By MIKE STONE, Executive Director, Vision Ministries Canada
There was a Charles Schwab commercial a few years ago, in which a father encouraged his son to start investing, now that he was earning a living. When the son asked his father how the fee structure worked and if he was happy with the fees, the father condescendingly explained that the world of investing didn’t work that way, to which his son replied that the world is changing. The commerical ends with the appearance of a dismissive grin on his father’s face.
Generational change brings shifts in all areas of life. Even our faith traditions experience a re-formation as a new generation takes the helm. Most of VMC’s churches have been shaped by Evangelicalism. This is our heritage—the spiritual water we swim in. It too has shifted and feels different than the Evangelicalism of my youth.
Historical definition of Evangelicalism
In his 1989 study, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s, David Bebbington defined what it means to be evangelical. What came to be known as ‘Bebbington’s quadrilateral’ is still widely accepted as a working definition of this historical movement. However, we may need to broaden our understanding of Bebbingtons four major themes.
Some contemporary shifts in Evangelicalism
Contemporary evangelicals emphasize the Bible as a book from God that is without equal among all literature regarding divine revelation. Today, however, the interplay between human agency and divine inspiration is more widely debated.
The Cross is still seen as the pinnacle of God’s redemptive movements. But there seems to be more space within contemporary Evangelicalism to differ over the mechanics of salvation, that is, how God saves us through the cross.
Altar calls and praying the sinners’ prayer, were so central to the faith tradition of my youth. Though personal Conversion is still a hallmark of Evangelicalism, adherents are less concerned with pinpointing the moment one crosses from darkness to light, and more willing to see it as process.
When Bebbington crafted his definition, Activism prioritized personal evangelism. Since then, a growing social conscience, shift in evangelical eschatology and emphasis on salvation for the whole person has elevated the role of social justice. The gospel needs proclaimed AND embodied. This classical definition still works, but the meaning is more nuanced.
VMC Network broad enough for a variety of viewpoints
These are some of the shifts I am noticing in Evangelicalism as I speak with pastors and Christian leaders across Canada. The Vision Ministries network is an umbrella broad enough to include churches and missional expressions of The Church with a variety of viewpoints. This variety makes for interesting regional gatherings and Thinking Shrewdly conferences.
Share your viewpoint in the comments below.
Hi Mike,
I appreciate your thoughts on this. I have been migrating to a more contemplative practice of my faith and at times felt lost and even not belonging or wanting to go to church. This helped me see that I am not alone, but perhaps part of something bigger in not only what the church needs, but what the world needs from the church.
Blessings,
Andrew
This makes a lot of sense and hits me warmly as it helps me see my evangelical-ness as embracing contemplative monks and silence and lectio divina stuff — but also I’m enjoying contemp worship songs and praying for God’s spirit to move in power, and getting along well with my pentecostal friends.