Comment: The Fractured Family
Alywn Thomson

Editorial: Prayer for a Change
Alywn Thomson

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THE FRACTURED FAMILY
Evangelicals, it seems, are more than a match for Heinz -57 varieties, probably many more. While Northern Ireland may not reflect the same degree of diversity as other places, there is a lot more to evangelicalism in this community than many people think.

So, what is an evangelical? Evangelicals are part of an extended family. Like all families there are ties that bind them together and there are con-flicts and disagreements.

What are the ties that bind? Evangelicals share certain beliefs. The supreme authority of Scrip-ture; the majesty of Jesus Christ, both as incarnate Cod1 and as saviour through his work on the cross; the lordship of the Holy Spirit in creating and sustaining Christian life; the need for a per-sonal appropriation of faith; the necessity of evangelism; the importance of Christian commu-nity for life and growth.

These beliefs serve both to unite evangelicals round a common identity and to distinguish them from other groups.

However, evangelicalism need not be seen exclu-sively in terms of a shared adherence to a set of common beliefs. One writer suggests that evan-gelicalism should be understood as "a dynamic movement, with common heritages, common tendencies, an identity, and an organic character." This more dynamic approach helps explain the diversity - and sometimes hostility - to be found among different groups of evangelicals.

While few are concerned with the question of di-versity, the hostility is a problem. Is evangelical-ism a dysfunctional family?

It is, at the very least, a fractured family. In Northern Ireland those lines of fracture are par-ticularly marked on the question of how we re-spond to the situation in our community.

To help address some of these matters, particu-larly as they relate to the problems of our com-munity, ECONI is publishing a booklet on this theme as part of the Pathways series.

Alywn Thomson - ECONI's Research Officer

ECONI WELCOMES the submission of unsolicited articles, but does not guarantee publication, and manuscripts cannot be returned. Opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECONI. Permission to reprint any original article in Lion & Lamb should be sought from the Editor.

Editor   Derek Poole
Asst Editor   Ruth Hutchinson