— evangelically , adv. — evangelicalness, evangelicality , n.
/ee'van jel"i keuhl, ev'euhn-/ , adj.
1. Also, evangelic .
2. pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings.
3. belonging to or designating the Christian churches that emphasize the teachings and authority of the Scriptures, esp. of the New Testament, in opposition to the institutional authority of the church itself, and that stress as paramount the tenet that salvation is achieved by personal conversion to faith in the atonement of Christ.
4. designating Christians, esp. of the late 1970s, eschewing the designation of fundamentalist but holding to a conservative interpretation of the Bible.
5. pertaining to certain movements in the Protestant churches in the 18th and 19th centuries that stressed the importance of personal experience of guilt for sin, and of reconciliation to God through Christ.
6. marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause.
n.
7. an adherent of evangelical doctrines or a person who belongs to an evangelical church or party.
[ 1525-35; evangelicus ( euangelikós; see EVANGEL 1 , -IC) + -AL 1 ]