The Emergence of Evangelicalism

by Michael A.G. Haykin

David Bebbington's Evangelicalism in Modern A History from the 1730s to the 1980s, published in 1989, offered an intriguing hypothesis regarding the genesis of this movement. He argued that evangelical religion had emerged as a substantially new entity through trans-Atlantic evangelical revival in the 1730s, and had taken a collaborative rather than antithetical stance towards the Enlightenment. In both respects, Bebbington distanced himself from older interpretations that had held the opposite view. Now, after nearly two decades, the 'Bebbington thesis' has gained very wide international acceptance, and a review of its central contentions and implications is appropriate. In this stimulating volume, numerous scholars from arts and theology faculties on both sides of the Atlantic, representing several countries, and united by an admiration of Bebbington's work, take up various aspects of the 1989 volume and offer re-assessments.

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[Joshua Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays provides a response to Bebbington's 'Evangelicalism in Modern Britain' that shows both an appreciation for the contribution that Bebington has made to the field, but also a well informed critique of some of the more controversial points made.

As always, some essays stand out more than others, the offerings from Beeke on the Dutch Further Reformation, Coffey on Puritanism, and most eminently, Bebbington's own response, which showed a gracious and receptive attitude whilst holding his line where he felt necessary, were all excellent reads with a lot of helpful insights.

My two critiques of the book as a whole would be (1) that the editors could have easily smoothed out a lot of repetition, for instance; the way almost every essay begins by giving a precis of the Bebbington Quadrilateral and a brief comment of assent to it. (2) some of the authors had a frustratingly simple attitude to the Quadrilateral as it defines a movement (most clearly seen in MacGowan's essay), meaning that the notions of activism, crucicentrism, conversionism and biblicism were simply taken, saying 'can we find this in any individuals or small circles pre-1730s? Yes, we can - ergo, evangelicalism is not as novel as Bebbington suggests'. It surprised me to see scholars engaging in argumentation like this. Bebbington's thesis does not require that these features can't be found elsewhere in church history, but that they all together are heightened to the level of being hallmarks of the Evangelical movement in 1730s, in a way more pronounced then what had been seen before.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. A must read if you want to understand evangelicalism and its origins. The book is basically a collection of historians interacting with what is known as the Bebbington thesis, which states that Evangelicalism began in 1730 as a distinct movement from say, Puritanism and other Protestant movements as a result of an incorporation of the thought of John Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers into their theology and practice. According to the Bebbington thesis, this resulted in (among other things):

1) Less of a focus on ethereal theology or creeds, which led to a greater ecumenism between thinkers of various Protestant denominations
2) A shift in epistemology, which changed how Christians came to assurance of salvation, which in turn gave them more time to engage in Christian activism and missions.
3) A normalising of optimistic attitudes toward human progress, which led to greater expectations as to what could be achieved in Christian mission.

This book essentially challenges the Bebbington thesis, showing evidence that the situation is immensely more complex and nuanced, and that many of the features of the old Puritanism are present in post 1730 Protestantism, and vice versa. Bebbington himself responds at the end of the book, nuancing his position a little. Super helpful book. My own take for what its worth, is that there is surely some truth to the Bebbington thesis, but there are important continuities that can't be ignored.