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Christianity Today, June (Web-only), 2009 |

Theology in the News

How Old Is the Old-Time Religion?

Scholars challenge David Bebbington in The Advent of Evangelicalism.

Reviewed by Collin Hansen | posted 6/29/2009 09:26AM

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"At its heart is a theological core shaped by the Trinitarian and Christological consensus of the early church, the formal and material principles of the Reformation, the missionary movement that grew out of the Great Awakening and the new movements of the Spirit that indicate 'surprising works of God' are still happening today."

Collin Hansen is a CT editor at large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists.

Related Elsewhere:

Previous Christianity Today articles related to David Bebbington or the history of evangelicalism include:

When Evangelicals Ruled | Between 1850 and 1900 evangelicals dominated the English speaking world, says David Bebbington. (June 1, 2006)

Where We Are and How We Got Here | 50 years ago, evangelicals were a sideshow of American culture. Since then, it's been a long, strange trip. Here's a look at the influences that shaped the movement. (September 29, 2006)

The Rise of the Evangelicals | Evangelicalism was once a tiny reform movement, one that was amazingly successful, says Mark Noll. (June 9, 2005)

Previous Theology in the News columns are available on our site.

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June (Web-only) 2009, Vol. 53

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 12 comments.

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Jim Gross

Posted: July 09, 2009 2:57 PM

First, the Merriam-Webster dictionary states that criteria, when used as a singular word, has been gaining acceptance for nearly 50 years. So, while not proper, it is at least acceptable. Thus, I don't think that one should negate what is being said over something so trivial. Second, I can appreciate one's desire to move to Roman Catholicism. For one, it is deeply mystical, which adds a dimension to one's spirituality that is missing in normal, Evangelical churches. One shouldn't be quick to dismiss one or the other without spending some time in quiet contemplation and deep prayer/Bible study. Such a decision is pretty big and should be taken only if you feel certain that God has demanded it of you. Being civil and non-judgemental should be the hallmark of Christians around the world, regardless of tradition. Especially when the discourse is on a Christian website and presumably between professing Christians. Cheers

Peter

Posted: July 03, 2009 10:45 AM

I am not sure about evangelicalism, per se, but the argument (at least to the degree that it's portrayed in this review) put forth in the Advent of Evangelicalism seems to walk very closely with Noll's "America's God." It seems clear that the modern American face of evangelicalism is that of the Enlightenment, what, with its scientific (or at least formulaic) approach to conversion, faith, and so forth. This is not altogether a bad thing, but it does point to the fact that American evangelicalism is, indeed, modern. Moreover, the post-moderns are doing modern evangelical faith a favor in calling it back to an earlier time.

Lee C

Posted: June 30, 2009 5:46 PM


re Andy Tucker. . .Someone is asleep at the wheel??

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