The Tulip Driven Life

By: Thomas F. Booher Dear Evangelicalism,  I am not sure if you are aware, but people are having a harder and harder time defining you. I suppose I am an evangelical, insofar as I believe that we need to proclaim the gospel to everyone. The first sentence in Wikipedia defines you (us?) as "a world-wide Protestant movement maintaining that the essence of the gospel consists in the doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ's atonement." That definition is a large umbrella housing many different denominations, and gospels. Roman Catholics believe that salvation is by faith in Christ's atonement. A Mormon like Glenn Beck can call himself an evangelical with this definition. Yet Catholics and Mormons both believe that good works are needed for salvation in addition to faith in Christ. So evangelicalism, you are not defined by the true gospel. Absent is the truth that we are saved by faith alone through Christ's atoning work in life, death, and resurrecti...

There was a whole theology behind the altar call. It found its origins in Charles Finney's (1792-1875) "anxious bench," where those who felt convicted to change the way they lived their lives would come forward and sit to make their intent known. Finney epitomizes the revivalist, emotionalist leaven that is sickening our nation. Indeed, many of his followers in the 19th century fell into full-blown apostasy, and Finney was quite heretical himself, denying original sin. He fed the masses the lie that they had enough goodness in themselves to desire God, His righteousness, and produce saving faith without the need for the Holy Spirit. The man practically reduced the cross of Christ to nothing but a wonderful moral example to follow, an encouragement rather than atonement. Finney himself admits to producing false converts by the droves: I was often instrumental in bringing Christians under great conviction, and into a state of temporary repentance and faith . . . . ...