evangelize
/i'vændʤilaiz/ Cách viết khác : (evangelise) /i'vændʤilaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
The missionary traveled to a distant island to evangelize the local community.
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To convert someone to Christianity: To actively seek to bring someone to adopt the Christian faith, often through preaching and teaching.
- To preach the gospel (to someone): To proclaim the teachings of the Christian gospel to others.
Verb (intransitive):
- To preach the gospel: To engage in the activity of spreading the Christian message.
Usage and Examples
- Transitive Verb:
- The early disciples traveled far to evangelize new communities.
- Their goal was to evangelize the local population.
- Intransitive Verb:
- He felt called to evangelize in remote areas.
- They would go into the city square to evangelize.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- The term often implies a proactive, zealous, or missionary effort to spread a religious message.
- It can be used in a broader, secular context to mean to advocate for a cause with fervor or zeal, though this is an extended metaphorical use.
- She evangelized about the benefits of the new software to everyone in the office.
Variants and Related Words
- Evangelism (n): The act or practice of evangelizing.
- He was dedicated to the work of evangelism.
- Evangelist (n): A person who evangelizes; specifically, one of the writers of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) or a preacher of the gospel.
- Billy Graham was a famous evangelist.
- Evangelical (adj): Pertaining to the Christian gospel or evangelism; also used to describe a tradition within Protestant Christianity emphasizing personal conversion and biblical authority.
- She belongs to an evangelical church.
Synonyms
- Proselytize: To convert or attempt to convert someone from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.
- Preach: To deliver a sermon or religious message; to advocate for a principle or belief earnestly.
- Convert: To change someone's religious faith or beliefs.
Phrasal Verbs / Common Constructions
- To evangelize to [someone/group]: To direct evangelistic efforts toward a specific audience.
- The church plans to evangelize to the university students.
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- While there are no common idioms with "evangelize" itself, the concept is central to phrases like:
- The Great Commission: A biblical term (from Matthew 28:19-20) that commands Christians to evangelize and make disciples worldwide. It is the theological foundation for evangelism.
- Their missionary work was motivated by the Great Commission.
The missionary traveled to a distant island to evangelize the local community.
Verb
- convert to Christianity
- The missionaries evangelized the Pacific Islanders
- preach the gospel (to)