{"id":28142,"date":"2022-02-03T07:58:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T15:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=28142"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:00:31","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T16:00:31","slug":"evangelicalism-contending-for-the-faith-which-was-once-given-to-the-saints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/evangelicalism-contending-for-the-faith-which-was-once-given-to-the-saints\/","title":{"rendered":"Evangelicalism: contending for the faith which was once given to the saints"},"content":{"rendered":"

Focusing on major developments and key players of a significant religious movement within a leading world nation, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain<\/em> is an excellent historical analysis of the growth of Evangelicalism in Britain from the early 18th<\/sup> century to the late 20th<\/sup> century. Bebbington wisely begins by discussing conversionism, activism, Biblicism, and crucicentrism as the four defining traits of the Evangelical movement[1]<\/a>. With due regard to the beliefs of other streams within the faith, I cannot imagine Christianity without these four underpinning elements. For example, the irrefutable nature of conversion is highlighted throughout scripture. Even in the Old Testament era, when the Jews thought salvation belonged to them alone, the repentance of Nineveh at Jonah\u2019s preaching; the sparing of Rahab and her family from the destruction of Jericho; Ruth\u2019s acceptance and settlement in Israel; and several other incidents all highlight this important element of a turning away from sin as a critical part of one\u2019s relationship with the living God. Therefore, Bebbington does the world a great service by highlighting conversionism with very arresting accounts of the conversion of leading figures like John and Charles Wesley[2]<\/a>. Bebbington also discusses the delicate subject of the timing<\/em> of conversion, whether this is instantaneous or gradual. Given the New Testament comments on the subject, I tend towards the belief that this is not a matter of either instantaneous or gradual[3]<\/a>, but of both[4]<\/a>. We are told that we are saved[5]<\/a> (suggesting an instantaneous event), being saved[6]<\/a> (suggesting a gradual process), and will be saved[7]<\/a> (from the wrath to come). Arguably, what is most important today is that people experience genuine conversion.<\/p>\n

As it was in the 1730s to the 1980s, genuine conversion has significant implications for contemporary leadership. For instance, if people today experience Christ as in the period under review, then we would expect \u201cgreat awakenings\u201d and far reaching \u201crevival\u201d as in the case of the Welsh Revival, the Hebrides Revival, and the revivals in the days of Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney and many others. Genuine conversion, among other factors, would also catalyze a return to an emphasis on preaching \u201cthe Word[8]<\/a>\u201d and to a Biblical worldview across our congregations. This will also, ultimately, give rise to leaders like Wilberforce, who, energized by a conviction deeply rooted in scripture, fought inhumane practices in his generation. Within low-income communities today, perhaps this Biblicism would yield a critical mass of god-fearing leaders that will, following the model of Wilberforce, boldly, wisely and lovingly resist self-pity, spiritual emptiness, illiteracy, laziness, corruption and fight for a community that demonstrates shalom and glorifies God. I imagine this would bring great joy to the Lord, for he declared in His manifesto that He is anointed [first and foremost] to bring the gospel to the poor[9]<\/a>. Needless to say, embracing Evangelicalism (the brand Bebbington advocates for) at the bottom of the pyramid, as is the case within any strata of the economic pyramid, will bring the kind of transformation we all want to see.<\/p>\n

The question now is what brand of Evangelicalism exists today; and does it align with the conversionism, Biblicism, activism and crucicentrism of the British heroes of faith within the 1730s to the 1980s?<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Bebbington, D. W. Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s<\/em>. (London: Routledge, 1989), 269.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Bebbington, Evangelicalism,<\/em> 20.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid, 169.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Graham, Ron. https:\/\/simplybible.com<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ephesians 2:8.9<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> 2 Corinthains 2:15<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Romans 5:9-10<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> 2 Timothy 4:2<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Luke 4:18. Isaiah 61:1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Focusing on major developments and key players of a significant religious movement within a leading world nation, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain is an excellent historical analysis of the growth of Evangelicalism in Britain from the early 18th century to the late 20th century. Bebbington wisely begins by discussing conversionism, activism, Biblicism, and crucicentrism as the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"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":[12,366,35],"class_list":["post-28142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bebbington","tag-evangelicalism","tag-leadership","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28142","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\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28144,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28142\/revisions\/28144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}