wfn.org | ACNS3592 Evangelicals challenged to stand up for the Gospel at

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ACNS 3592     |     ENGLAND	|     26 SEPTEMBER 2003 

Evangelicals challenged to stand up for the Gospel at NEAC4

by Christopher Took

On the last morning (Tuesday 23 September) of the fourth National
Evangelical Anglican Congress, the Revd Professor Alistair McGrath,
Principal of Wycliffe Hall, challenged evangelicals to rediscover the
power and freshness of the Cross in their lives and mission.

"One of the sadness' is not so much our nation has rejected the cross,
it's that it actually doesn't know enough about it to reject in the
first place," said Professor McGrath. "The challenge for us is to convey
its freshness, its life changing capacity. Sometimes as evangelicals we
preach the Cross to others, but we are reminded it bears on us as well."

In the first part of his talk, Alistair McGrath talked about the way the
Cross challenges us. "One of our concerns is that as evangelicals we
have grown in strength, grown in power, and with that I think come some
temptations, and we need to be alert to these and know what to do in
their face."

Reporting that the proportion of evangelical ordinands in Church of
England theological colleges has now exceeded 70% for the first time, he
warned against boasting, reminding his audience that 'success' came
consistently through faithfulness and obedience in repentance. "Power is
something that can be seriously misused."

In warning against the misuse of power, Professor McGrath used an
example from Canada. "What we are seeing in New Westminster is an
intellectually bankrupt liberalism which has lost the argument and in
its desperation forces itself on others...this is the unacceptable face
of liberalism. We need to let it be known that this is a liberalism
which has lost its way, lost its arguments and can only sustain itself
by sheer political power. Part of our responsibility is to make sure
that this doesn't happen here."

Alistair McGrath then spoke about the priority of the Cross in the lives
of Christians. He quoted Martin Luther - 'where your heart is, and where
your security is, that has become your god' - saying these words invited
us to re-examine ourselves in order that we may re-assert the place of
the Cross at the centre of our lives as individuals and as a movement.

"If we take our focus away from [the Cross] we will become distracted
and lose that central resource which brings us our reason for being here
and going into the world with something we know has the power to
transform it," said Professor McGrath.

In his final section, Alistair McGrath reminded his audience that the
Gospel does not rest on human wisdom, and as it is grounded in God it is
not something that is ever going to go out of date - "the Gospel is true
and it is relevant and it is guaranteed as such by God himself."

Professor McGrath concluded by referring to Paul's word in 1
Thessalonians 5:24 as encouragement for any who are feeling overwhelmed
by the challenges God has placed before his church: 'The one who calls
you is faithful and he will do it.'

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