Wednesday 4 August 2010

The Future of Evangelicalism

As part of a summer series on ‘The Future of Religion’, Patheos are promising a set of essays on the ‘Future of Evangelicalism’.

They write:

‘A rapidly evolving tradition with deep historical roots, evangelicalism confronts abundant opportunities and abundant challenges. How will current movements within the church shape the face of American Christianity in the next ten years? What is the best way to influence culture while retaining the distinctive qualities of evangelical faith? How should evangelicals relate to other Christian traditions, and even non-Christian ones? How ought evangelicals to engage in politics? And how are evangelical ministries responding to the swiftly changing circumstances of life in the twenty-first century?’

With some significant contributors in place, the essays themselves are organised according to the following themes:

• Transforming the Church
• Transforming Culture
• American Evangelicalism and the Varieties of Christianity
• Transforming Society, Part 1: Social Justice and the Progressive Christian Movement
• Transforming Society, Part 2: Liberty, Responsibility, and the New Evangelical Conservatism
• Transforming the Shape of Evangelical Ministry

Interestingly, evangelicalism finds itself in a list on the future of religion as a category alongside mainline Protestantism, Mormonism, as well as the mainstream world religions.

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