Christian Book Notes

Catherwood, Christopher.  The Evangelicals: What They Believe, Where They Are, and Their Politics.  Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2010.  168 pp.  $15.99.  Purchase at Amazon for $12.47 or less.

Introduction

Christopher Catherwood is a a lecturer on Balkan and Middle Eastern History with an emphasis on the conflicts between Christianity and Islam.  He has written a number of books including Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious, Five Leading Reformers, and a young teen book in the Trail Blazers series published by Christian Focus Publishing on his grandfather, Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  I have interviewed his brother, Jonathan.

Summary

A short little book packed with much scholarship and insight, The Evangelicals offers six succinct chapters moving from the core evangelical beliefs (ch. 1) through the current political evangelical (ch. 6).  Along the way, you will be introduced to a few church vision statements that will help to show you where you are as regards evangelicalism.

Chapters three and four offer insight needed for today.  In chapter three, Christopher asks “who are evangelicals?” and then looks to the Bible and history for the answer.  He concludes with an extremely helpful look at the New Calvinism in the afterward.

Review

I will be honest, I was a bit curious when this book came across my desk.  I mean, Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ grandson writing a book laying out a working definition of who evangelicals are would have one of two meanings.  Either Christopher was going to completely distance himself from his grandfather or he was going to embrace the challenge his grandfather fought in the 1950′s.

I believe Christopher has embraced his grandfather’s challenge.  He has met it head on and is seeking, I believe successfully in The Evangelicals, to redeem the meaning of the word and the group in which it defines.  I did, however, find it somewhat of a surprise with the inclusion of J.I. Packer as  a blurb writer since Packer and Jones did have a falling out over the ecumenical movement of the 50′s and 60′s.  Regardless, very few would even recognize that and does not have any bearing whatsoever on the contents of the book.

Recommendation

I like how Steve Monsma put it in his blurb on the back cover: “An eye-opening, stereotype-destroying account.”  That is absolutely true about The Evangelicals which is a book I believe will help to bring those who claim to be evangelical into one accord.  I also believe that this could be a catalyst to further the awakening to the old biblical truths of historic evangelicalism today.  If you are a believer and you consider yourself an evangelical, get a copy of this book and learn what it means when you say you are an evangelical.