By: Noel Liemam on October 20, 2024
“The Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730’s to the 1980’s,” by D.W. Bebbington and a chapter 2 from Dr. Jason Clark Thesis, titled “Evangelical Anxiety: From Assurance to Providence” are the assigned readings from this blogpost. For me, Bebbington’s is so comprehensive to grasp in and fully understand within the time frame.…
By: Joel Zantingh on October 19, 2024
Assurance, confidence and narrowness of focus all meet each other on the same road leading to ‘success’. Growing up in 20th Century North America was like being in a pressure cooker of success, spurred on by capitalism’s constant call for innovation, and the delivery of the next great artifact, product or solution to peddle to…
By: Julie O'Hara on October 18, 2024
About 15 years ago I attended a church welcome class that opened with a session designed to place that particular church within the stream of historical Christianity. The leader differentiated between Roman Catholic/Protestant, Calvinist/Wesleyan-Arminian, and conservative/liberal, this last being less about church history and more about the politics of social issues. Then, the leader shared…
By: Chad Warren on October 17, 2024
I recently met with 20 key leaders in our church, discussing our doctrinal statement and those beliefs that distinguish our church. I indicated that, most simply, we are a Christian, Evangelical, Baptist, and Congregational church. Immediately, a hand shot up, and one of our leaders asked, “What does it mean that we’re ‘Evangelical,’ and how…
By: Daren Jaime on October 17, 2024
Journeying through ministry I am mindful of some of my ministerial mentors and those who taught me polity and liturgy. One such professor was Dr. Odinga Maddox. Dr. Maddox was a respected pastor, leader, and critical thinker. During one of his lectures, he reminded this novice group of emerging leaders to form ecumenical bonds. When…
By: Christy on October 17, 2024
Consumerism has taken the west by storm. In 2020, Relevant Magazine published that “Nearly half the world’s toys are in America. Despite making up just over 3 percent of the global population of children, American kids consume 40 percent of the world’s toys.”[1] Consumerist culture runs deep in the west with the temptation to shop…
By: Kari on October 17, 2024
Titles. Labels. Boxes. These categories help us organize thoughts, ideas, things, and even people. “Evangelical” is a name by which one can classify a type of Christianity. I have always considered myself an evangelical, but I have rarely used that word to label myself—that is, until I moved to France to study French. I enjoyed…
By: Elysse Burns on October 17, 2024
Evangelicalism has experienced many changes since its emergence in the 1730s, making it often hard to define.[1] D.W. Bebbington’s Evangelism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s outlines the basis of Evangelicalism and further analyzes and explains the movement’s changes. Bebbington writes concerning Evangelicalism’s quadrilateral of priorities, “There are four qualities…
By: Ryan Thorson on October 17, 2024
“You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner…you’re in one!” This famous line from one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, echoed in my ears as I read through the history of evangelicalism. Elizabeth Turner longed for adventure but when she was taken hostage by cursed pirates she didn’t believe what she’d…
By: Adam Cheney on October 17, 2024
I have struggled with which direction I want to go with this blog on Bebbington’s book for a couple of reasons. First, the book was slow to read, written like a history book by a scholarly historian. Secondly, the book ended too soon. Since the book’s print date, Evangelicalism has continued to change distinctly. His…
By: Graham English on October 16, 2024
I grew up with a nominal Anglican faith. It was church at Christmas and Easter and perhaps a few Sundays sprinkled in. I decided that I would leave the church as a teenager because it held little relevance to my life. I was a theist and there was a moral component to my life but…
By: Shela Sullivan on October 16, 2024
“Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s” by David Bebbington is comprehensive historical study of the evangelical movement in Britain from the 18th century to late 20th century.[1] This book explores how evangelicalism has influenced and been shaped by British society over time. Furthermore, Bebbington examines key periods and events such as the impact of the evangelical movement in the 19th century its resurgence after…
By: Diane Tuttle on October 15, 2024
When I was growing up, my only exposure to, what I told was, evangelicalism, was seeing someone standing on a milk crate at the country fair with a mega-phone shouting to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or face eternal damnation. As a young teen who wanted to ride rides or win a…
By: Debbie Owen on October 15, 2024
“You know it when you see it.” This phrase is often used as a definition for “pornography” but it can have many other applications as well. In his classic book, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, D.W. Bebbington uses a similar quote for evangelicalism: “Who was an Evangelical? Sometimes adherents of the movement were in doubt themselves.…
By: Jennifer Eckert on October 15, 2024
An optimist’s view of evangelicalism and capitalism might resemble a dance that ebbs and flows together in rhythms that rise and fall in an exchange of faith and fortune. Conversely, a pessimist’s view of these two critical forces could look more like tossing yesterday’s forgotten leftovers into a jumbled cauldron of hash, destined to become…
By: Glyn Barrett on October 15, 2024
Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s[1] by David W. Bebbington explores the development and transformation of Evangelical Christianity in Britain over a 250-year period. As a British-based Pastor, many of the names, locations and events are so ingrained in the storytelling narrative of the British church that it was…
By: Jeff Styer on October 14, 2024
“’Jesus Is My Savior, Trump Is My President’” was a sign carried by those on January 6, 2021 outside the U.S. Capitol. Matthew Sutton describes what was seen that day and leading up to January 6th in an article titled “The Capitol Riot Revealed the Darkest Nightmares of White Evangelical America.”[1] Evangelical, a term that…
By: Elysse Burns on October 11, 2024
Time is precious, a widely known expression we often hear, especially after the death of a loved one. We lament not having more of it. Fortunately, Andrew J. Scott and Lynda Gratton’s premise in their book, The 100-Year Life, is more time because now we live longer lives. Scott and Gratton write, “The gift of…
By: Chad Warren on October 10, 2024
My Grandpa’s nickname for me throughout my little league baseball career was “Charlie Hustle,” which he adopted from his favorite major league player, Pete Rose, who died yesterday at age 83. No player in the 1960s and 1970s was more exciting than the player nicknamed “Charlie Hustle.” Rose’s relentless pursuit of excellence made him a…
By: Daren Jaime on October 10, 2024
When I remember my initial days after joining the Methodist Church, I can recall the congregational care leader, Mr. Eugene Grant. At the end of our class meeting, Mr. Grant would conclude by saying, “May you be blessed, prosper, and have the health of John Wesley.” Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a poster child…
