The new centre of British evangelicalism

This speaks to something I have been wondering myself in recent months. Are conferences, especially the modern craze for anything with “Gospel” in the title, blurring the doctrinal lines? Is this a bad thing or a good thing? The issue of separation comes right to the forefront here.

Consider the author’s conclusion:

As such, HTB represents British evangelicalism’s friendly face: biblical but not dogmatic, evangelistic but not ranty, activist but not politicised, Anglican but not really, centred rather than boundaried. Hard not to like, right? And certainly more likely to unite evangelicals, and to get favourable write-ups from cultural gatekeepers in the Telegraph or the Guardian, than the hardline confessional types. As such, if HTB represents the new centre of British evangelicalism, then nearly everybody wins. If the abiding perception of a Christian in the UK becomes an articulate, genial, charitable, charismatic, missional London professional with a year-round golf tan, then journalists may be slightly less condescending, and the rest of us may seem slightly less ridiculous, than has historically been the case - and we can all get on with what we’re really here for.

Of course, Britain is a bit smaller than the USA, so it is easier for various theological parties to mold together, but I believe we’re seeing something of the same thing here. Is a generic, Mere Christianity-esque approach really the right path? Much more could be said, but I’ll wait.

Excellent article.