“An Evangelical Manifesto” was released this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. As I noted in previous posts, I will offer some reflections on the “Manifesto” either later on today or tomorrow. For now, I direct your attention to the media materials that have been released. There is a video recording of the event held this morning: Archived Webcast of Press Conference. You will need Windows Media Player to view it. There are two websites: www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com and www.evangelicalmanifesto.com. The latter of the two websites is a press-friendly site that has an executive summary of the 20 page document.
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Anticipating “An Evangelical Manifesto” – Part 2
USA Today has a story out in advance of the release of the “Manifesto.” There are some encouraging signs here that were missing from the AP story that I referenced in the previous post. The opening paragraph reads: ‘An “evangelical manifesto” being released today by a group of Christian scholars and theologians is expected to try to take back the term “evangelical” from politics and return it to its theological roots.’ A spokesman for the “Manifesto” says that,
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Anticipating “An Evangelical Manifesto”
This weekend the Associated Press reported that a group of evangelicals will release a document criticizing an evangelical movement that is too mired in partisan politics. ‘Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word “evangelical” has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars. ‘The statement, called “An Evangelical Manifesto,” condemns Christians on the right and left for “using faith” to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.’ I have not yet…
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What To Do with Economic Stimulus Checks
Recently, a debate has broken about whether Christians should use their forthcoming “economic stimulus checks” for missions rather than spending it on consumer goods. What are our obligations given that the rationale for sending out the checks in the first place is so that more money might be pumped into the economy? The discussion started with a short essay by John Piper, but others have been weighing in on the question. Last week, Tim Chailles interviewed David Kotter about this issue. Kotter currently serves as the executive director of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Previously, Kotter taught business courses at Trinity International University, worked as a finance manager…
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J. I. Packer Splits with the Anglicans of Canada
From The Vancouver Sun: One of the world’s most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are “arguably heretical” for adhering to “poisonous liberalism.” James Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet’s 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.
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Making Sense of the Texas Polygamist Controversy
Dr. Albert Mohler did an interesting show yesterday on the legal battles of the Fundamentalist Mormon sect that has been all over the news. While almost everyone would agree that the state needed to intervene in this case, he points out that there is a potential for precedents to be set that could adversely affect Christian families. You can listen to the show by pressing the “play” button below. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/MP3/totl/2008/AMP_04_24_2008.mp3]
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Speaking of Evangelicals and Politics . . . Jim Wallis
Yesterday I lamented the fact that the evangelical left has their priorities all wrong. They refuse to treat abortion-on-demand as a transcendent moral issue. In other words, they do not think it should be a priority for Christians to support the protection of the unborn in law. Christians might try to reduce the abortion rate through social action, but they should not seek to protect the unborn through political means. At least that’s what the religious left is urging us to do.
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Young, Restless, Reformed by Collin Hansen
Collin Hansen, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008). 160pp. $14.99. In 2006, Christianity Today editor-at-large Collin Hansen wrote an article about the rise of Calvinism among younger evangelicals. The piece had the title “Young, Restless, Reformed,” and it was a CT cover-story that raised eyebrows across evangelicalism. That is one of the reasons that news of Hansen’s book (published under the same title) caught my attention when I heard it was in the works last year. When Justin Taylor noted that the book was finally released on March 30, I ordered it almost immediately.
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Baptist Press on the Criswell Decision
Gary Ledbetter of the Southern Baptist Texan has more on the news that I wrote about yesterday. He writes: “A rumor that Criswell College, started in 1975 by First Baptist Church of Dallas, would become part of nearby Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was laid to rest by the college’s trustees during their regularly scheduled board meeting April 10. “As the college and the church continue to discuss their future relationship, some had suggested that Criswell College might become part of the seminary’s undergraduate program. That was apparently the motivation for the Criswell College trustees’ vote, which was without dissent, that the college would not become part of the seminary in…
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Criswell College Not Going to Southwestern
I have some news to report concerning the college at which I am a professor. There have been rumors floating around the Southern Baptist Convention to the effect that Criswell College would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas to become a part of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There was such a proposal before Criswell College’s trustees. But today Criswell’s trustees voted unanimously against making Criswell College a part of Southwestern Seminary. Criswell College will not be going to Southwestern but will continue in Dallas under its current governing structure. There should be an official press release sometime today or tomorrow.