Categories: uncategorized
Date: 09 May 2008 09:23:52
Whether you are in the UK or the US you can't have helped but notice there has been alot of debate and rather ungodly battle over the use (and ownership) of the E word in recent years. In the UK it has been, largely, debated in terms of theological soundness and in the US it has been linked more to political viewpoints. Therefore, it's not surprising that the according to Christianity Magazine the emerging public debate in the UK is framed in terms of the tensions between Arminian and Calvinist understandings of salvation and in the US An Evangelical Manifesto is looking to disentangle evangelicalism from politics.
In terms of the British model and the debates which Christianity magazine is talking about I have to say it worries me. In an age of growing theological illiteracy the debate is continuing to be framed in such a way that it is likely to (i) disengage people and become an elitist discussion and (ii) is likely to occur on a more general level as a hyper-bole of simplified statements which are likely to add fuel to troubled waters not heal them.
The American discussion which is opening up, however, I find much more useful. Although framed in the American context to reach into that culture much of the material within the Evangelical Manifesto (summarised here ) is relevent to the UK (and wider). In an increasingly globalised world, where what is happening in the American evangelical world feeds into the UK discussion through speakers, books and other resources it provides a useful starting point. More than that, having looked at the accompanying study guide , the material which is provided to help people unpack what it means to be an evangelical today is largely appropriate for UK audiences aswell. (Infact it is not until page 23 of the study guide that you get to questions which would need to be amended for UK discussion).
Additionally, the US approach encourages study and discussion and a journeying together in order to find what it really means to be an evangelical today. The questions within it are challenging, and whilst obviously framed to try and lead people to a particular general conclusion they are good questions which need to be asked. This is an attempt to try and get people to engage with the hard questions and also to understand the theology which links to this.
My personal view is that this manifesto should be welcomed and the study material provided actively engaged with on this side of the Atlantic aswell. However, this should not become an activity which becomes an excuse for further navel gazing or division. Rather it should be a springboard for radical re-engagement with God and his purposes by those who seek to own the E label.
**For further discussion on this one I invite you to either use the comments section here or if you are connected on Facebook come over to the Strangers In A Strange Land group**
(There is also, as with most things in life, a thread running on SOF about this one and one of the contributors on there has made this insightful comment about the US E manifesto on his blog).