Evangelical revival is a leap of faith

 

 

Evangelical revival is a leap of faithRuth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

The rapid growth of evangelical and Pentecostal congregations in Britain and the United States has astonished almost everyone, save the evangelicals and Pentecostals themselves. The UK revival began in the 19th century and in the US at the start of the 20th century. This week, Pentecostals have overtaken Methodists and shot into third place in the country’s ecclesiastical ranks, after Anglicans and Roman Catholics. One key aspect differentiating evangelicals and Pentecostals from liberals and many Catholics is their devotion to the written word of God. These Christians carry Bibles everywhere and, for any challenge, there is a verse to guide them. For the past few decades it has been the decline of the liberal wings of mainstream churches that made headlines. When evangelicalism did come to public notice, as with Britain’s Alpha Course or the US mega-church phenomenon, it was often seen by the mainstream as at the eccentric end of fringe. As the liberals theologised themselves out of existence (destroying their reason for existing), the void was filled by hundreds of thousands of Bible-toting US Christians eager to swap the turgid relativ-ism and multiculturalism of the past with a more vibrant approach to faith. A poll published this week showed that 73 per cent of Americans believe in God or a supreme being — far more than any of the five other Western countries polled. In the UK a similar phenomenon is taking place. More than one third of Church of England worshippers is now evangelical, as are more than 80 per cent of the largest churches. But Britain’s evangelical revival is more understated than in the US. The same opinion poll found that just 35 per cent of British adults believed in God or a supreme being. Seven out of ten Britons wanted a separation of Church and State. There are many who believe that it is this separation that has enabled the powerful emergence of religion as a force in US public life. Such attitudes could have the opposite effect and strengthen churches in Britain, in particular at the evangelical end. Nothing makes Christianity thrive better than persecution.

The Rapid Growth of Pentecostalism

The rapid growth of evangelical and Pentecostal congregations in Britain and the United States has astonished almost everyone, save the evangelicals and Pentecostals themselves. The UK revival began in the 19th century and in the US at the start of the 20th century. This week, Pentecostals have overtaken Methodists and shot into third place in the country’s ecclesiastical ranks, after Anglicans and Roman Catholics. One key aspect differentiating evangelicals and Pentecostals from liberals and many Catholics is their devotion to the written word of God. These Christians carry Bibles everywhere and, for any challenge, there is a verse to guide them. ...