The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to Authority of Scripture and the Gospel [Paperback]

R. Kent Hughes (Author), John H. Armstrong (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1997

Go with the flow. Times change. Nothing ever stays the same. So proclaims the voice of our age. But is this wisdom of the world congruous with the wisdom of God? Is the church really too old-fashioned, or has it turned a blind eye as the world crept in and redefined God's commands and His power? In fifteen clearly defined essays, John H. Armstrong and fourteen other evangelical leaders examine exactly what the sufficiency of Scripture and the authority of the Gospel entail theologically and what that means to us as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does the name 'evangelical' mean historically, and how has its definition been altered? Is theology really important to the modern church? What about 'seeker-sensitive' churches? Should we manipulate the gospel to reach those it would otherwise offend? All sorts of people are claiming they've had 'revelations from God.' Does God still speak to us apart from the Bible? Can Scripture really heal hurting people? Isn't that the job of 'trained professionals?'Examine the answers to these and other tough questions with some of the leading theologians of our time, as they respond to the challenges brought by neoevangelicalism to the authority of the Living Word.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The fourteen contributors to The Coming Evangelical Crisis assert that the practices and beliefs that have guided the church since the Reformation are in jeopardy. The past few decades have seen a drift away from the doctrines that were the driving force of the church for nearly four centuries. Perhaps that is why, despite the church's widespread evangelism programs, million-dollar crusades, and aggressive strategies for church growth, our culture continues on its course of disbelief and moral decline. In The Coming Evangelical Crisis, the fourteen respected Christian leaders and thinkers sound the alarm about the growing trend toward a tentative and diluted gospel message. Unless a concerted effort is made to correct the drift away from fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, the church will become even less effective in the years ahead. The Coming Evangelical Crisis is a compelling and challenging work, a valuable resource for pastors, teachers, leaders, and anyone who is concerned about the effectiveness of the church in this generation and for the next decade of a new millennium. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 269 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (January 5, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802477380
• ISBN-13: 978-0802477385
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone concerned about where the Church is going, August 16, 1998

By 

Andrew Grooms ([e-mail]) (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to Authority of Scripture and the Gospel (Paperback)

When you are done reading self-help and 'Christian' work-out and budget books, and are serious about your faith - Read this book, your faith will never be the same. Convicting. The most important aspects and issues confronting the church are thoughtfully presented by various credible authors. The article on worship music was very convincing and led me to change my views on the importance and place of true worship. If anything, it will light-up your next Bible Study. I read many books and discover the best to recommend to those with limited reading time. This book made number one on my list for the year.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Message That Is Now Reality, January 5, 2005

By 

Roy Ingle "The Seeking Disciple" (Lexington, SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to Authority of Scripture and the Gospel (Paperback)

Whenever one writes a book of this type you almost wish that its message would be heard and changes made to prevent it from coming to pass. That was my reaction when I first read this book while in Bible college. Now removed several years from that setting I can personally see the message from this book coming to pass before my very eyes.

The pragmatic age has dawned. We now have churches for every individual needs. Sound doctrine has been replaced by pop psychology and business data. Elders today listen more to the business gurus than to the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture. In fact, to stand firm upon the Word of God is now viewed as a fundamentalist, dogmatic, or even (as one former elder told me when he resigned from our church) "hard nosed." Pastors now resemble CEO's more than they resemble Jesus. As Leonard Ravenhill so put it, "We have many Degree's today with no heat. The early Church had much heat with no Degree's."

Thankfully many of the men in this book are standing against the tide of secular, man-centered teachings that are hitting the Church. Nearly everyone of these men have written books, articles, or preached sermons against the tide of the world invading the Church and the Church not becoming like Jesus Christ meant for us to be. May God have mercy on us in these last days!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Warning is Clear, December 3, 2000

By 

kent delay - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to Authority of Scripture and the Gospel (Paperback)

Some of the conservative church's greatest ambassadors deliver a great message in this book. Some very godly and inteligent men deliver a warning to the church of the future. The books basic theme is that the church must be circumspect so that it does not drift away from biblical dependence. The present day church has come to depend on so many sources for their theological understanding when ultimately scripture should be the only recognized voice. This book defends the traditional evangelical faith while giving and understanding of obvious needs of reform. Readers of this book will become acutely aware of the problems and solutions of the modern godly church.