Evangelism and Social Responsibility: An Evangelical Commitment

Evangelicals and evangelism have always been bracketed. So much so that the adjectives ‘evangelical’ and ‘evangelistic’ have often been identified in the popular mind. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that whenever evangelicals have become concerned about social issues, some eyebrows have been raised, and questions have been asked whether the cause of the gospel is not about to be betrayed. The history of the ecumenical movement has unfortunately strengthened evangelical suspicions of social involvement. Modern ecumenism was born in the missionary enthusiasm – even euphoria – of the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh. John Mott, its chairman, described as a ‘longstanding reproach’ to the church the fact that there were still millions of people who had never heard of Christ. The church must develop a strategic plan, he urged, ‘for the evangelization of the whole of this multitude’. From this high point of commitment to world evangelism, however, there seems to have been a steady decline. The convening by evangelicals of the two Congresses on World Evangelization at Berlin in 1966 and at Lausanne in 1974 must unfortunately be understood, at least in part, as a loss of confidence in the World Council of Churches. But then leaders of the World Council have also been justly critical of many of us evangelicals for our lack of social concern.
For more information go to Evangelism and Social Responsibility: An Evangelical Commitment on the Lausanne Movement website.
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