“Evangelicalism didn’t crop up until the 18th century.”
Wrong. It was from the beginning.
The churches in places where Christianity was born, which can actually trace their history back to "the beginning," look nothing like evangelicalism.
No, it really wasn’t.
Not like it is today. Preaching the Word is one thing. Bombasticism is another. St. Stephen followed Christ's example of Jesus and forgave his murderers, he didn't revel in the idea that they might be going to hell for it. The early Christians were of one mind. Yeah, 2.1 billion people can't all agree on everything. We get that. But with a couple thousand plus splinter groups, and millions of people who just go off and do their own interpreting, well, best not to throw stones. The "evangelicism" we see here is nothing but mockery and and vanity.