A forum for discussing matters of moment, from a curmudgeonly perspective. (The ideas posted here do not necessarily represent those of any organization with which I am a part). Rude and insulting remarks will not be published, but civil disagreement is welcome.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Evangelical Manifesto
The Evangelical Manifesto is now out. Os Guinness is the principal author. He is always worth reading.
Thanks for the link, Doug. I've not read the whole document but I did read the official summary. This strikes me as a call sorely needed in the evangelical world.
Having watched the live webcast and read carefully the entire Manifesto, I have to say that it's time for evangelicals to de-politicize the faith once for all delivered and to re-theologize it with a biblically informed notion of all that it means (and does not mean) to be evangelical.
EVERYONE (am I shouting yet?) must read, pray, listen, and heed.
I don't like the manifesto. It compromises the Christianity that bold fundamentalist defenders of the faith like us defend.
Read this flaming quote: "[Fundamentalism] As a reaction to the modern world, it tends to romanticize the past, some now-lost moment in time, and to radicalize the present, with styles of reaction that are personally and publicly militant to the point where they are sub-Christian."
Both Dr. Groothuis and myself react strongly to the modern world. There are big problems.
We romanticize the past. The past had true intellectuals and less truth decay.
We radicalize the present. The decay of truth demands this.
We are publically militant. Not always, but sometimes we need to be firm.
But we ARE NOT sub-Christian. That is where this manifesto is wrong because it says that we are SUB-CHRISTIAN. We are PROTECTING the church.
Furthermore, it is ECUMENICAL. The Roman Catholic Church preaches a false gospel. The day that conservative Christians sign this we acknowledge that the Roman CATHOLIC Church is Christian and embrace “serious theological error(s)… is a sad day for all true sons and daughters of the Protestant Reformation, for all who lived and died for its truths.”
Dr. Groothuis please join me in publically denouncing this liberalism. I’m starting a website called the evangelical manifesto of LIBERALISM. It’ll include Rob Bell, people who deny ID, new agers, technocrats, Catholic sympasithers, abortion lovers, liberals, and people that HATE America.
I pass out your tapes to our church all the time. I’d love for you to bring us the word of God.
I thought this was wonderful actually, time for the term Evangelical to return to euangellion, and leave a particular political agenda. It is after all good news that Yeshua came that we might have life.
I wouldn't put it very harshly: I'd just say it's a weak, "big tent" sort of document--not much meaning to calling it a Manifesto. It's also intrinsically self-defeating: it calls for evangelical self-definition to be theological, but it offers very little to *define* evangelicalism as other than "vaguely Christian after the American fashion."
I commented on it here by dint of commenting on Al Mohler's demurral.
Thanks for the link, Doug. I've not read the whole document but I did read the official summary. This strikes me as a call sorely needed in the evangelical world.
ReplyDeleteDoug,
ReplyDeleteWhat's your take on it?
Having watched the live webcast and read carefully the entire Manifesto, I have to say that it's time for evangelicals to de-politicize the faith once for all delivered and to re-theologize it with a biblically informed notion of all that it means (and does not mean) to be evangelical.
ReplyDeleteEVERYONE (am I shouting yet?) must read, pray, listen, and heed.
Tom:
ReplyDeleteToo busy to read it so far. Will get to it soon, I hope.
DG
I don't like the manifesto. It compromises the Christianity that bold fundamentalist defenders of the faith like us defend.
ReplyDeleteRead this flaming quote: "[Fundamentalism] As a reaction to the modern world, it tends to romanticize the past, some now-lost moment in time, and to radicalize the present, with styles of reaction that are personally and publicly militant to the point where they are sub-Christian."
Both Dr. Groothuis and myself react strongly to the modern world. There are big problems.
We romanticize the past. The past had true intellectuals and less truth decay.
We radicalize the present. The decay of truth demands this.
We are publically militant. Not always, but sometimes we need to be firm.
But we ARE NOT sub-Christian. That is where this manifesto is wrong because it says that we are SUB-CHRISTIAN. We are PROTECTING the church.
Furthermore, it is ECUMENICAL. The Roman Catholic Church preaches a false gospel. The day that conservative Christians sign this we acknowledge that the Roman CATHOLIC Church is Christian and embrace “serious theological error(s)… is a sad day for all true sons and daughters of the Protestant Reformation, for all who lived and died for its truths.”
Dr. Groothuis please join me in publically denouncing this liberalism. I’m starting a website called the evangelical manifesto of LIBERALISM. It’ll include Rob Bell, people who deny ID, new agers, technocrats, Catholic sympasithers, abortion lovers, liberals, and people that HATE America.
I pass out your tapes to our church all the time. I’d love for you to bring us the word of God.
I thought this was wonderful actually, time for the term Evangelical to return to euangellion, and leave a particular political agenda. It is after all good news that Yeshua came that we might have life.
ReplyDeleteIt's a surprising document. I admit that I came to it skeptically, but it's excellent. Look forward to your analysis.
ReplyDeletebb
I wouldn't put it very harshly: I'd just say it's a weak, "big tent" sort of document--not much meaning to calling it a Manifesto. It's also intrinsically self-defeating: it calls for evangelical self-definition to be theological, but it offers very little to *define* evangelicalism as other than "vaguely Christian after the American fashion."
ReplyDeleteI commented on it here by dint of commenting on Al Mohler's demurral.
[For the record: not a Mohler dittohead.]