Berit Kjos wrote a well document article on the problems she finds in the Evangelical Manifesto and the “new evangelicals” involved in the project. This is what you are not hearing from those who are pushing the Evangelical Manifesto. The real intent of the Manifesto is to marginalize us old style evangelicals that they are now calling us fundamentalists as if biblical fundamentalists carried the plague. The goal of many is to promote the way to an interfaith world.
Berit Kjos — An Evangelical Manifesto For an Interfaith World
“THERE ARE NOW TWO KINDS OF EVANGELICALS…. The old is the authentic, biblical position. The new is far off the track, not in its basic view of salvation, but in its readiness to compromise with doctrinal error and worldly ways. The new is selling the faith for earthly respect and recognition… and churches are being ruined.
“Those of us who are old-style evangelicals are now being labeled as fundamentalist by our critics, the new-style evangelicals. A repetition is occurring of what happened at Antioch, where the ‘the disciples were first called Christians.’ (Acts 11:26) That glorious name was given to them by their critics…
“Why are the new-style evangelicals calling us fundamentalists? They are doing so for reasons of tactical self-advantage. … They founded the magazine Christianity Today as the flagship journal for their new direction…. The old, sharp line between worldly activities and spiritual activities was swept away, and believers were encouraged to be much more involved in worldly culture, leisure and entertainment. …
“…the new evangelicals began to … speak of themselves simply as evangelicals, and the old-style believers as fundamentalists…. All that remained was to give the term fundamentalist an objectionable, negative image, and the new evangelicals would then appear to be mainstream.”[7]
Their strategy is working. But our sovereign God will not be mocked. Though He warned His people that we would face increasing hostility in this world, He has promised to lead us in “His triumph” no matter how fierce the battle!
