The Younger Evangelicals - Introduction

In this book, by Robert Webber, he is attempting to “interpret the changing face of evangelicalism since about 1950 and projects where evangelicalism is going in the next decades” admittedly from a North American perspective.

In the introduction, Webber sets the scene for the book, by defining what he means by “Younger Evangelicals”, not limiting young to only young in age, but also young in spirit. In fact, he says that Brian McLaren (who I don’t think by any definition you could say was young - sorry Brian!), is the archetypal leader of a younger evangelical.

He sees the younger evangelicals as:

“anyone, older or younger, who deals thoughtfully with the shift from twentieth to twenty-first century culture. He or she is committed to construct a biblically rooted, historically informed, and culturally aware new evangelical witness in the twenty first century.” p.15

The younger evangelical he sees in contrast to what he calls the “traditional evangelicals” (or fundamentalists) from the 1950’s onwards and the “pragmatic evangelicals” from 1975 onward (typified by Bill Hybels). He sees though, both these older forms of evangelicals primarily shaped and operating in a modern worldview. The younger evangelicals are the first to be shaped and operate in a postmodern worldview.

I find this a hugely helpful introduction and helps explain some of the conflict seen in the church world at the moment. There is a huge shift happening in culture, and in church, and the transition needs to happen for the gospel to be contextualised in the culture of today. There are of course dangers (certainly of imbibing too much of the culture, that we are no longer distinct and prophetic), but the transition is essential. However, in many churches (and I think ours is no exception) we are a mix of pragmatic evangelicals and younger evangelicals and there can often be great misunderstanding.

However, we would all do well to remember that we come from the same stream, belong the same “side”, and have far more in common than we do differences.