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Evangelical Manifesto

A big hat tip to Ken at C. Orthodoxy for the head's up on this week's publication of The Evangelical Manifesto, "an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for"--with "an urgent challenge to reaffirm Evangelical identity, to reform Evangelical behavior, to reposition Evangelicals in public life, and so rededicate ourselves to the high calling of being Evangelical followers of Jesus Christ"--drafted and published by nine scholars and evangelical leaders, which impressively (at least to this blogger) includes Richard Mouw (Fuller Theological Seminary president) and Dallas Willard (prolific author and Professor of Philosophy at USC). (It's also signed by a dozens of other evangelical leaders and scholars.)

My spiritual heritage has deep roots among evangelicals and Anabaptists, along with some deep appreciation for writers and thinkers out of the Catholic tradition. While Anabaptists have a much more defined understanding of who they are what they stand for, evangelicalism is a relatively newer (and broader) movement, so I'm glad to see a document like this being introduced for conversation in defining a bit more just what the movement is about and who followers of Jesus are called to be. I've printed out the 20-page document, and plan on reading it over the next few days.