evangelism

noun evan·ge·lism \ i-ˈvan-jə-ˌli-zəm \

Definition of evangelism

1 :the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ

2 :militant or crusading zeal

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evangelistic

play \i-ˌvan-jə-ˈli-stik\ adjective

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evangelistically

play \i-ˌvan-jə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See evangelism defined for kids

Recent Examples of evangelism from the Web

That surprises me, that surprises me since the essence of evangelism is to seek converts.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "John McCain and I Have Shared a Laugh About Washington," 20 July 2017
Oregon’s Democrats are, apparently, only interested in one type of evangelism.

— the editors, National Review, "Oregon’s Radical, Grisly Abortion Law," 13 July 2017
Instead, the seat is almost certain to be claimed back by the Conservatives, whose candidate reflects the party’s drift toward pro-Brexit evangelism under May.

— griff witte, Washington Post, "For Britain’s populist right, Brexit success comes with a poisoned pill," 31 May 2017
His grandfather, fighting that huckster stereotype, asked three male colleagues to help him make a list of things that could hurt evangelism.

— lauren collins, The New Yorker, "Virtue and Vice: Mike Pence’s Dining Policy," 31 Mar. 2017
Later, at DeWitt Clinton High School, in the Bronx, where some white boys mocked his teen-age evangelism, there were others, such as Avedon and the writer Emile Capouya, who defended him.

— hilton als, The New Yorker, "Capturing James Baldwin’s Legacy Onscreen," 13 Feb. 2017
DeLillo, the most perceptive (almost occult) chronicler of contemporary life, has not invented the Convergence out of whole cloth: Its DNA comes from an old evangelism dressed in a new rhetoric and streaming out of Silicon Valley.

— joshua ferris, New York Times, "Book Review Newsletter," 2 May 2016
An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

— bruce sterling, WIRED, "No Lectures. All Lab.," 28 Apr. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evangelism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.