3
As well, evangelicalism has been applied to different groups down through history. It is
strongly associated with the 16th century Reformation, so much so that even today in Germany,
evangelical is virtually synonymous with Protestant.
7
It counts Puritans and Pietists among its
ancestors, but is seen by some as first manifesting some of its central characteristics in the First
Great Awakening.
8
It was the dominant form of Christianity among Protestants in the 19th
century, but was eclipsed for a time in the early 20th century. It rebounded from a defensive,
fundamentalist phase after World War II to the present era of evangelicalism, represented by
numerous individual churches, some denominations, and especially associated with a network of
parachurch organizations (such as the Evangelical Theological Society).
While it is not the purpose of this paper to review all the issues involved in defining
evangelicalism (that is the work of all the papers and presentations of this week), in the interests
of clarity let me simply state that I am using the word "evangelical" in a way consonant with the
descriptions given above from McGrath, Bebbington, Marsden and Carson. In particular, I am
using evangelical in what Marsden calls the narrower or "card-carrying" sense,
9
which is the
sense I take it is used in the title of this organization.
With these introductory considerations concluded, we may move to the body of the
paper. In it I will, first of all, mention a few resources we may draw upon in developing
evangelical ecclesiological boundaries. Secondly, I will suggest what some such boundaries
should be. Some may seem exceedingly obvious and perhaps simplistic, but need to be stated to
accomplish my third purpose, which is to use these boundaries to analyze and evaluate three
areas of contemporary evangelical interest and importance; namely, the phenomenon of seeker
7
R. V. Pierard, "Evangelicalism," in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A.
Elwell (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1984), 379-382.
8
Bebbington, 20.
9
Marsden, xiv.