There are four foundations that the evangelical church was built on: Biblicism, Crucicentrism, Conversionism, Activism.¹

Biblicism or Bibliocentric: The belief that the Bible is the word of God and as such must be believed and obeyed. As the word of God it is the final authority in matters of faith and practice.

Crucicentrism, Crucicentric or Christocentric: The belief that Jesus is the Christ and as the Christ was able to pay for our sins by dying on the cross. If He, a perfect man did not die in our place, then we would have to pay for our own sins after we died. To do that we would be in Hell forever. We will live forever in Heaven or Hell; Heaven if we accept Jesus as our Lord, Hell if we do not (1 John 2:2).

Conversionism: In order to be saved one must be converted by the grace of God through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). Conversion from having a dead spirit to a born again spirit. Conversion from living with ourselves as god to living with Jesus Christ as God.

Activism: There is a command by Jesus Christ telling the disciples and through them all of us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 18:19-20).” With this command we are given the responsibility to be active in spreading the good news that is the Gospel. This also means that we should actively spread the Gospel wherever we go and wherever we are.

“After all, theology is a normative discipline and not simply a descriptive one. The evangelical believes that the Bible ought to be the final authority for any theological proposal. The evangelical believes that the cross ought to be central to any construal of Christianity. The evangelical believes that conversion ought to be the aim of evangelistic proclamation and witness. The evangelical believes that the Christian life ought to be a matter of the hands and feet and not merely the head. Lastly the evangelical ought to believe that salvation is a matter of grace, not merit. As the classic, eighteenth century hymn from Augustus Toplady puts it: ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.’”²

Evangelicalism is a movement within Protestant Christianity that is non-denominational or better said trans-denominational. Churches that claim the Evangelical name should be practicing these four foundations as all other churches should be. If a church does not build on these beliefs as their foundation, then they are not following what the Bible says. It says that it is enough for anyone who believes what it says to be saved (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Galatians 1:8). It says that Jesus is the only way to be saved (John 14:6). It says that whoever believes on the name of Christ shall be saved and made into a new man (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). It says that we should go into all the world spreading the Gospel (Mathew 28:18-20).

1. Nathan A. Finn, “Review of Victorian Nonconformity by David W. Bebbington,” Themelios 37, no. 2 (2012): 343.
2. Graham Cole, “The Evangelical and Scholarship—Personal Reflections,” Themelios 24, no. 1 (1998): 4.