WHO NEEDS ANOTHER "MANIFESTO?"

Some few "Blogs" ago (March 3, 2008), we touched

on the problem of multi-syllablization of the Gospel

which confronts the Christian cause. Cited were these

examples of present-day verbiage often being used in

religious writings: "westernization ...worldview ...

contextualization ... missiological ... Eurocentric ...

Easternize ... Africanize ... sacredness ... universality

... enculturation ... de-westernization... globalization

... venturesomeness ... self-theologizing. And those

are just a few.

The fact is that the Gospel message can still be stated

in simple, easy-to-understand words of just one or two

syllables. There is no need for complex words to define

or explain God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus

Christ, or His Great Commission to share that Gospel

message with the whole world.

Nor do we need another "Manifesto" – defined simply

as "a public declaration of policy."

There have been so many such public declarations of

policy through the years. To recall a few, there was

"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx in 1848;

"The 1890 Manifesto" issued by the President of the

Mormon Church to end pluralistic marriages; "A

Christian Manifesto" by Methodist theologian Edwin

Lewis in 1934; "A Christian Manifesto" by Francis

Schaeffer of l’Abri fame in 1981: "The Unabombers

Mainfesto" by Unabomber Theodore Kazynscki in

1995, and the Manifesto of Presidential Wannabe Ron

Paul, "The Revolution," in 2008.

Now a group of Christians of varying persuasions

have produced another such document, titled "An

Evangelical Manifesto." The 20 page document

was released last week at a press conference in

Washington, DC, managed by one of the "Steering

Committee" members, Larry Ross, who has been

serving as the professional publicity agent for Billy

Graham and Rick Warren. Although denied being a

political document, it deals quite extensively with the

right of Christians to become involved in politics,

and its timed release in the nation’s capitol in the

midst of the most intense national partisan political

struggle in years, makes that denial a bit suspect.

The text had as its principal drafter Os Guinness, best

known as a social critic rather than a theologian, but

included in the Steering Committee are some nominal

Evangelical figures: Timothy George of Beeson

Divinity School, Rich Mouw of Fuller Theological

Seminary and David Neff of Christianity Today; all

of them not only signers of this "Manifesto," but also

signers of the Yale University Divinity School’s vague

response to the Islamist scholars’ letter seeking

cooperation between the Christian faith and Islam.

This "Manifesto" uses 20 pages and several thousand

words to define what "Evangelical" is and what it is

not. One of the first evaluations of it from Warren

Smith, writing in One News Now, included these

words, "It contains, like other documents of this kind,

both virtues and flaws. It’s better than most; worse

than some." Mr. Guinness claimed that it took three

years to draft the document. From his viewpoint it

gave him time to include a major premise from his

recent book, "The Case for Civility," and its convoluted

argument for a "civil public square" versus a "naked"

public square on one side, and a "sacred" public square

on the other side.

The process of obtaining signatures to the document

has begun, and will doubtless continue – to what end

or for what purpose, no one can be absolutely certain.

The need for an accurate appreciation of the true

Evangelical position – Evangelicalism – has been with

us since the late Carl Henry’s definitive work, "The

Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism" was

published in 1947. The term "Evangelical" has been

both abused and misused in the intervening years.
It is doubtful that social critic Os Guinness’ 20 page

"Manifesto" with or without a long list of signatories

will accomplish anything to correct this problem.

The true Evangelicals, born-again Christians who have

accepted Jesus’ Great Commission to go, preach and

teach, do not need a further explanation of what He

meant. They will simply continue the ministry in which

the Church of Jesus Christ has been engaged since He

announced its formation in the first century, as it is

recorded in Matthew 16:18.

More about the author

The Evangelical Viewpoint is pleased to present this

new series of essays by Dr. Jerry Beavan, in which he

offers mature discussions of important elements of

the Christian faith, with the goal of helping Christian

believers to live the Christian life more effectively.

At age 89, he already has a lifetime of experiences
in Christian ministry, as a graduate theologian, as
a professor in college and seminary, and as a world

traveler involved in government relations at high

levels, here in America and around the world. The

late Dr. Jerry Falwell referred to him as "one of

God's giants and modern patriarchs." Dr. Billy

Graham said of him, "Jerry Beavan is the architect

of world evangelism as we know it today." Now

living in "active retirement" on America's Pacific

coast, although physically impaired, he is using his

writing skills, via the internet, to help other believers

gain a better understanding of their Christian faith.

He is the author of several works, including his recent

volume, ""A Handbook of Applied Christianity."