{"id":15827,"date":"2018-01-11T14:18:49","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T22:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=15827"},"modified":"2018-01-11T14:18:49","modified_gmt":"2018-01-11T22:18:49","slug":"cheers-to-british-evangelism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/cheers-to-british-evangelism\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheers to British Evangelism"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain<\/em> analyzes history, environment, and culture to show how Britain and English-speaking churches were changed by the evangelical movement.\u00a0 The lasting evangelical themes of this book are Bebbington\u2019s tetralogy of the Bible, cross, conversion, and activism.\u00a0 I see connections between Bebbington\u2019s \u201clived religion\u201d and the Armor of God (AOG) lived theology.\u00a0 I hope to use this book to create historical depth in my research while also narrowing my focus to specific evangelical characteristics.\u00a0 My goal is to demystify spiritual warfare, contextualize the AOG into evangelical circles, and open the eyes of Christian leaders so they can train and equip the body of Christ to recognize and defend against the schemes of the devil.\u00a0 Therefore, this post will focus on how the evangelical movement advances the efficacy of the AOG through Biblicism and activism.<\/p>\n

First, Biblicism is the devotion and belief that the Bible provides all the \u201cspiritual truth\u201d needed to live the Christian life.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Bebbington\u2019s work is successful because he takes the high theological road, assumes the Holy Spirit is actively working in his research, and focuses on the positive strengths observed in the evangelical movement instead of dwelling on the minor differences between Christian denominations.\u00a0 For example, Clouse commends the way Bebbington incorporates the \u201cbroad patterns of change\u201d in the Church of England and other English speaking churches in the emergence of the evangelical viewpoint through four characteristics of \u201cconversion, activism, Biblicism, and crucicentrism.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Clouse says these characteristics provided \u201ccontinuity\u201d within the evangelical movement.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Clouse says Bebbington\u2019s work is clear, readable, and offers an objective portrayal of Evangelicalism as a \u201cdiverse and enigmatic\u201d faith position.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

As a previous public safety officer, I used deduction as a primary investigative technique when determining truth.\u00a0 Since the 1820s Bebbington says that the evangelical movement used deduction to arrive at the fundamental belief that the Word of God is true, inspired, and inerrant.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 His logic goes like this; if one believes the Bible is the word of God, if one believes God cannot make a mistake, then one can conclude that the Bible is without error.[6]<\/a>\u00a0 The AOG ministry accepts this deduction and takes the theological position that Ephesians 6:10-18 is the inspired by God, written by the Apostle Paul, and provides the tools a believer in Christ needs to defend against and achieve victory over the evil schemes of the devil during spiritual warfare.<\/p>\n

Second, activism is the evangelical characteristic, passion, and drive to spread the Gospel.\u00a0 Which comes first in evangelical priority; good works, or belief in the Bible?\u00a0 According to Bebbington it was common for evangelicals to put activism first before Biblicism.[7]<\/a> \u201cToll, toll, toll\u2026fruit, fruit, fruit\u201d was the busy, hectic, urgent, passionate drive of the 19th<\/sup> Century evangelicals.[8]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0I certainly support the \u201chere I am send me\u201d approach to ministry, but also believe there needs to be a balance, and the AOG ministry always starts with Christ as the \u201cbelt of truth\u201d and foundational basis for Great Commission style activism.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Two reviewers on Bebbington describe a few of his strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0 For example, Winter expresses a weak area because the book does little to provide a \u201cpolitical analysis\u201d on the 20th<\/sup> Century, evangelicalism\u2019s impact on church government, or how it influenced pressure politics in the Church of England.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 In contrast, Sachs credits \u201ccontextual forces\u201d as the driving influence behind shaping Evangelicalism social structure.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 The evangelical movement is so individual that it must include the \u201cpersonal dimension\u201d to appreciate its social influence.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 Winter also has positives for Bebbington and credits him for showing that evangelicalism is \u201cresilient and adaptive\u201d within the Church of England.\u00a0 The powerful influences of the churches environment and culture, says Bebbington, is a notable British contribution to the rise of evangelicalism.[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

Where is the evangelical movement today?\u00a0 I found a recent article on Bebbington, 25 years after publishing Evangelicalism in Modern Britain<\/em>, who attended an evangelical quadrilateral conference.\u00a0 Present were 17 of the leading scholars on the evangelical movement, both supporters and critics, to discuss his book, challenge his assumptions, and generally update the status of the evangelicalism.\u00a0 Bebbington and his peers concluded that his work and characterization of the evangelical movement was valid, passed the test of time, and is still evolving.\u00a0 He said, \u201cNone of them challenged the fourfold description of the movement in terms of emphases on the Bible, the cross, conversion, and activism.\u201d[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

This post briefly focused on Biblicism and activism to show how they advance the AOG ministry.\u00a0 For example, I found many connections with Bebbington\u2019s research and plan to keep it handy as a resource book and guide that helps integrate the AOG ministry with evangelicalism.\u00a0 I especially identified with Bebbington\u2019s observation that evangelicalism is \u201cmuch closer to the school of thought identified with \u201clived religion\u201d than might be supposed.\u201d[15]<\/a>\u00a0 Lived religion, as opposed to Modernism, holds that religion is formed by \u201cordinary people in the course of their everyday existence.\u201d[16]<\/a>\u00a0 Clifford Geertz is the leading influence on lived religion, and Bebbington authored Victorian Religious Revivals<\/em> in an effort to examine lived religion within the global context of the evangelical awakenings of English-speaking communities.[17]<\/a><\/p>\n

In conclusion, this book is about four evangelical priorities that change behavior in Christians.\u00a0 Activism is about deeds, conversion is a life altering event, the Bible is to be read, and the cross reconciles and motivates the Christian lifestyle.[18]<\/a>\u00a0 Like Bebbington, I am thankful for the evangelical movement and credit our British neighbors for carrying the Good News to the West.<\/p>\n

Stand firm,<\/p>\n

M. Webb<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> David W. Bebbington. Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s<\/em>. (New ed. n.p.: Routledge, 1989) 12.<\/h6>\n
[2]<\/a> Robert G. Clouse. “Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (Book).” American Historical Review<\/em> 96, no. 1 (February 1991): 165. Academic Search Premier<\/em>, EBSCOhost<\/em> (accessed January 7, 2018).<\/h6>\n
[3]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[4]<\/a> Ibid., 166.<\/h6>\n
[5]<\/a> Bebbington, Evangelicalism, <\/em>273.<\/h6>\n
[6]<\/a> Ibid., 273.<\/h6>\n
[7]<\/a> Ibid., 275.<\/h6>\n
[8]<\/a> Ibid., 12.<\/h6>\n
[9]<\/a> Isa. 6:8, Eph. 6:14.<\/h6>\n
[10]<\/a> Michael Winter. “Book Reviews — Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” The Political Quarterly 60, no. 3 (1989): 389.<\/h6>\n
[11]<\/a> William Sachs. “Book Reviews — Evangelicals in the Church of England, 1734-1984 by Kenneth Hylson-Smith \/ Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” The Journal of Religion 72, no. 1 (1992): 115.<\/h6>\n
[12]<\/a> Ibid., 116.<\/h6>\n
[13]<\/a> Ibid., 390.<\/h6>\n
[14]<\/a> David W. Bebbington. “The Evangelical Quadrilateral: A Response.” Fides Et Historia 47, no. 1 (2015): 87.<\/h6>\n
[15]<\/a> Ibid., 90.<\/h6>\n
[16]<\/a> Ibid., 91.<\/h6>\n
[17]<\/a> David W. Bebbington. Victorian Religious Revivals Culture and Piety in Local and Global Contexts<\/em> (Oxford:<\/h6>\n
Oxford University Press, 2012)<\/h6>\n
[18]<\/a> Bebbington, Evangelical Quadrilateral<\/em>, 90.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain analyzes history, environment, and culture to show how Britain and English-speaking churches were changed by the evangelical movement.\u00a0 The lasting evangelical themes of this book are Bebbington\u2019s tetralogy of the Bible, cross, conversion, and activism.\u00a0 I see connections between Bebbington\u2019s \u201clived religion\u201d and the Armor of God (AOG) lived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[12,1039],"class_list":["post-15827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bebbington","tag-spiritual-warfare","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15828,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827\/revisions\/15828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}