The word evangelization comes from the Greek and literally means good message . The good message is, from a Christian perspective, an event that shows that Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day. Thus, Christ’s death and resurrection are the basis for the gospel.
In the New Testament there are four official or canonical gospels: of John, Matthew, Mark and Luke
All of them apostles of Christ who in their testimonies tell the life and preaching of Christ. The gospel accounts are the foundation of Christianity and religious faith is, in turn, divided into different doctrines: Catholicism, Protestantism, the Orthodox Church, evangelization and other doctrinal currents based on the gospels.
General issues of evangelization
From a historical point of view, evangelization as a Christian current emerged in the 16th century, in southern Europe, among Catholics who questioned some official doctrines, especially the idolatry of saints and the use of indulgences to refer to the responsibility for sins.
Evangelization proposed to recover primitive Christianity and move it away from the doctrines of the Catholic faith, as well as from Lutheranism and Calvinism. For evangelical believers, the word of God contained in the gospels and in prayer are the pillars of their faith.
The most common feature of this doctrine is preaching the word of God, that is, the process of evangelization.
An approach to evangelical churches
Although it is possible to speak of evangelism in a general sense (also called evangelical Protestantism), there are many churches or evangelical currents: Anabaptism, Pietism, Evangelical Brothers United, Evangelical Churches of Pentecost, The Salvation Army, The Church of God in Christ, among others. Each has its own interpretation of the gospels.
Despite the differences, some common elements of evangelical theology must be highlighted: the belief in a single God, the idea of the trinity , the reference to Sacred Scripture, the next end of the world and missionary activity.
Main differences between evangelization and Catholicism
For evangelical believers their faith is inspired by the Bible, while for Catholics the role of the church is fundamental.
In other words, Catholics interpret the Bible in accordance with the Church’s magisterium, but Evangelicals advocate a free interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Furthermore, evangelicals question the deity of the Virgin Mary and reject the role of saints.
