contrast, the biblical authors present a more comprehensive, multifaceted view of the atonement, as presented in The Gospel Is Bigger Than You Think (Anthony Delgado, 2024).
Conversionism: The emphasis on a personal and transformative experience of being “born again” (John 3:3) through faith in Jesus Christ, which is essential for salvation. Evangelicals rightly emphasize the need for Christian conversion, leaving behind the old man and putting on Christ. This doctrine of conversion is vital for the recovery of mission among Evangelical churches, as sinners are called out of the world and offered the forgiveness of sins. Where Evangelical Churches frequently engage in social and political agendas, often blurring the lines between politics and religion, they intend to keep the mission of God for the world (the Gospel and the Great Commission) separate from the mission of God in the world (outreach).
Activism: A commitment to actively sharing the good news of the gospel and engaging in social and political issues in daily life. Many Evangelicals inconsistently condemn activism because activists are liberals, yet they themselves operate food pantries and other help ministries for their communities. This is because many liberal mainlines have redefined the biblical Gospel around activist agendas. Yet, the Evangelical understanding of Scripture is one where those whom Christ has rescued become the hands and feet of Christ, ministering to the broken world around them. The Evangelical rightly wants to keep their activism subject to their doctrine of conversion.
These core beliefs manifest practically in several key ways:
Evangelicals focus on presenting and experiencing a personally meaningful relationship with Christ.
They view the Bible as a supreme authority, often emphasizing a literalistic reading.
Christ’s cross is at the center of worship, emphasizing Christ’s suffering and death “for me” personally, often to the neglect of the covenantal implications of the crucifixion for the people of God.
Confidence and energy for the Christian mission drive evangelicals to serve Christ globally according to the Great Commission.
Notice, Evangelicalism is not a specific denomination, but rather a movement within Christianity that encompasses various denominations with similar doctrinal beliefs. Remarkably, Evangelicalism has proven to be a dynamic worldwide movement, having first emerged in the eighteenth century as a movement organized around a simple gospel message, capable of transcending boundaries between churches, classes, countries, languages, and cultures. There are Evangelical Baptists, Evangelical Pentecostals, Evangelical Presbyterians, and even Evangelical Catholics.
Where do Protestants and Evangelicals necessarily agree?
Evangelicals have a history in Protestantism, specifically in their rejection of particular Roman Catholic Doctrines (which, of course, makes Evangelical Catholicism somewhat unusual). Both Protestant and Evangelical churches share a rejection of the Roman Catholic dogma on at least four key issues: what a person must do to be saved, the nature of religious authority, the nature of the church, and the essence of Christian living.
The doctrine of salvation. According to the Roman Catholic Church, justification before God is essentially achieved through a combination of faith and good works or Christian charity. The Protestant Reformers, however, sharply disagree, teaching that justification in God’s sight comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. While good works are the fruit of this relationship, they are incapable of obtaining it. Historical Protestantism affirms that good works are the result of sola fide, or salvation through faith alone, and teaches that good works are a necessary response to God’s grace. However, many Evangelicals will affirm a free-grace soteriology, teaching only a minor synergism, where repentance and good works do not necessarily follow faith. Still, mere belief or profession is necessary for salvation. Therefore, some evangelicals may diverge from the historical Protestant position on this point.
Religious authority. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christians learn what they must believe and how they must live from the sacred institution of the Church as established by Jesus Christ through Peter and his successors, the bishops of Rome. Protestant Reformers, however, argued that Christians find all truth necessary for their faith and behavior in one source: the Bible, the written Word of God, understanding scripture, not as the only source of divine revelation, but as the primary reliable source. However, many in Evangelical traditions will reject sola scriptura, claiming that divine revelation through prophetic utterance, visions, the interpretation of tongues, or the unction of the Holy Spirit bears similar or even higher authority. They argue that the text of Scripture should not bind the Church, but rather normatively operate in the Holy Spirit. On this point, some, though certainly not all, Evangelicals diverge from historical Protestant doctrine.
The Church. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the true Church is the sacred, hierarchical, and priestly institution that Jesus Christ founded on Peter, the first Pope, and on the apostles, the first bishops. Reformation theology sees the true church as a community of faith in which all true believers share the priestly task, often referred to as the priesthood of believers, offering spiritual sacrifices of praise, gifts, and service to God and one another. In this way, the Church can take many forms, and various Reformation traditions formed ecclesiastical orders that differed not only from Roman Catholicism but also from one another. Peculiarly, it is precisely this Reformation impulse that has led many Evangelical churches to adopt leadership structures that are either totalitarian, democratic, or hierarchically imbalanced, neither reflecting the Scriptures nor the historical Church, and diverging from the biblical yet diverse structures of early Protestant churches.
Christian living. The Reformers largely rejected the Catholic argument in favor of monasticism. They taught instead that the essence of Christian living lies in serving God in one’s calling, whether in secular or ecclesiastical life. All useful callings are equally sacred in God’s eyes. Therefore, while early Reformation churches and even modern Protestant and Evangelical churches still emphasize the biblical roles of Elder and Deacon, the divide between laity and clergy has been intentionally—I’d argue biblically—blurred, so that all disciples of Christ are seen as necessary workers in Christ’s Church. Another ironic divergence from the historical protestant position arises in contemporary Evangelical churches when a key leader is identified—by title or by implication—as bearing an apostolic type of authority over the church.
Where might a Protestant reject the term Evangelical?
A Protestant might reject the term Evangelical for several nuanced reasons. Some conservative Protestants have historically distanced themselves from the label, with early “new Evangelicals” differentiating themselves from fundamentalists by being more open to cultural engagement and critical biblical scholarship.
More significantly, some preachers and theologians have called for a radical reformulation of Evangelical theology, challenging traditional doctrinal structures. For example, some figures have:
Proposed redefining theological concepts like divine sovereignty
Rejected the exclusivity of the gospel (questioning exclusivism and entertaining syncretism)
Questioned traditional (and historical) interpretations of the Bible
Challenged the central doctrines of classical Christianity as established in the eccumenical creeds
Reduced the Bible to a mere library of human documents, questioning the reliability of Scripture
By the 1960s, evangelicals began seriously debating core theological issues, with some theologians:
Adopting more dynamic views of biblical inspiration.
Rejecting biblical inerrancy in favor of a narrow concept of infallibility.
Applying scriptural authority more selectively to general concepts regarding salvation, morality, and ministry, while questioning the significance of the biblical metanarrative as a whole.
These theological shifts mean that many who call themselves “Evangelical” may actually have no claim upon the name, departing in essential doctrines from the biblical gospel (euangelion) itself. Consequently, some Protestants may prefer not to identify with Evangelicalism to maintain doctrinal integrity and distinguish themselves from these evolving theological perspectives that roam free in the broader context of Evangelical Christianity.
How do some Evangelicals reject the term Protestant?
Many Evangelicals reject the term “Protestant” because they view “Evangelical” as a more enduring identity, although the widespread identification as “Protestant” clearly precedes it. However, the term “Protestant” has increasingly lost its original positive meaning of reclaiming historical theology and practice, and is now more narrowly defined in relation to specific historic doctrines and practices. The term “Evangelical” originated from the emphasis on preaching the gospel (euangelion) by Luther and his colleagues, who stressed preaching the gospel in its pure and simple(ified) form as a rule of faith and practice.
For Evangelicals, being Evangelical means an ongoing commitment to Jesus Christ, with Scripture’s authority always being primary, involving:
Innovation: Where early protestants held close to Scripture, favoring what today is called the Regulative Principle of Worship, evangelicals favor a Normative Principle of Worship. The former regulates worship according to the prescriptions and sometimes descriptions in the Scriptures, and the latter allows for anything not expressly forbidden by Scripture to be normalized, meaning that churches can adopt distinctly new forms of worship (and other ecclesiastical practices) that vary from historical Christian traditions.
Renewal: You can see how the emphasis on the Gospel and free grace (eventually, the system of free grace soteriology) resulted in the revivalistic subculture common to Evangelical churches today. A Normative Principle of Worship with a renewal focus encourages experimentation and is primarily responsible for the megachurch movement and the low ecclesiology that is prevalent in distinctly Evangelical circles.
Ongoing Reformation: Indeed, Luther encouraged ongoing reformation for the Church, but the reformers always meant reclamation of the historical church handed down by the Apostles, not the invention of something new. Indeed, many Evangelicals rightly recognize this difference. However, they often distance themselves from the term “Protestant” as a means of identifying with the particular kind of evangelicalism that is prevalent today.
Respectably, Evangelicals are committed to examination and self-examination, as well as a willingness to change when necessary for the sake of the mission. While early Evangelicals were known for preaching a gospel of free grace, many liberal mainline Protestant churches have indeed drifted from those original positions, often following charismatic leaders, social agendas, or unbiblical traditions (not unlike the accusation some Protestants make of Evangelicals). Evangelicals view themselves as both reformers and innovators, believing that the most effective path is forward to the future of the church, not backward into history. However, what may be needed is for historical mainline Protestant traditions to recover their historical roots, to bring about reform, rather than be rejected altogether in favor of a new form of emerging Christianity that is uniquely Evangelical.
Conclusion: Are Protestants Evangelical? Are Evangelicals Protestant?
There is indeed a significant overlap between Evangelicalism and Protestantism. Still, they remain synonymous terms for many, yet difficult to define clearly, and often distinct in form and function. The shared foundation of Evangelicalism and Protestantism in the Reformation is clearly observable in both traditions, which aim to uphold the integrity of the Gospel and the authority of Scripture. In this way, Evangelicalism is historically Protestant, though not identical with it, and in many ways has diverged from its core principles.
Protestantism emphasizes historical theology, ecclesial structure, and continuity with Reformation theology, whereas Evangelicalism emphasizes personal experience, innovation, and renewal—often at the cost of historical representation. Modern Evangelicalism sometimes departs from Reformation and historical theology through revivalism, free-grace theology, and looser views of authority.
In my assessment, Evangelicalism is healthiest when it is self-consciously Protestant—retrieving historic orthodoxy rather than reinventing it. For example, I’m concerned that when Evangelicals depart from the historic Protestant Solas, they risk losing the very gospel that gave birth to their movement. Indeed, many Evangelical traditions have strayed from the path of historical orthodoxy by substituting the goal of the Gospel for earthly prosperity, power, or wealth. And others have exchanged the goal of faith—Christlikeness—for cheap and meaningless professions of faith (free grace soteriology).
Further, I believe that Protestants should be Evangelical by preserving gospel centrality and mission. Evangelicals are best considered Protestant when they maintain fidelity to Scripture and the historical theology of the Church. When either tradition abandons these, they cease to be meaningfully Protestant or Evangelical in any biblical sense. Protestants need to avoid liberalism by focusing on the integrity of Scripture like Evangelicals. And Evangelicals need to avoid innovation by focusing on historical theology like Protestants. This is all to say, the best Protestants are Evangelical and the best Evangelicals are Protestant. In this way, we do well to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
