Travels and responsibilities from a former life have taken me to Wheaton College this weekend for the closing public events of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals. I directed the place from 1989 to 1993 and learned much from the Institute’s senior directors and many programs. In reflecting on my time at the Institute the past few weeks, I recognized that much of the literature on evangelicalism has accentuated the positive, from the upbeat corralling a disparate group of Protestants under the seemingly tidy umbrella of evangelical to telling stories of evangelical figures or institutions that have been filled at times more with wonder than woe. This positive disposition certainly goes with evangelicalism more than with Calvinism. Having Jesus in your heart is a different mindset from remembering your sinfulness and the need for a savior. But this sunny side of evangelical history may also explain the need I felt to hit back with Deconstructing Evangelicalism.
Enough about me.
During my perusal of Wheaton’s campus I came across a display by the French department on — of all things — the Reformation, Reformation Day and all that. Among the factoids on the brochure that audience members of the booth could take away was this one about Protestantism in France (would we call it “evangelical”?):
Today, the nation of France practices religious tolerance. However, the majority of French citizens consider religion to be a private affair. In spite of this, the number of Protestant churches in France has been rapidly growing since the 1800s; there are approximately 600,000 practicing Protestants in France today.
To evangelicals used to reading of up to 35 percent of Americans identifying as evangelical (roughly 120 million), that seems like a paltry figure. From the perspective of the little old OPC which continues to hover around 30,000 members, the France figures seem like a hades of a lot. But to keep it all in perspective, the figures from sixteenth-century France may be the most relevant. Considering that Reformed Protestants had captured 10 percent of the kingdom’s population, which numbered roughly 15 million Huguenots, 600k looks pretty feeble.
So to all those celebrating the Reformation today, drink to console your sorrows.
Old Life 
File under: helpful elbow to the gut, (re)claiming every square inch
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Speaking of numbers, Prots, Calvinists, and Reformed — might the current P&R penchant for playing footsie with the Sovereigntish Baptists (TGC, et al) be because some want(ed) to attach to a “group” larger than NAPARC but sounder than the amorphous Evangeli-blob? Did a numerical covetousness tempt them? And did the P&R (mostly P) footsie players envision becoming a minority of second fiddle players to Piper and friends? Better to have stayed home.
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In business, small is prefererable. Quick and nimble, yo.
I still kinda like how Trueman sums up reformed churches:
Happy Reformation Day, indeed.
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cw, I think that motive works at the layer of parachurch organizations. If you want to reach a larger audience, you try to increase market share in plausible ways.
So is charismatic Calvinism plausible? To many it may be who have been slain by the same spirit that slayed Gilbert Tennent.
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I guess desire for market share and increased reach sounds more wholesome than lust for power and filthy lucre.
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Didn’t realize you were going to be in town this weekend. Would’ve been good to meet and maybe slam down a few.
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PS yeah, finding out eeevangelicalism doesn’t exist (if I’m reading right on all the backstory) must have been a trip, given your former position at Wheaton.
I suppose at times like that, for me, I think about hitting golf balls at the range. It can help. But enough about me, too.Thanks for helping us newer folks around here get up to speed by bringing up your book, looks worth it.Fore.LikeLike
@cw
That seems about right. I also think that appealing to Baptists has helped the pietists keep their hold on the denomination. I was recently chatting with a friend whose church left the PCA to join the EPC. He said that they decided to make the move because the PCA had become too dominated by pietists and too dominated by internet heresy trials.
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D. G. Hart
Posted October 31, 2014 at 6:50 pm | Permalink
cw, I think that motive works at the layer of parachurch organizations. If you want to reach a larger audience, you try to increase market share in plausible ways.
So is charismatic Calvinism plausible? To many it may be who have been slain by the same spirit that slayed Gilbert Tennent.
Dr. Hart, you should ask whether charismatic Calvinism is even necessary. Just keep your remaining church doors open for your fellow Elect, and Providence will usher them through.
The minimal “market share” of your own micro-denomination is a sign of success. You wouldn’t have anyone who’s not already a member of your club join it.
Groucho would approve, dude. You got it all worked out.
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I believe it is Dr. Dude.
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Tom, of course the church founded by Machen will find her next willing set of accomplices to help further the cause in future generations. It’ll always be a small, but effective group of whomever God sees fit to lead her. If our host is any indication, God chooses the finest for that task, not merely us quiz show champs.
And if not, the queue is long of heroes of the Reformed faith of whom our children’s children may rightly stand upon the shoulders thereof.
Enjoy church if you are up to it, yo. Indeed I must be going, that’s what our types do around this time of week. Take care.
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