The Decline of American Evangelicalism | Issues, Etc.
This post was previously published April 22, 2015. It is interesting to note, especially now, the number segments of years which have elapsed in between the writings of Dr. Wells and the interview with Todd Wilkin. Here we are in 2022…
Wondering what happened to American Evangelicalism? Listen to this fascinating interview with Dr. David Wells:
The Decline of American Evangelicalism | Issues, Etc.
“It’s a difficult thing to define, and partly because American Evangelicalism has, over the last 30/40 years almost defined itself out of existence, at least theologically, if you look at the thing as a theological movement ... has the evangel, that is the Gospel, survived the movements of American Evangelicalism? They’ve certainly been moving and shaking in the last 35 years. ...”
Todd Wilkin introduces Dr. Wells and mentions his latest book, at the time, The Courage To Be Protestant (2008) and asks: “It was back in 1993, that you wrote No Place for Truth, it was a pretty bare-knuckled assessment of American Evangelicalism at the time. Have things improved at all in the last sixteen years?”
“What you describe is probably correct. When I wrote No Place for Truth, as one of my friends said for me after that book, ‘There would be no place for Wells’. I was describing very clearly what I was seeing. But not a lot of other people appeared to be seeing the same things. But I would say today what back then, 15-20 years ago, what back then was in germinal seed form has now burst out into view... and... many people now are beginning to say and to see the very things I was writing about when I wrote No Place for Truth.”
Steven Kozar started The Messed Up Church; he is an artist (StevenKozar.com is his art website), musician, blogger, and stuff. He makes videos, too, on The Messed Up Church YouTube channel.