What is an Evangelical?

A review of One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus, by J. I. Packer and Thomas C. Oden, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004).

In this sturdy volume, J.I. Packer and Thomas Oden, two of the deans of evangelical theology, provide a stiff antidote to those who declare the dissolution and end of evangelicalism. The evangelical faith has drifted into something of an identity crisis, catalyzed by the emergence of a postmodern consensus and our reluctant awareness of the marginalized state of the Church in American society. This, it seems to me, is undeniable. The room is shifting shape before our very eyes, causing our heads to swim and our eyes to go out of focus. But though our identity may be disrupted, it is hardly dissolved. Packer and Oden show that a lively and broad-based evangelical consensus exists throughout the world, and that it is strong and growing stronger, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding.

One Faith amounts to an evangelical credo. Drawing from a wide range of evangelical documents, statements, and professions of faith, from a variety of settings and sources, this book is a kind of enchiridion of evangelical beliefs. Following a classic Trinitarian arrangement, Packer and Oden have constructed a kind of systematic theology or catechesis of evangelicalism, drawing on sections of such evangelical position papers as The Lausanne Covenant (1974), The Gospel of Jesus Christ (1999), and The Amsterdam Declaration (2000 – these three documents are reproduced in full in three appendices). Altogether the editors employed sections of some 70 separate documents to prepare their “consensus” of evangelical beliefs. They have succeeded in preparing a statement of faith that is heavy and emphatic on such essential evangelical convictions as the nature and authority of Scripture, the centrality of Christ and conversion, the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of faith, the mission of the Church (both in evangelism and social justice), and the age to come. Every pastor and lay teacher, of whatever conviction, should own a copy of this excellent work.

The editors provide a helpful introduction explaining the importance of their work and defining what they mean by an “evangelical consensus”, together with a summary of the text elaborating ten facets of that consensus. The text proceeds like a Reformation confession, doctrinal head by doctrinal head, from prolegomenon to eschatology. The body of the material is conveniently divided into sub-headings and the text provided by excerpts from the above-mentioned evangelical documents. While neither a complete summary of the system of doctrine nor a full treatment of the life of faith, One Faith provides a compelling case for an evangelical consensus among world Christians, a consensus that is simply waiting to reify itself. This is a book for pastors to study, teach, and use as a touchstone for their preaching as they lead their churches to take a more self-conscious place in the evangelical consensus struggling to emerge.

T. M. Moore is a Fellow of the Wilberforce Forum. He serves as Pastor of Teaching Ministries and Director of the Center for Christian Studies at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tenn. He is the editor of the series, Jonathan Edwards for Today’s Reader (P & R), the latest volume of which is Praying Together for True Revival. His book, Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology, will be released in May, 2005, by P & R. Audio messages and lectures by T. M. can be secured from WordMp.3.com. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in Concord, Tenn.  He can be reached at nacurragh@aol.com. All Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (Crossway).