What is an Evangelical

1
What is an Evangelical?

• One way or many?

2
One way or many?

• I go to synagogue, I study Hinduism all paths
  lead to God.
• - Madonna

3
One way or many?

• Evangelicals will be rooted in the view that
  faith in Jesus and his cross is the only sure way
  to God, an attitude which is often greeted with
  amazement that anyone still believes that!
• - Martin Turner

4
One way or many?The problems

• Religion from public facts to private values.
  (Religious wars, etc.)
• The global village encountering good people of
  other faiths.
• Dishonest Christian attitudes comparing our
  best with their worst.
• Absolute truth is it used as a means of power
  over others?
• The mosaic approach to truth Madonna etc.
• Acts 412 is it about salvation or healing?

5
The uniqueness of ChristIts more than John 146

• Before Creation John 11-2, Col 115
• Creation John 13, Col 116, Hebrews 12
• Incarnation John 114
• Cross what did Jesus achieve and for whom?
• Resurrection an unrepeated event Rom 14
• Ascension Ephesians 120-21, Hebrews 13

6
The uniqueness of ChristFour approaches to other
faiths

• Exclusive
• Inclusive
• Plural
• Mosaic

7
The uniqueness of ChristExclusive approach

• Jesus alone is the way to the Father only by
  faith in him will you be saved.
• The motivation for the modern missionary
  movement since William Carey

8
The uniqueness of ChristExclusive approach
problems

• What about those who have never heard?
• What does this say about the grace and mercy of
  God?

9
The uniqueness of ChristInclusive approach

• If when I get to heaven I discover many Muslims
  or Hindus there I will not be surprised, because
  time and again I am amazed at the grace of God.
• - Martin Turner

10
The uniqueness of ChristInclusive approach

• The cross is sufficient, but God is a God of
  mercy who judges fairly in accordance to the
  light people have received
• Biblical examples of people whose faith was
  commended but were not Christians or Jews
  Melchizedek, Job, Cornelius
• Nevertheless, Gospel should still be preached
  e.g., Cornelius

11
The uniqueness of ChristInclusive approach
problems

• Can lose passion for evangelism
• Can become patronising the anonymous
  Christian approach

12
The uniqueness of ChristPlural approach

• A group of blind men feeling an elephant, and
  describing it. One describes the elephant in
  terms of the trunk, another in terms of a tusk, a
  third according to the thick leg he can feel, and
  a fourth in a different way, because he is
  feeling the tail.
• Four contradictory descriptions, but one elephant.

13
The uniqueness of ChristPlural approach

• God is a mystery that is beyond us all
• All religions are seeking a path to God. They may
  each be imperfect, but by the same token are
  equally valid.

14
The uniqueness of ChristPlural approach problems

• What if God opens blind eyes and reveals himself?
• What if the different descriptions of God really
  cant live alongside one another?
• What did Jesus accomplish on the cross, and what
  does his resurrection mean?

15
The uniqueness of ChristMosaic approach

• Im not into religion, but I am into
  spirituality.
• - Joanna Lumley

16
The uniqueness of ChristMosaic approach

• Consumer religion
• At the PicknMix counter
• If theres no absolute truth, pick the bits you
  like from here and there yoga astrology
  crystals water divining etc.
• Make a beautiful mosaic from the fragments

17
The uniqueness of ChristMosaic approach problems

• Mosaic people still believe there is absolute
  truth in other parts of life
• Me-centred, not God-centred

18
The uniqueness of ChristFour approaches to other
faiths

• Which of the four views is most faithful to
  Jesus? Exclusive, inclusive, plural, or mosaic?

19
A problem of Truth

• The problem is with how truth has been used
• There is still a place for truth today
• But the biblical view is content attitude

20
A problem of TruthContent Attitude

• The authority of Jesus cloaked in humility
• Jesus our Lord and Master came as one who
  serves
• Justice isnt for just us