To Be A Methodist Evangelical

In the current conservative climate of America precipitated by the election of President Bush to a second term, the media and the public have become aware of and interested in the phenomena of evangelicalism. Despite the fact that evangelicals have been around for 2000 years, you'd think we were a new creation. In the midst of all this media attention, the question has constantly been debated, "What is an evangelical, and what do they intend to do to America?"

Kenneth Collins, in his book The Evangelical Moment, talks about the formation of American evangelicals:

"Evangelical Protestants draw primarily from two great streams. The Reformed wing shaped the theology of Presbyterian, Baptist and Christian Church denominations and ultimately goes back to John Calvin. Its strength has been in the "head religion" of orthodox doctrine. The Wesleyan wing shaped the Methodist, holiness, pentecostal and charismatic movements and ultimately goes back, as the name suggests, to John Wesley. Its strength has been the "heart religion" of Spirit-filled religious experience.

"These two streams, Reformed and Wesleyan, have been equally important for evangelicalism as a movement of ordinary believers. In evangelical intellectual life, however, the Reformed have dominated. Asbury Theological Seminary is one of the great Wesleyan holiness intellectual centers in the world, and Kenneth Collins is the professor of Wesley studies there. Not surprisingly, then, Collins argues that the Wesleyan tradition has just as much to offer to evangelical thought as any other tradition does. The core of The Evangelical Moment is Collins' argument that the "Wesleyan leavening of evangelicalism" is vital to the future of evangelical Christianity." You can read a review of the book here.

I find that synopsis from Collins' book heartening. Too often, I find myself disenfranchised as a Methodist as I hear that those from an Arminian perspective are not true evangelicals. To be evangelical, they say, you must be Reformed. In fact, most of the media attention, both from the secular and the Christian media, support this claim.

But, as Collins argues, to be a Methodist is to be an evangelical. Through Wesley an emphasis was placed on the spiritual experience of worship and the direct application of the spiritual experience through social action. I think this concept is best summed up by St. Francis' quote, "Witness everyday. Use words if necessary." Our lives should be the best compass pointing people to Christ. And, if we incorporate Wesley's brand of evangelicalism into the current evangelical movement, we will see a more balanced picture of Christianity here in America -- balanced in doctrine and in works and empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit.