{"id":20787,"date":"2019-01-17T12:22:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=20787"},"modified":"2019-01-17T12:22:44","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:22:44","slug":"a-heritage-of-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-heritage-of-activism\/","title":{"rendered":"A Heritage of Activism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/em>was more engaging than I hoped. It continues to dawn on me that I understand my world better when I understand my heritage better. This study of evangelical faith heritage aids my assimilation of Grenz\u2019s integrative trialogue for theological formation through scripture, church heritage and cultural context[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bebbington makes the case that Evangelicalism has experienced many shifts, schisms, reunions and a decent amount of diversity within it \u2013 as opposed to the view that it has been concrete, unchanged or unaffected by culture. I have some evidence of that. I do not live in the American \u2018Bible Belt\u2019 but in my 4.1 mile drive to and from my church, I pass the following churches: Southern Baptist; Episcopal, Lutheran; Assemblies of God; PCA; Methodist; Catholic; and three non-denominational, including my own.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While I am curious about our differences, I draw strength from the list of four core beliefs that have held Evangelicalism together through the centuries: conversionism; biblicalism; activism; and cruci-centrism[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My personal research interest was piqued when reading about the heritage of activism within Evangelicalism. One definition offered is the \u2018expression of the gospel in effort\u2019[4]<\/a>. I understand my own church heritage better because of it; I emerged from my evangelical, charismatic background with a worldview that elevated activism above most other things. Or at least that is how I perceived it. Either way, the idea that there is a lost and dying world and it is the Church\u2019s responsibility to do something about it was deeply impressed upon me.<\/p>\n

My time spent with the poor and unreached in the Philippines in formative years also deepened my commitment to activism. To be exposed as a middle schooler to the Majority World left a deep mark on me. I had (have) so much and I should give what I have away – both the Gospel and physical resources. I’m grateful for this early exposure and the continued reminder at all of our ‘home churches’ throughout the years that there are broken and hurting people in need of Jesus.\u00a0We often say in our weekend services that \u2018what happens in here (the sanctuary) should effect what happens out there (the world)\u2019. And it should, shouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

The inspiring accounts of missionaries, preachers and workers during the\u00a0last couple centuries\u00a0and beyond leave a mark on me as well. For some, evangelism was the primary task of the Church \u2013 even more than worship. [5]<\/a>\u00a0Wesley and his preachers had church service schedules that would put to shame even our Easter service weekends at a megachurch. So much so that there was a \u2018worn-out ministers fund\u2019[6]<\/a>. It was during this period that learning became an \u2018dispensable luxury\u2019 and any training was solely around preaching[7]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There was a great deal of work to do and there still is.<\/p>\n

I am grateful for the emphasis on activism in my heritage. I want to keep it and deepen it in my life and in those I influence.<\/p>\n

And I am working to articulate the part of me that this emphasis dwarfed. Perhaps seeing ourselves as tools primarily can potentially shrink the other aspects of who we are in Christ? I desire evangelism and activism to flow from my core identity as the beloved of God \u2013 not from guilt. The Gospel is such good news and does such transformative work in one\u2019s heart that it should move one to work with God for His mission on earth. In all my urgency may I also have patience to trust this work in me for His ends.<\/p>\n

I am better because the tenet of activism has been sustained all these years and passed down to me. \u00a0I too, like many before me, want to change the world for the glory of God. And I would like to do it in a way as to not need to draw from Wesley\u2019s \u2018worn out ministers fund\u2019. I believe that both realities are possible through our deepening intimacy with Christ.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>Bebbington, D. W.,\u00a0Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s<\/em>, rev.ed. (New York, NY: Routledge, 1989).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a>Grenz, Stanley J., and Roger E. Olson.\u00a0Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God.<\/em>Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996, 111-2.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>Bebbington, D. W.,\u00a0Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s<\/em>, rev. ed. (New York, NY: Routledge, 1989), 15-6.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a>Ibid., 18.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a>Ibid., 16.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>Ibid., 31.<\/p>\n

[7]Ibid., 31.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain[1]was more engaging than I hoped. It continues to dawn on me that I understand my world better when I understand my heritage better. This study of evangelical faith heritage aids my assimilation of Grenz\u2019s integrative trialogue for theological formation through scripture, church heritage and cultural context[2]. Bebbington makes the case […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"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],"class_list":["post-20787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bebbington","cohort-lgp9"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20787","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\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20787"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20807,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20787\/revisions\/20807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}