St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...

What's the "Evangelical" Church?

Please could you explain what is the difference between the Church of England and the “Evangelical” Church? Having been to both I can’t see much difference.

A. I’m glad you can’t! In days gone by the different denominations used to pride themselves on their differences, but I’m glad to say it’s not like that now. Churches are all much more focussed on the essentials of the Christian faith, which is all about Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2).

The word “evangelical” means “based on the gospel” (from a Greek word euaggelion which means “good news”). Nowadays it means one’s beliefs come out of the bible, because the bible is where we find the good news (the gospels which tell the life of Jesus, and the letters which tell us the gospel the apostles preached). At the Reformation (400 years ago) Luther wanted to say the church should be based on what the bible actually said; and not just on the traditions which had been handed down from one generation to another, and sometimes were very different from what the bible said.

The main points of “evangelicalism” are therefore the main points of what the bible says: Jesus being God’s Son, his death for our sins, repentance and personal faith, being born again, receiving the Holy Spirit, a life which is transformed by God, and the final authority of Scripture for what Christians should believe and do. Most “Evangelical” churches are affiliated to FIEC (the Federation of Independent Evangelical Churches), which teaches all these things. You can find a summary of their beliefs in the “Westminster Confession”.

When the Church of England came into being, they wrote this “evangelical” idea into its foundations - the “39 Articles of Religion”, which you can read at the back of the Book of Common Prayer. Article 6 says that the Scriptures are the only things you can insist that anyone who calls themselves “Christian” should believe, and Article 20 says that church services must agree with Scripture. Articles 11, 13 and 15 talk of the importance of personal faith and of being “born again”. The C of E is supposed to be the model “Evangelical” church.

So I’m very pleased you can’t see much difference! Churches may have different styles, but they are united in their central message: Christ and him crucified.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. February 2002, Page 8.
Home Page. Index of articles. Questions: index, Healing, Special needs, Choruses, Common cup, Evangelical, Resurrection. In this issue: (February 2002) Vicar's Letter, Foot & Mouth, Bible versions, Question, History.	In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition... What's the "Evangelical" Church? Please could you explain what is the difference between the Church of England and the “Evangelical” Church? Having been to both I can’t see much difference. A. I’m glad you can’t! In days gone by the different denominations used to pride themselves on their differences, but I’m glad to say it’s not like that now. Churches are all much more focussed on the essentials of the Christian faith, which is all about Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). The word “evangelical” means “based on the gospel” (from a Greek word euaggelion which means “good news”). Nowadays it means one’s beliefs come out of the bible, because the bible is where we find the good news (the gospels which tell the life of Jesus, and the letters which tell us the gospel the apostles preached). At the Reformation (400 years ago) Luther wanted to say the church should be based on what the bible actually said; and not just on the traditions which had been handed down from one generation to another, and sometimes were very different from what the bible said. The main points of “evangelicalism” are therefore the main points of what the bible says: Jesus being God’s Son, his death for our sins, repentance and personal faith, being born again, receiving the Holy Spirit, a life which is transformed by God, and the final authority of Scripture for what Christians should believe and do. Most “Evangelical” churches are affiliated to FIEC (the Federation of Independent Evangelical Churches), which teaches all these things. You can find a summary of their beliefs in the “Westminster Confession”. When the Church of England came into being, they wrote this “evangelical” idea into its foundations - the “39 Articles of Religion”, which you can read at the back of the Book of Common Prayer. Article 6 says that the Scriptures are the only things you can insist that anyone who calls themselves “Christian” should believe, and Article 20 says that church services must agree with Scripture. Articles 11, 13 and 15 talk of the importance of personal faith and of being “born again”. The C of E is supposed to be the model “Evangelical” church. So I’m very pleased you can’t see much difference! Churches may have different styles, but they are united in their central message: Christ and him crucified. John Hartley
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