Of the twenty-two Evangelicals who have been studied, some have been so widely influential that they are obvious inclusions, others though less prominent are still remembered while a few are all but forgotten. Selection was controlled by several considerations. The period covered spans from the eighteenth century Revival to the present day. Figures are included from only Britain and America. The aim throughout has been to provide an appreciative exposition of Evangelical spirituality, with some evaluative comment. In Evangelicalism there is extraordinary diversity in spiritual experience, doctrinal emphasis and personal temperment, to the enrichment of the whole Church. It has its share, too, of weaknesses, blind-spots and inner tensions. But judged by its best representatives, some of them to be found in this book, the Evangelical spiritual tradition is a continuing witness to the power of the gospel and the mission of the Church. --from the Preface

A new history explores the commercial heart of evangelical Christianity. American evangelicalism is big business. For decades, the world’s largest media conglomerates have sought out evangelical consumers, and evangelical books have regularly become international best sellers. In the early 2000s, Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life spent ninety weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list and sold more than thirty million copies. But why have evangelicals achieved such remarkable commercial success? According to Daniel Vaca, evangelicalism depends upon commercialism. Tracing the once-humble evangelical book industry’s emergence as a lucrative center of the US book trade, Vaca argues that evangelical Christianity became religiously and politically prominent through business activity. Through areas of commerce such as branding, retailing, marketing, and finance, for-profit media companies have capitalized on the expansive potential of evangelicalism for more than a century. Rather than treat evangelicalism as a type of conservative Protestantism that market forces have commodified and corrupted, Vaca argues that evangelicalism is an expressly commercial religion. Although religious traditions seem to incorporate people who embrace distinct theological ideas and beliefs, Vaca shows, members of contemporary consumer society often participate in religious cultures by engaging commercial products and corporations. By examining the history of companies and corporate conglomerates that have produced and distributed best-selling religious books, bibles, and more, Vaca not only illustrates how evangelical ideas, identities, and alliances have developed through commercial activity but also reveals how the production of evangelical identity became a component of modern capitalism.

How do Christians cultivate a vibrant and Christ-centered spirituality that's rooted in biblical clarity? Spiritual formation--the cultivation of a relationship with God--lies at the heart of what it means to be a Christian in the body of Christ. But with the rise of diverse spiritual practices, from Zen meditation to out-of-body experiences, the idea of spirituality has become watered down by postmodern culture. Christian spirituality, on the other hand, embraces devotion to the triune God, abiding in Christ, the pursuit of holiness, and the cultivation of virtues. But what exactly falls within the scope Christian spirituality? This volume of the Counterpoints series focuses on the Church’s search for spiritual identity, meaning, and significance as interpreted by four of the major Christian traditions: Eastern Orthodoxy – represented by Bradley Nassif Roman Catholic – represented by Scott Hahn Progressive Protestant – represented by Joseph Driskill Evangelical - represented by Evan Howard The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Offers a unique collection of primary sources for eighteenth-century evangelical spirituality in America and Britain, along with introduction and commentary, prepared by a prominent scholar of evangelical theology.

How did it come to be that evangelicals expect individualized, extrabiblical revelation from God? What has happened culturally, historically, and theologically to make this the ubiquitous assumption of evangelical spirituality? The Making of Evangelical Spirituality is a compound of history and theology applied to the subject of evangelical spirituality—specifically, the phenomenon of evangelicals thinking “God spoke to me” in a still, quiet voice. The story is complex, multifaceted, and urgently in need of telling. Few Christians know the history of the spiritual expectations heaped upon them. Few know the individuals who gave shape to evangelical spirituality, spiritual chieftains who were often guided by uniquely ephemeral, social, and cultural forces. There is no towering figure like Martin Luther that stands as the lone front man for the esoterica of evangelical spirituality. Instead, it’s the osmosis of many fascinating people struggling through life in the storm of worldly and cultural momentum. This book is the story of those hermits, monks, reformers, heretics, politicians, outcasts, and preachers who gave shape. Failure to tell the story now risks it becoming just another part of historical compost, threatening to make evangelicals forever ignorant of what they are tossing into the garden of their soul.

Winner of the Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (1995) “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.” So begins this award-winning intellectual history and critique of the evangelical movement by one of evangelicalism’s most respected historians. Unsparing in his indictment, Mark Noll asks why the largest single group of religious Americans—who enjoy increasing wealth, status, and political influence—have contributed so little to rigorous intellectual scholarship. While nourishing believers in the simple truths of the gospel, why have so many evangelicals failed to sustain a serious intellectual life and abandoned the universities, the arts, and other realms of “high” culture? Over twenty-five years since its original publication, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind has turned out to be prescient and perennially relevant. In a new preface, Noll lays out his ongoing personal frustrations with this situation, and in a new afterword he assesses the state of the scandal—showing how white evangelicals’ embrace of Trumpism, their deepening distrust of science, and their frequent forays into conspiratorial thinking have coexisted with surprisingly robust scholarship from many with strong evangelical connections.