Being Evangelical in Today's World

The articles and booklets listed have been written by Reform members or are based on talks given at a Reform conference. The views expressed are not necessarily the 'Reform position' on a particular issue. Discussion papers are written by individual members for the council of Reform and the wider church. The author alone is responsible for the paper. All the papers may be copied freely.

  1. Back To The Future. Reforming The Church of England - Learning From The Past Jonathan Fletcher (2008)
    The eighteenth-century Church of England was in a worse state than it is today. Humanly speaking its reform is largely attributable to the efforts of 11 evangelical clergymen. Evangelicals today can learn from their example. They were successful because they held firm to their evangelical doctrines; they did not leave the Church of England; they kept the law but freely broke conventions for the sake of spreading the gospel; and they lived holy lives. This booklet recounts details from the lives of these men to illustrate these points, compares the situation today with their own, and ends with an appeal to greater unity amongst those sharing the work of contending for Christ in the Church of England.

    Mini-Version. This is a compressed version of the longer paper and is designed to be used in church magazines or newsletters.

  2. Currents of Change: Trends in Anglican Evangelical Theology Today Melvin Tinker (1995)
    A critique of three present trends in Anglican evangelical theology together with some constructive corrective, using examples to illustrate points made. The trends are the misuse of the biblical concept of the Kingdom of God, false relations between doctrine and experience, and hermeneutics subversive to the authority of Scripture.
  3. Enough is Enough- a Layman's View Joan Parker (1994)
    Explores the nature of the cultural territory evangelicals are operating in and the implications of that, and discusses three issues for which we must contend - women’s ministry, marriage and the family, and singleness - then looks briefly at what can be done to counter the tendency for accommodation to our culture. Lists a bibliography.

  4. Being Clearly and Positively Evangelical Mark Thompson (1995)
    This paper explains how evangelicals can respond in the face of pressure from liberals who wish to redefine what ‘evangelical’ means to favour their own agenda.  It discusses five ways for evangelicals to remain clear in their convictions and two reasons to stay positive about the future.

Truth Matters Leaflets

  1. The Authority of the Bible (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf)
    The belief that the Bible is supremely authoritative is one of the distinctive features of an evangelical.  In this leaflet Mike Ovey examines why the Bible has the right to have final authority over our lives.  With suggestions for further reading.