Time to be Evangelical
Declining Knowledge
More and more evidence is emerging of a decline in knowledge of the Bible and Christianity in the UK. In July 2009, a study by academics from Durham University showed clear evidence of this in people under the age of 45. The National Biblical Literacy Survey found that young people believe the Bible is old-fashioned and for people like the BBC’s EastEnders' character Dot Cotton [1].
Then in December 2009 a Sunday Telegraph survey showed that the Lord’s Prayer was no longer being taught in many of the nation’s primary schools. A leading professor of education responded to this survey by saying that the nation’s primary schools are watering down Britain’s Christian identity for fear of offending other cultures. He warned: “The country is losing its Christian identity. Many schools are not complying with the law relating to spiritual education and I think it is in urgent need of debate.” [2]
However, that call for urgent debate seems to have fallen on deaf ears. In June 2010 Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, reported that teachers are failing to educate children in the core beliefs of Christianity, ignoring their legal obligation to do so [3]. In the article that described Ofsted’s report there was also a hint of the reason for the failure. The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers was quoted as saying: "the study of the Christian tradition is very important ..." Note that he described it as the “Christian tradition” not “Christian faith”.
Many people attach little importance to heritage or tradition. Instead it is the rapid advance of science and technology that has captured the interest of most young people. This is borne out by recent comments from Jeremy Paxman about contestants on the BBC’s University Challenge. He said: “It’s interesting to see how, as years go by, they know less and less about classics and the Bible, and more and more about science and computing” [4].
Various Definitions
With this decline in knowledge of the Bible and Christianity, it is not surprising that there is confusion over the meaning of the word ‘evangelical’. The Evangelical Alliance website presents a clear, concise definition as follows:
Evangelicals often appeal to the derivation of their name from the Greek New Testament word for the 'gospel' or 'good news' of Jesus Christ ... they are 'gospel people', committed to simple New Testament Christianity and the central tenets of apostolic faith ... [5]
However, if we move to consider the definition of ‘evangelicalism’ on the popular Wikipedia website, it is narrower and includes specific points of the Christian faith, such as: the need to be ‘born again’, and the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ [6]. If we then move on again to the same website’s definition of ‘evangelism’, something one might expect evangelicals to do, the definition is much broader:-
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity, where the scriptures often describe "evangelism" as "spreading the Gospel". [7]
So with this word, it seems that popular interpretation no longer links it specifically to Christianity, but to any set of beliefs - despite the fact that it should refer to spreading THE GOOD NEWS. Whilst the three words considered here are different, they are very closely related and their definitions should also, therefore, be very closely related.
The Need for Clarity
Yet the current need for clarity is not new, for as Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated in 1971, long ago in New Testament times Jude’s meaning for his readers was that:
‘A very urgent matter has arisen and all of us must now contend earnestly for the faith.’ [8]
‘The Doctor’ saw that the reason for the confusion in those early days of Christianity was that the faith had come under attack. But it was a subtle type of attack – a slow introduction of false teaching that was causing gradual degeneration in the church.
This element of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ thinking was not a new one that arose after his retirement from Westminster Chapel. For in the book of sample evangelistic sermons preached in his first church, the introduction makes it clear that he placed significant emphasis on preaching to those who were not familiar with the faith. He was determined to counteract the problems that had arisen from mistaking nominal Christianity for the real experience of salvation.
Thus we should not be surprised that the need for clarity has arisen again in our day, and is being addressed in sermons, articles and interviews, like this one with Phil Johnson [10].
This article was first published 20th August 2010.
References
[1] Knowledge of Bible 'in decline', BBC News Online, 12-July-2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/8146460.stm
[2] Prof: ‘Christian heritage being eroded in schools’ The Christian Institute, 10-Dec-2009
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/prof-christian-heritage-being-eroded-in-schools/
[3] Schools leave Christianity in the wilderness, The Sunday Times, 6-June-2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7144802.ece
[4] Jeremy Paxman: University Challenge contestants know less about the classics,
The Telegraph, 10-Aug-2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7935668/Jeremy-Paxman-University-Challenge-contestants-know-less-about-the-classics.html
[5] What is an Evangelical? Evangelical Alliance website, 20-Aug-2010
http://eauk.org/about/what_is.cfm
[6] Evangelicalism, Wikipedia, 20-Aug-2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelicalism
[7] Evangelism, Wikipedia, 20-Aug-2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelism
[8] What is an Evangelical? D M Lloyd-Jones, Banner of Truth Trust, 1992, page 7.
[9] Evangelistic Sermons at Aberavon, D M Lloyd-Jones, Banner of Truth Trust, 1983.
[10] Defining and Defending Historic Evangelicalism with guest Phil Johnson, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8NTmQZLbY4&feature=youtu.be
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