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Are you ever bothered by Christians always arguing with one
another about their beliefs? Does it really help to insist that all believers
in Christ must agree on every jot and tittle? As evangelical and reformed
Christians, we are aware of the diversity among us. We have worked with fine
evangelicals of other theological persuasions in various capacities, people who
are committed to saving faith in Jesus Christ, yet whose doctrinal framework is
different from that of “reformed” Christians. How far do we go in majoring on
our differences at the expense of our unity, or on the otherhand, how far do we
go in simply glossing over our differences for the sake of some kind of
“political correctness” so prevalent today?
John Calvin, to whom we are so deeply indebted for his
setting forth of the biblical faith in the reformed tradition, stated in The
Institutes of the Christian Religion that not all doctrines are of equal
importance. He listed those that are essential and gave examples of those about
which Christians can disagree and still maintain unity of the faith. (Book IV,
Chapter I, paragraph 12.) I think Calvin hit the nail on the head.
Though Stott’s Evangelical Truth does not quote
Calvin, I believe it is an excellent commentary on the passages mentioned above.
This is a powerful book, as only someone like Stott could write because of his
global involvement in evangelical Christianity over the years. He suggests that
even among the diversity of evangelicals, common doctrines unify us in Christ
and clearly set us apart as evangelical Christians. Efforts have been made
(particularly in Britain and North America) to define evangelicalism. Stott has
done as good a job in this effort as any I have read.
This book can tremendously help us express our unity of
faith in a fragmented world where differences are given priority over
agreements. It reminds us of the need to show the world the unity of faith in
Christ, particularly at this crucial moment. Like Stott we agree that
evangelical Christianity in its best definition does set forth the gospel of
Christ Jesus in the most faithful and authentic way.
Stott concludes that the Trinitarian shape of Christianity
is the key to our unity. It starts with God the Father, creator and revealer of
all truth and focuses on the God the Son who redeems us from sin, and the Holy
Spirit who continually applies the Gospel to our lives. The chapter titles
express it this way: “The Revelation of God,” “The Cross of Christ,” and “The
Ministry of the Holy Spirit.”
Stott writes in the preface, “I would like to leave behind
me as a kind of spiritual legacy this little statement of evangelical faith,
this personal appeal to the rising generation.” What could be more solid than a
Trinitarian focus to draw us together? What better focus than on the once and
for allness of Christ’s justification and the ongoing sanctification of the Holy
Spirit to bind us in Christ? What more do we need than commitment to God’s
revelation in His Word to suggest our unity in Christ?
This book is full of food for thought and full of ideas for
sermons, studies, and other forms of discipleship. I do wish he had ommitted
the postscript—“The Preeminence of Humility.” He is right on target when he
writes, “Evangelical people are often regarded as proud, vain, arrogant and
cocksure….Yet the more the three persons of the Trinity are glorified, the more
completely human pride is excluded.”
Need more be said? This book is timely, forceful,
convicting, humbling, and, I believe, a key to our unity of faith in Christ.
- Charles Dunahoo, CEP Coordinator
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