There are few words in modern religion as charged as evangelical.

To some, it conjures revival tents, radio preachers, and gospel choirs; to others, it evokes politics, power, and polarization.

But the story of evangelicalism is far larger than any single image. It is a story of passion and paradox of hearts set aflame and systems built to contain the fire.

Today we trace that story: how a movement born in spiritual awakening became a cultural empire, how it shaped the modern world, and how its future may yet surprise us.

This is The Rise of Evangelicalism.