In Alister McGrath’s book Evangelicalism and the future of Christianity he suggested six convictions an evangelical Christian must have:

1. the supreme authority of Scripture as a source of knowledge of God and a guide to Christian living.

2. the majesty of Jesus Christ, both as incarnate God and Lord and as Savior of the sinful humanity.

3. the lordship of the Holy Spirit.

4. the need for personal conversion.

5. the priority of evangelism for both individual Christians and the church as a whole.

6. the importance of the Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship, and growth.

For historian David Bebbington, he featured four characteristics of an evangelical:

1. Conversionism – the belief that lives need to be changed.

2. Activism- the expression of the gospel in effort.

3. Biblicism- a particular regard for the Bible.

4. Crucicentrism – stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Taken from the book: American Evangelical Story