As we come to this subject, the Evangelical Cause from the Reformation to the Great Awakening, it would be right, firstly, to ask the question, why start with the Reformation and why end with the Great Awakening? Surely, Evangelicals existed before and after such great events. The answer is, of course they did and still do. So why these two as starting point and end? The answer is, because these two events (the Reformation and the Great Awakening) were events of such singular magnitude. There have simply been no other events like them in the history of the Christian Church. Second, why is it necessary to speak about the Evangelical cause? Surely, Evangelicals know who they are and what they believe. It is sad to have to remind ourselves that this is no longer true. Most Christians do not know who they are or what they believe or where they have come from. This was not the case during the Reformation, through the Puritan Age and on to the Great Awakening. The Christians of those times knew precisely who they were and what they believed. The word evangelical has come under scrutiny for good and for bad in recent times. In fact, more than any other time, Evangelicals themselves, do not seem to know what it means to be evangelical. If this is the case, and I am convinced it is, then this is a very important issue. [Read more…]