Open Evangelical
Encyclopedia
Open Evangelical refers to a particular Christian
school of thought or Churchmanship
, primarily in the United Kingdom
(especially in the Church of England
). Open evangelicals describe their position as combining a traditional evangelical
emphasis on the nature of scriptural
authority
, the teaching of the ecumenical creeds
and other traditional doctrinal teachings, with an approach towards culture
and other theological
points of view which tends to be more inclusive than that taken by other evangelicals. Some open evangelicals aim to take a middle position between conservative
and charismatic
evangelicals, while others would combine conservative theological emphases with more liberal social positions.
Open Evangelicalism is particularly represented by the Fulcrum
movement in the Church of England, and prominent advocates of the open evangelical position include N.T. Wright (Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and previously the Bishop of Durham), Graham Kings
, the Bishop of Sherborne and Steven Croft, the Bishop of Sheffield. The primary journal of open evangelicalism is Anvil.
Among Anglican theological colleges, Open Evangelicalism is particularly strong within Ridley Hall
in Cambridge, St John's
in Nottingham, and Cranmer Hall
in Durham. Prominent open evangelical churches include St Mary's Islington
(Diocese of London
), St Nicholas' Durham
, and Holy Trinity, Cambridge
.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
school of thought or Churchmanship
Churchmanship
Within Anglicanism the term churchmanship is sometimes used to refer to distinct understandings of church doctrine and liturgical practice by members of the Church of England and other churches of the Anglican communion...
, primarily in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(especially in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
). Open evangelicals describe their position as combining a traditional evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
emphasis on the nature of scriptural
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
, the teaching of the ecumenical creeds
Ecumenical creeds
Ecumenical creeds is an umbrella term used in the western church to refer to the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The ecumenical creeds are also known as the universal creeds. These creeds are accepted by almost all mainstream Christian denominations in the western...
and other traditional doctrinal teachings, with an approach towards culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and other theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
points of view which tends to be more inclusive than that taken by other evangelicals. Some open evangelicals aim to take a middle position between conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
and charismatic
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
evangelicals, while others would combine conservative theological emphases with more liberal social positions.
Open Evangelicalism is particularly represented by the Fulcrum
Fulcrum (Anglican think tank)
Fulcrum is a Church of England think tank representing the Evangelical Centre of the CofE. Formed in 2002, Fulcrum aims to renew the moderate centre of the evangelical tradition in the Church of England...
movement in the Church of England, and prominent advocates of the open evangelical position include N.T. Wright (Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and previously the Bishop of Durham), Graham Kings
Graham Kings
Graham Kings was consecrated as the Anglican Bishop of Sherborne on 24 June 2009 at a service in Westminster Abbey.- Early life :Kings was born in Barkingside, Essex on the eastern outskirts of London. He is one of 2 children...
, the Bishop of Sherborne and Steven Croft, the Bishop of Sheffield. The primary journal of open evangelicalism is Anvil.
Among Anglican theological colleges, Open Evangelicalism is particularly strong within Ridley Hall
Ridley Hall, Cambridge
Ridley Hall is a theological college located in Sidgwick Avenue in Cambridge in the United Kingdom, which trains intending ministers for the Church of England and other churches. It was founded in 1881 and named in memory of Nicholas Ridley, a leading protestant theologian of the sixteenth century...
in Cambridge, St John's
St John's College, Nottingham
St John's College, situated in Bramcote, Nottingham, is a Church of England theological college. The college stands in the open evangelical tradition and states that its “core purpose is to inspire, equip and grow Christians to serve and lead in God’s mission.”St. John’s trains Anglican ordinands,...
in Nottingham, and Cranmer Hall
St John's College, Durham
St John's College is a college of the University of Durham, United Kingdom. It is one of only two 'Recognised Colleges' of the University, the other being St Chad's. This means that it is financially and constitutionally independent of the University and has a greater degree of administrative...
in Durham. Prominent open evangelical churches include St Mary's Islington
St Mary's Church, Islington
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the historic parish church of Islington, in the Church of England Diocese of London. The present parish is a compact area centered on Upper Street between Angel and Highbury Corner, bounded to the west by Liverpool Road, and to the east by Essex Road/Canonbury...
(Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
), St Nicholas' Durham
St Nicholas' Church, Durham
St Nicholas' Church, commonly known as St Nic's, is a Church of England place of worship located on Durham marketplace and is the city's civic church...
, and Holy Trinity, Cambridge
Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge
Holy Trinity Church is a church in Market Street, central Cambridge, England, on the corner with Sidney Street. Its current vicar is Rupert Charkham, and theologically, it stands within the open evangelical tradition of the Church of England...
.
See also
- EcumenismEcumenismEcumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
- EvangelicalismEvangelicalismEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
- InclusivismInclusivismInclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between religions, asserts that while one set of beliefs is absolutely true, other sets of beliefs are at least partially true. It stands in contrast to exclusivism, which asserts that only one way is true and all others are...
- Low ChurchLow churchLow church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
- Post-evangelicalPost-evangelicalPost-evangelicalism is a term used to describe former adherents of Evangelicalism. Post-evangelicalism is sometimes linked with the emerging church phenomenon, but includes a variety of people who have distanced themselves from mainstream evangelical Christianity for theological, political, or...
External links
- Definition of Open Evangelical from Ridley HallRidley Hall, CambridgeRidley Hall is a theological college located in Sidgwick Avenue in Cambridge in the United Kingdom, which trains intending ministers for the Church of England and other churches. It was founded in 1881 and named in memory of Nicholas Ridley, a leading protestant theologian of the sixteenth century...
- Review of service of St Mary's Islington, London, including discussion of Open Evangelicalism
- Canal, River and Rapids: Contemporary Evangelicalism in the Church of England: Kings, Bishop Graham (September 2003), which contains an outline of Open Evangelicalism in A.2.