{"id":20879,"date":"2019-01-19T11:16:23","date_gmt":"2019-01-19T19:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=20879"},"modified":"2019-01-19T11:16:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T19:16:23","slug":"evangelicalism-or-culture-who-is-influencing-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/evangelicalism-or-culture-who-is-influencing-who\/","title":{"rendered":"Evangelicalism or Culture…Who is Influencing Who?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from 1730s to the 1980s<\/u> is welcomed as a survey of this important part of the social and religious fabric of Britain\u2019s history that had previously been given little attention from a scholarly perspective. His inclusion of Wales and Scotland in the integration of Britain, as well as his \u201cmiddle course\u201d definition of evangelicalism, seem to be unique in approach.[1]<\/a> He defines Evangelicalism\u2019s common core as conversionism, activism, Biblicism, and crucicentrism though these took on varying expressions and emphases among different groups during different periods.<\/p>\n

Of particular interest to my research is how Bebbington describes the various cultural influences upon Evangelicalism since the late seventeenth century. Studying denominational reform for succeeding generations caused my attention to be drawn to the morphing of Evangelicalism and Bebbington\u2019s perspective on the initiation, motivation and effects of such change. Was it changing in order to respond to culture or was it changing by the force of culture? Was it a reaction or escape, or was it an expression to better relate to a new generation being shaped by its culture? Which influenced the other? Wolffe argues that Bebbington\u2019s analysis needs to be balanced by the recognition that, at least in the 19th<\/sup> century, \u201cthe relationship between Evangelicalism and its cultural environment was very much a two-way one.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Bebbington makes connections between Evangelicalism and the Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Modernism. In regard to the Enlightenment period he describes conservative Evangelicalism with its Biblicism as \u201can expression reflecting the age of reason.\u201d[3]<\/a> He argues key figures in Evangelicalism at the time such as Wesley and Edwards were being shaped by philosophers such as Locke and it was resetting Protestant thought in a new way. There were opponents to such affects such as Whitefield who held to the old style. Critics of Bebbington\u2019s ideas believe that he has exaggerated the cerebral portrayal of Evangelicalism during this period because of its strong appeal to the uneducated, unsophisticated population. Clouse interprets this as ideas that began among the highly educated were then filtered by the group and transmitted to the lower classes.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Romanticism Bebbington describes as having \u201can immense potential affinity for religion.\u201d[5]<\/a> The disposition based in \u201cfeeling, intuition, imagination, and inspiration, its later pessimism about the human condition and desire for escape\u201d are clearly seen in the ethos and theological interpretation of Evangelicalism.[6]<\/a> Once again, was the gospel being redefined by the cultural influences or was it simply taking on traits to be effective in the era? Bebbington does make the argument that Evangelicalism had a marked influence on British society seen in the high Victorian values which he believes \u201cwas primarily the fruit of Evangelical religion\u201d and stated that \u201cat least for a while, Evangelicals had remoulded British society in their own image.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Before turning to the end of the 20th<\/sup> Century Bebbington addresses Modernism which was portrayed as the time of self-expression. It dealt with areas of the subconscious, introspection, questioning of meaning and the emergence of Freud, Jung and Nietzsche. Community became a high value and organization and authority were called into question. This set the stage for the next version of Evangelicalism to emerge, the charismatic movement, which was expressive and spontaneous in its worship style. There was also a move toward insight and the prophetic rather than just human reason and intellect. These churches identified with the cultural movement toward community and preference for little structure and authority.<\/p>\n

As Bebbington rounds the corner to the end of the 20th<\/sup> century he uses the word \u201cresurgence\u201d which critics say is not properly addressing the children of Evangelicals who, though raised in the faith, have turned away nor as Watts says, has he analyzed the cause of the \u201cadmitted collapse in church membership over the last thirty years.\u201d[8]<\/a> Greenshields describes these cultural effects as \u201cthe latest in the succession of mutations to evangelical belief as it changes with its context.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking through history with Britain\u2019s Evangelicals and the various morphing in interpretation and expression, splintering of groups, and societal influence or lack thereof, gives a serious student of the impact of the Church on culture much to consider regarding needed reform for emerging generational engagement. One must contemplate the questions posed earlier as to motivation and purpose. Are we mutating the very salt and light through the reinterpretation of theology or just the containers so that the content is understood? Is intentional reform taking place or is the change cultural mutation or both? What should be measured to determine true influence?<\/p>\n

I cannot help but think that Bebbington, as an Evangelical, would have strengthened his survey by honestly addressing the various critiques of Evangelicalism and shown more evidence of its influence. How did Evangelicalism speak to the issues of the day and were they seriously heard? Were there demonstrations of their beliefs that would give a more justified reason to be heard? These are the questions we must consider as Evangelicalism continues morphing, if it in fact, survives the current condition.<\/p>\n

Seth Dowland in The Christian Century <\/em>quotes Lifeway Research as saying,<\/p>\n

“Many who call themselves evangelical don\u2019t actually hold evangelical beliefs.” Besides reporting that fewer than 45 percent of self-identified evangelicals strongly hold to classic evangelical beliefs, the article stated that the converse is also true: a significant number of evangelical believers reject the term evangelical<\/em>.[10]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dowland makes the point that though the National Association of Evangelicals quotes Bebbington’s work as their definition, statistics are showing that people are not aligning to the historical core. Is this yet another result of culture influencing Evangelicals?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> John Wolffe “Late Modern — Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” History<\/em> 75, no. 244 (1990): 346.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> David W. Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain A History from the 1730s to the 1980s<\/em> (Florence: Taylor and Francis, 2003), 53.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Robert Clouse, “Reviews of Books — Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” The American Historical Review<\/em> 96, no. 1 (1991): 165.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Bebbington, 81.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Malcom Greenshields, “Modern Britain — Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” Canadian Journal of History<\/em> 25, no. 2 (1990): 267.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Bebbington, 104, 150.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Michael Watts, “Shorter Notices — Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s by D. W. Bebbington.” The English Historical Review<\/em> 107, no. 424 (1992): 747.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Greenshields<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Seth Dowland, “Making Sense of Twentieth-Century American Evangelicalism,” Reviews in American History<\/em> 44, no. 1 (2016), doi:10.1353\/rah.2016.0021.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bebbington\u2019s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from 1730s to the 1980s is welcomed as a survey of this important part of the social and religious fabric of Britain\u2019s history that had previously been given little attention from a scholarly perspective. His inclusion of Wales and Scotland in the integration of Britain, as well as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"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-20879","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\/20879","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\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20879"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20881,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20879\/revisions\/20881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}