This book is an important part of the historical record of Dr. Norman L. Geisler. It displays Geisler’s intellectual gifts and devotion to the Lordship of Christ in his defense of Christianity and classic evangelicalism. This book, written by one of Geisler’s long-time and trusted assistants, will be of importance to those who want a first-hand interpretation of Geisler and the significance of Geisler’s method for present-day evangelicalism. It provides a clear assessment of the impact of Geisler’s embrace of classical realism, classical theism, the doctrine of inerrancy in the context of twentieth century evangelical theology, while providing a way forward to apply Geisler’s method in the twenty-first century.
The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals play a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. These evangelicals raise a starkly consequential question for electoral politics: Why do they claim morality while supporting politicians who act immorally by most Christian measures? In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler answers that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power. Butler reveals how evangelical racism, propelled by the benefits of whiteness, has since the nation's founding played a provocative role in severely fracturing the electorate. During the buildup to the Civil War, white evangelicals used scripture to defend slavery and nurture the Confederacy. During Reconstruction, they used it to deny the vote to newly emancipated blacks. In the twentieth century, they sided with segregationists in avidly opposing movements for racial equality and civil rights. Most recently, evangelicals supported the Tea Party, a Muslim ban, and border policies allowing family separation. White evangelicals today, cloaked in a vision of Christian patriarchy and nationhood, form a staunch voting bloc in support of white leadership. Evangelicalism's racial history festers, splits America, and needs a reckoning now.
Some of the most significant figures in evangelical theology explore the traditional view of the doctrine of salvation and its impact on evangelism in this age. Beginning with the doctrine of God as the author of salvation, pressing issues such as the exclusivity of the gospel and modern evangelism strategies, are examined. It's a forceful, clear presentation of how to stay true to biblical doctrines and faithful to the Great Commission in postmodern times.
Many today are discarding the evangelical label, and as a lifelong evangelical, Dan Stringer has wrestled with whether to stay or go. In this even-handed guide, he offers a thoughtful appreciation of evangelicalism's history, identity, and strengths, but also lament for its blind spots, showing how we can move forward with hope for our future together.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.
Murray analyses major changes in the evangelical movement in the years 1950 to 2000, clarifying the issues raised & assessing events in the light of biblical teaching. The period under review saw the fundamental difference between two contrasting approaches to Christian unity, ecumenism & evangelicalism, gradually obscured. In their desire to distance themselves from the older fundamentalism, some evangelical leaders were too willing, in Murray's view, to jettison, or at least to tone down, previously cherished convictions concerning the nature of Christian conversion, the authority of Scripture & the primacy of gospel truth over denominational loyalty. Leaders whose roles in these changes are discussed include Billy Graham, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, J. I. Packer & John R. W. Scott. Particular attention is given to the evangelical movement within the Anglican communion, the problematic nature of evangelical involvement in the world of scholarship & moves to break down barriers between evangelicalism & Roman Catholicism. Murray emphasizes the basic question, What is a Christian? & its implications for evangelical faith & life.
Understand the history, core values, and divisions as they've developed within the Evangelical Christian movement. Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalismcompares and contrasts four distinct positions on the current fundamentalist-evangelical spectrum. Each contributor offers their case for one of four primary views: Fundamentalism – defended by Kevin T. Bauder Conservative/confessional evangelicalism – defended by R. Albert Mohler Jr. Generic evangelicalism – defended by John G. Stackhouse Jr. Postconservative evangelicalism – defended by Roger E. Olson Each author explains and defends his position, which is critiqued by the other three authors. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.
In New Monasticism and the Transformation of American Evangelicalism, Wes Markofski combines vivid ethnographic storytelling and incisive theoretical analysis to introduce readers to the fascinating and unexplored terrain of the burgeoning neo-monastic evangelical movement.
This volume brings together a diverse group of Reformation scholars to examine the life, work, and enduring significance of John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury from 1560 to 1571. A theologian and scholar who worked with early reformers in England such as Peter Martyr Vermigli, Martin Bucer, and Thomas Cranmer, Jewel had a long-lasting influence over religious culture and identity. The essays included in this book shed light on often-neglected aspects of Jewel’s work, as well as his standing in Elizabethan culture not only as a priest but as a leader whose work as a polemicist and apologist played an important role in establishing the authority and legitimacy of the Elizabethan Church of England. The contributors also place Jewel in the wider context of gender studies, material culture, and social history. With its inclusion of a short biography of Jewel’s early life and a complete list of his works published between 1560 and 1640, Defending the Faith is a fresh and robust look at an important Reformation figure who was recognized as a champion of the English Church, both by his enemies and by his fellow reformers. In addition to the editors, contributors to this volume are Andrew Atherstone, Ian Atherton, Paul Dominiak, Alice Ferron, Paul A. Hartog, Torrance Kirby, W. Bradford Littlejohn, Aislinn Muller, Joshua Rodda, and Lucy Wooding.
