JODY

Hmmm, where to begin? I guess I should start with why I have come to the point of being involved in setting up this website.

About two years ago, I was at the start of my searching and in the depths of some confusion - the start of my searching for what it means to be an ‘evangelical’ and in the depths of confusion that the name ‘evangelical’, which I had enjoyed since my Christian life began, was now being contested.

In the CofE today there are many groups vying for the name ‘evangelical’ – some are willing to include the diversity of different types of evangelicalism (from ‘open’ to ‘conservative’), and I would include myself in this category.

However, I increasingly found myself feeling that my evangelical credentials were simply not evangelical enough! Those whose definition of evangelical is more rigidly defined than my own, questioned my love of the Bible, my understanding of the seriousness of sin, to name but a few evangelical shibboleths.

As I began to wrestle with these questions: ‘do I really not love the Bible?’ ‘do I really not take sin seriously?’ I entered into dialogue on such forums as fulcrum and found some very good ways of doing evangelical. I found others who had the same experiences, the same questions. We wrestled together and came up with some answers, namely – YES, I love the Bible, and YES I know the depth of my sin, as much as my creaturely brain can take it in! And, finally, YES I am still an evangelical!

So, here I am, still an evangelical – engaging with what that means; journeying forward, still wrestling, never static, growing, loving, pondering, doing.

Anyone want to join me?

KAREN

In 2003 I was moving towards conservatism in a desire to seek God and live in a lifestyle faithful to Scriptures. Although a committed Anglican since 1994, my journey had undergone a sharp shift of influence towards American bible teachers and British Pentecostalism since 1999. I was looking for deeper understanding.

By the end of 2003 I was beginning to have doubts about some of the things I was hearing from those sources. I felt that what I was hearing was teaching based on a fusion of beliefs about scripture, about God, about natural order; ideas which seemed to run contrary to the basic traditional understanding.

From 2004 I began to become more acquainted with the Anglican version of Conservatism. By a process of careful reading of conservative literature, I began to discern some problems here too. The full ramifications of conservative project for Christianity in the CofE were disturbing.

Reading as much about theology as I could I still struggled to find answers. I honestly considered the possibility that my concerns were misplaced; that I was wrong. Was I in rebellion against the true teachings of scripture? Was I denying the importance of sin? I became afraid.

Then I found an Anglican web site run by a group called Fulcrum. Here I found balanced Anglican comment on many subjects - all from an evangelical point of view, with good theological oversight from the leadership. Through the knowledge gained and by relationships made through Fulcrum, I realised that I could stay evangelical and still operate with love of Jesus towards my neighbour.

Some of us began to feel that there is a need for ordinary evangelical people in the CofE to find a special safe place where their voice can be heard and listened to; a place for healing and release from religious bondage.