What British evangelicalism needs - 1 October 2010 |
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In many ways, the evangelical church in Britain is stronger today than at any time in the last hundred years. In the last few decades by God’s grace our confidence in the Bible has been renewed and our boldness in evangelism has increased. New evangelical churches are springing up and the gospel is bearing fruit and growing all over the UK. There are abundant grounds for optimism as we look to the years ahead.
Yet this growth also brings dangers. Evangelistic zeal can quickly be dampened as we are drawn away from sowing the seed of the word into the murky subculture of church politics. Worldly pragmatism can easily displace biblical conviction as the driving force behind our teaching and practice. Like a mountain stream that begins its journey with ever-increasing vigour and energy, there is a danger that we will gradually slow down and begin to meander sluggishly across the flat plains of missional irrelevance.
Worse still, the hectic busyness of life in a growing church can make it hard to maintain our theological bearings. Time-honoured biblical principles can be abandoned, and questionable theological notions taken on board, without any of us even realising what has been lost. At the risk of over-extending the metaphor, all manner of worldly pollutants could find their way into the increasingly wide river of British evangelicalism, as its muddy waters are gradually starved of life.
As we look to the future, therefore, the British evangelical church must keep an eye fixed firmly on the past. With this in mind, it is a great pleasure to welcome Ian Hamilton and Robert Letham to speak at The Faith of Our Fathers, tomorrow (Saturday 2 October) at the Welsh Chapel, Cockfosters, North London.
If you’ve ever wondered what our Reformed forefathers would really think if they could visit a 21st-century British evangelical church, now’s your chance to find out. There’s still space, so why not join us?
Doors open at 9:30 am for coffee; the conference starts promptly at 10:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. Individuals £15; students / unwaged £10; couples / families £20. Pay on the door.
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<td><a href=”http://northlondonchurch.org/conferences/”><img src=”http://northlondonchurch.org/docs/the-faith-of-our-fathers.jpg” alt=”The Faith of Our Fathers” width=”426″ height=”248″ /></a></td>
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Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Minister's Blog