A Book Review: An Agenda for Change, by Joel Edwards

As most evangelicals already know, evangelicalism is hard to define; it is a diverse movement, with Christians deriving from a variety of historical and cultural strands. In addition, modern evangelicalism is often characterized by what divides the church, and not by what is held in common. Consequently, a great deal of division and polarization over key issues has been a constant problem for this segment of the church, despite the fact that it remains a vibrant and influential strand of the Christian faith.

Joel Edwards, the general director of Evangelical Alliance in the UK, has just authored a forthcoming book entitled, An Agenda for Change: A Global Call For Spiritual & Social Renewal, which is scheduled to be released by Zondervan Publishing House this upcoming April, 2008.

Broadly speaking, Edwards' goal with this book is twofold; first, to survey the modern landscape of evangelicalism in order to recapture a unified evangelical identity. He sets out to do this by drawing on what is common to all evangelicals both historically and in modern times, which is a value placed on scripture and social action in this world. He reminds the modern evangelical that radical social advocacy for the poor and socially disadvantaged is what the church has been known for in the past. In addition, Edwards reminds the reader that the long standing evangelical commitment to Scripture only led to inward retreat during the late 19th and early 20th century, when the rise of secularism threatened to challenge biblical foundations in a way that it never had before. The result since that time has been a fracturing in the ranks; a polarization between those on the right who wish to uphold biblical truth and the moral imperatives facing society by advancing a stilted political agenda, against those on the left, seeing the marginalization of their counterparts, ultimately seeking a progressive approach to social advocacy, sometimes at the expense of biblical truth and authority.

Once Edwards effectively describes the landscape of the evangelical church, including rather candid descirptions of both strengths and weaknesses, he sets his sights on calling out a new trajectory, or as some might say, to cast a new vision for the church. He urges evangelicals to continue to uphold the value of scripture; to represent a biblical ethic; and to engage in vigorous social action characterized by humility, respect, and a willingness to listen to opposing viewpoints, in favor of the brutish approach characterized by the ranks of the dying "Moral Majority". He is emphatic about the fact that this does not entail a rapproachment of Christian values, but it is actually the only way to represent the true character of Christ to society. This he claims will open the door for evangelicals; not only to participate, but to influence the course of world events for the cause of God's kingdom. Ultimately, he asks evangelicals to set aside the past, their differences, and to create a united front that represents Christ's posture toward the world; one that is not only socially progressive, but biblically faithful.

Overall, I felt that Edwards' characterizations of evangelicalism were balanced and relatively accurate. I also felt he was able to speak through and beyond many of the divisions that exist, calling people back to the centrality of scripture without losing his focus on how biblical beliefs are reflected in action.

In terms organization, I would say that the chapter divisions, which were often only a few pages, made the book seem fragmented at times, which tended to blunt the force of his developing ideology. At the same, this feature made for quick and easy reading; this criticism may have been based more on my expectations, as opposed to an oversight on part of Edwards.

The biggest weakness, in my opinion, was his failure to come to grips with the presence of emergent folks among the ranks of evangelicals. In fairness, Edwards does often quote emergent figures, but his failure to deal with this sub-group in a substantive way suggests to me that he may be a bit out of touch here. In presenting the 'right-left' dichotomy that he does, Edwards fails to recognize that emergents reject the left-right distinction, viewing themselves as an implicit, intuitive cultural sub-group that reaches postmodern culture by transcending the simplistic belief spectrum that society has rejected.

To the extent that Edwards fails to represent the Emergent Movement in his book is the extent to which he has marginalized his message. With that said, the book, and his socio-political views still represent an exciting and needed change for the evangelical church.