Jesus Christ promised a unity for his church. Are there now clear evidences of that within evangelicalism? Or are evangelicals fragmenting into ever smaller divisions?Renowned theologians J. I. Packer and Thomas C. Oden make the case that there is a significant theological consensus holding the evangelical church together. With copious citations from statements produced since 1950 that are widely representative of international evangelical faith, Packer and Oden let these witnesses speak for themselves.Packer and Oden survey several key documents of evangelicalism, particularly the Lausanne Covenant (1974), the Manila Manifesto (1989), The Gospel of Jesus An Evangelical Celebration (1999) and The Amsterdam Declaration (2000). Charting sixteen different theological themes, they also include references to numerous documents produced by evangelical theological seminaries and societies, mission agencies, parachurch organizations and assorted special convocations. More than informational, One Faith arises out of the hope that it may not only edify the evangelical church but also provide a potential foundation for a new ecumenism that gives glory to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the good news of his gospel.
What do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
I don't really know what to make of this. I saw it recommended as an important part of the evangelical canon. It is perhaps worthwhile to try to describe what is widely believed among evangelicals for reference. Since the gap between these statements and lived evangelicalism is quite broad in places, there are limits to the usefulness of this description. For people like those who compiled it, I am sure there is more value in a charitable and aspirational description of evangelicalism and what it broadly believes.
The main benefit I got of out it was learning about the Chicago Call. I was not aware of that before and found learning about it and reading some of it helpful.
I am eager to dig into this as I pursue an understanding of what doctrine is that which is essential and so must allow division in the body of Christ in order to maintain historical and theological integrity in the faith.