WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
The evangelical tradition
By Ian Randall. Darton, Longman, Todd. 239 pages. £9.95.
ISBN 0 232 52533 1
This book is one of a series which seeks to introduce the spiritual values of different Christian groups to a wider audience, including Carmelites, Anabaptists, Lutherans, Orthodox, Dominican, Augustinian and so on. Therefore Ian Randall is not primarily writing about evangelicals for evangelicals, but to explain to other traditions what evangelicals hold dear. It is ‘an ideal introduction for readers of every background to a vital tradition of spirituality not confined to one country or one denomination.’
The author is the Deputy Principal and Lecturer in Church History at Spurgeon’s College, London. He uses David Bebbington’s definition of evangelicalism as ‘a movement comprising all those who stress the Bible, the cross, conversion and activism’. On this he builds David Gillett’s ‘major features of evangelical spirituality — conversion, assurance, the cross of Christ, the Bible, holiness, active service and prayer’.
