The term is generally used to refer to one portion of the conservative "wing" of Protestant Christianity. Some Christians consider Fundamentalists to be the most conservative part of Evangelical Christianity; others consider Fundamentalists to be a separate group within conservative Chrisianity. Evangelicals generally believe in the historical doctrines of the Christian church:
1 - the original writings of the Bible, were inerrant (without error)
2 - that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin
3 - atonement: that through Jesus' death, the relationship between God and Man (which had been damaged by Adam and Eve's sin) can been restored
4 - resurrection : that after Jesus' death and burial, he arose again
5 - second coming: that Jesus return to earth is imminent
6 - incarnation: that God appeared on earth in human form, as Jesus
7 - justification: an act of God in which any person who accepts that they have sinned and who believes in the atonement of Christ is forgiven of their sins and brought into a close relationship with God
8 - regeneration of the spirit: that a new believer undergoes a spiritual rebirth
9 - inspiration : that the authors of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
10 - That God exists as a Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
11 - That Satan is a created being, was once an angel but is now an all-evil tormentor of humanity.
12 - That salvation is attained by repentance and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Some do not include the need for repentance as a first step).
13 - That Heaven and Hell exist as places of eternal reward and never-ending torture without mercy or any hope of cessation.
Most Evangelicals tend to be less anti-scientific and less literal in their interpretation of Biblical passages than are Fundamentalists (see below). There are many additional beliefs regarded as important by various Evangelical organizations. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention requires its employees to sign a loyalty oath which includes the belief that the authors of the Gospels were in fact named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Some Evangelical institutions refuse to hire faculty who believe that women should be eligible for ordination.
The name "evangelical" was originally used to refer to those faith groups which followed traditional Christian beliefs, in contrast with two other movements: philosophical rationalism and legalistic Christianity. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod total about 6 million members and are not part of the present-day Evangelical movement.