Division in the church is a great scandal and a hindrance to our witness (Jn 17:20-23), but can the breaches possibly be healed, even between the truly believing portions of the church in its major branches? Pope Francis hopes so and plans to move it along. This is something that will bear watching, as we […]
Category: Evangelicalism
There were many times before 1990 when events on the program of the World Council of Churches’ General Assembly were strongly objectionable to evangelicals. I remember clearly reading about, and being disturbed by, some of those. So I was greatly encouraged by Thomas Schirrmacher’s commentary (published today) on his experience as a representative for the […]
Brian Stiller is the Global Ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance. Together with Geoff Tunnicliffe, the Secretary General of WEA, he had the opportunity recently to spend a few hours at lunch for an informal meeting with Pope Francis, at the Pope’s request. Yesterday, Brian posted his reflections on Facebook, so I take that to […]
How long can evangelical churches remain evangelical, given the widespread increase in biblical illiteracy and the theological ignorance which accompanies it and which is probably even more severe? Evangelical leaders are aware of the problem, but I see little sign of its being effectively addressed in western churches, and the problem is compounded in the […]
How big is the evangelical tent? That is a hotly disputed question these days, informed by different definitions of “evangelicalism” itself. Considering the historical roots of the contemporary evangelical movement within Protestantism, I am reluctant to speak of segments of the Roman Catholic Church as “evangelical.” But I welcome the renewal that has been occurring […]
Fifty years ago, Vatican II was convened by John XXIII, and it has marked the shape of life and thought in the Roman Catholic Church very significantly. Recently, I enjoyed Glen Scorgie’s assessment of the Council’s impact, and his thoughts about the effects of that Council on the relationship between Roman Catholics and evangelicals. I […]
After writing my post about the identity markers of evangelicalism., I recollected one put up by Roger Olson in which Michael Clawson sets out to demonstrate that a neo-fundamentalism is on the rise in evangelicalism. I referred Roger to my post and suggested that what I had spoken to might be an instance of the […]
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Is inclusivism evangelical?
In recent years, the criteria for identifying individuals or institutions as “evangelical” have been a matter of debate. Numerous issues have been identified as areas in which one’s credentials as an evangelical can be tested. But I was a bit taken aback, a few months ago, when a Southern Baptist leader of Calvinist convictions stated […]