Helping to discern where gospel partnership might be possible
Evangelicals are often spoken of as belonging to different ‘tribes’. Each tribe bears its own distinctive features and has its own leading figures, speakers, publishers, writers, and musicians.
There is no agreed definition of each tribe although we might make a general distinction between ‘conservatives’ and ‘charismatics’.
I recently attended a city-wide prayer lunch for those who identify as ‘evangelical’. Delegates were drawn from all points of the evangelical spectrum, from very lively Pentecostal churches through to Reformed confessional congregations. When trying to explain the event to friends, rather than seeking to list or tabulate the distinctives of each grouping, I tried to summarise them in the form of a diagram which I call the evangelical triangle.
I have since found this a helpful resource to describe the landscape of evangelicalism within the UK. It may also prove useful when trying to explain to a visitor where our own churches sit, or to ‘map’ other fellowships in our local area to help us clarify to what extent gospel partnership is possible. It is a simple diagram and, as such, there is always the risk of ‘over-simplification’, though I feel it may still be of benefit.
The triangle has three sides: conservative, pentecostal and ‘broad’. The conservative side represents those churches which might also be described as ‘Reformed’ or ‘confessional’; churches which place a premium on gospel proclamation, expository preaching and sound doctrine, and are typically complementarian.
The pentecostal side corresponds to churches which – while they may or may not share the same distinctives as the conservative side – often see the focus of the ‘ministry’ not primarily in preaching but in allowing the Spirit to move among the congregation with an expectation of supernatural phenomena. These churches are often very zealous and loving.
The ‘broad’ side represents those churches which are often more egalitarian, and where the doing of good works or pursuit of social justice in Jesus’ name is often prioritised over the proclamation of His gospel or the teaching of sound doctrine.
The dashed lines represent the ‘borders’ wherein churches may overlap or through which churches may move from one ‘tribe’ to another. The surrounding boxes represent three great dangers which attend each tribe. The conservatives are always in danger of retreating into a sectarian fundamentalism Evangelical_Triangle.indd 1 and separating from anyone not identical in every respect to themselves.
The pentecostals must beware of disappearing into a hyper-charismaticism where the Bible is neglected and meetings descend into loud and chaotic ‘spiritual’ free-for-alls.
The ‘broad’ evangelicals can sometimes sail rather too close to the liberal (or post-evangelical) wind and undermine the authority of Scripture, play down the ‘full counsel of God’ or deny historic Christian ethics (such as the doctrine of marriage).
The centre point represents a healthy balance of all three: a commitment to the gospel, to 31/01/2020 10:40 evangelical doctrine with an expectation that the Spirit will move in the midst and the church will go forth in love to witness to and serve the world. A simple diagram does risk over-simplification, but I have found it instructive to ask where my own church would be placed and what I can learn from those at different points within the triangle. At the same time, it has helped me evaluate how feasible tangible partnership might be and alerted me to the dangers of moving excessively in one direction. Try it yourselves with the churches in your town or city.
