The Restoration of Evangelicalism:

Differences without Division

copublished with The Guardian Comment is Free site, 17 November 2008

by Graham Kings

Too often, in the past and today, the word ‘evangelical’ has been besmirched. It needs restoring as ‘good news’ in all its generous influence and call to authentic living, in following the way of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Charles Simeon (1759-1836), the vicar of Holy Trinity Cambridge for 54 years, is seen by many evangelicals in the Church of England as one of the key founders of our tradition.

He recognized that evangelical identity was broader than strict Calvinism; stressed the importance of liturgy and of Holy Communion (having been converted during a service of Holy Communion at King’s College, Cambridge); and opposed sectarianism by encouraging evangelicals to stay within the Church of England, when many were tempted to join Methodism.

Simeon and the Clapham Sect (John Venn, William Wilberforce, Charles Grant and others) founded the Church Missionary Society in 1799, which ever since has been involved in holistic mission, campaigning for the abolition of slavery and spreading the gospel throughout the world.

The Clapham Sect also founded The Christian Observer in 1802, which was wide ranging in its interests and influence. The more conservative, shrill and narrow Christian Record was founded in 1828. Some see lineaments of these lineages on the web today.

With prudent procedure in Parliament, William Wilberforce pioneered the campaign against the Atlantic slave trade and later the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury (1801-85) piloted through the ground breaking factory acts, and mental health acts.

Last Saturday, 15 November 2008, the National Evangelical Anglican Consultation (NEAC) took place at All Souls’ Langham Place, London. NEACs are usually held as ‘congresses’ every ten years over several days: this one was after five years and during a morning and afternoon. As people read reports of the consultation, it is worth remembering that evangelicalism in the Church of England is not monolithic but diverse. Our unity is organic, though not uncritical. It needs nourishing and does not respond well to impositions, as was manifest on the day.

The title of the consultation was ‘Shaping the Future: Anglican Evangelicalism post Lambeth and GAFCON’. The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), held in Jerusalem in June 2008 was seen by many as the ‘alternative’ or ‘shadow’ to the Lambeth Conference, held in Canterbury in July and early August.

As the previous NEAC opened in Blackpool on 19 September 2003, I attempted an overview of evangelicalism in the Church of England for the Church Times, entitled ‘The Nature of Living Water’. It developed the metaphor of watercourses to describe the three streams of the tradition - ‘conservative, open and charismatic’ - as ‘Canal, River and Rapids’ and was a summary of an article published in the journal Anvil and on the new website Fulcrum.

A view from another perspective can often be perceptive, though sometimes is unwelcome. A woman once entered a committee room where people had been smoking for many hours and said: 'It's smoky in here'. She was asked: 'how do you know, you've only just come in?'

Wim Houtman, the Religion Editor of Nederlands Dagblad, has written ‘NEAC 2008: an Evangelical Dutch Report’. He begins with a quotation:

“This morning was good: an atmosphere of reflection and unity. But this afternoon things went wrong.” Bishop Keith Sinclair of Birkenhead … could not say whether he was surprised by the outcome. “I didn’t know what to expect.” What’s for sure is that the meeting ended in a slight chaos, and defeat for the leadership of the organizers, the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC).

The chair of CEEC, Richard Turnbull, is the Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, which is currently being inspected by the Church of England following the controversial multiple resignations and sackings there.

He proposed a motion in the afternoon which was not on the agenda published beforehand, but merely put on the chairs prior to the beginning of the consultation, with the added note that ‘no amendments will be permitted.’ Some saw the motion, others did not. It was not mentioned at all from the front in the morning.

The motion, in effect, backed the GAFCON movement (which is about to set up a separate ‘Province’ in North America) while ignoring the process urged by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference, which is supported by many evangelical Anglicans. This pursues, with patience and urgency, the Covenant for the Anglican Communion and a Pastoral Forum for conservatives in North America.

At the consultation, our unity was clear in that we are committed to the teaching of the Communion on sexuality and opposed to the developments in North America which have caused this crisis. However, we differed on ecclesiology, the shape of the church. Some spoke up for GAFCON and others for the Lambeth process. The difficulty of the motion was that it seemed to be trying to force this division by being sprung on us at the last minute without opportunity for amendment.

The consultation objected and passed a procedural motion (by 123 votes to 104) that the original motion ‘be not put’. A short amended motion – had one been permitted - summarising our unity concerning the Communion’s teaching on sexuality and offering support for conservative Anglicans in North America would have been passed.

Wim Houtman reports what happened next:

“If you don’t want a vote, fine”, said Turnbull from the chair. “In that case the Church of England Evangelical Council will take its own decision.” From the audience: “Then why consult us?” Turnbull: “I would appreciate if you did not interrupt me.” Someone else in the audience: “Depends what you say.”

This was very different from the wisdom of Simeon and the prudent, parliamentary procedures of Wilberforce and Shaftesbury. It is to be hoped that CEEC as a whole will reflect on the consultation and work for a solution which unifies the evangelical constituency, allowing differences without fostering division. A failure to do so would provide more evidence that CEEC needs to be reformed, to prevent it becoming a ‘Rump Parliament’ and the word ‘evangelical’ from being further besmirched.

Canon Dr Graham Kings is vicar of St Mary Islington and theological secretary of Fulcrum.

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