Joe Carter started this discussion by asking, “How would the bloggers here at Evangel define the term? What is is that we all have in common that allows us to share the label?” Timothy George provides a helpful short and concise summary:
At its heart [evangelicalism] is a theological core shaped by the Trinitarian and Christological consensus of the early church, the formal and material principles of the Reformation, the missionary movement that grew out of the Great Awakening and the new movements of the Spirit that indicate “surprising works of God” are still happening today (“Foreword,” in The Advent of Evangelicalism).
I like the fact that George starts with the early church and its foundational theology, which is not something we always do well as evangelicals, but I often wonder how Trinitarian we really are in practice. How many of us open our worship service in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Or have any confession of the Triune name during worship? Hmm…
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