Christian artists resign membership of Evangelical Alliance
-21/03/05
The Arts Centre Group (ACG) which represents Christian artists in the UK has written to the Evangelical Alliance saying that it no longer feels able to sign up to the Allianceís Basis of Faith.
Their decision follows the Alliance’s assertion during the debate about Steve Chalke’s book the ‘Lost Message of Jesus’, that its doctrinal statement implied belief in penal substitution – the idea that God punished Jesus Christ on the cross.
The Ekklesia news service has been told by the ACG that it has sent a letter to the Evangelical Alliance explaining its decision not to renew its membership.
The ACG said that both its board and wider membership held a range of views on the meaning of the cross which would be theologically explained by a range of different understandings of why Jesus died and rose again.
The board of ACG felt therefore it could no longer sign up to a Statement of Faith that explicitly requires adherence to just one substitutionary atonement theory.
Other evangelical organisations such as the World Evangelical Alliance do not single out one idea of the cross but simply affirm their belief in Jesus’s ‘atoning death’.
Following the work of other Evangelical scholars, Steve Chalke suggested in his book ‘The Lost Message of Jesus’ that the idea of ‘penal substitution’ was not ‘biblical’. For many Christians such a belief conflicts with the character of God revealed in the gospels, and implies an idea of justice that is both violent and far from the biblical vision.
The book’s publication provoked outcry from conservative Evangelicals and a public debate in Westminster followed, attended by 700 people, during which Steve Chalke publicly responded to his critics. However, the Alliance then announced that its own doctrinal statement implied support for penal substitution, leaving some Evangelicals unsure about whether they could in all conscience remain members.
ACG has been supporting Christians who work in arts and media for over 30 years. A non- denominational group it draws members from every arts discipline.
ACG has a remit to nurture, support and encourage its members to explore both their artistic goals and their Christian faith, and offers a variety of means for them to interact and connect. It is also committed to enabling and empowering members to grapple with issues of faith and spirituality.
The decision to leave the Alliance was made by the ACG before the Evangelical Alliance published a revised statement of faith which continues to endorse the idea of penal substitution.
The Alliance has said that it never had any intention of changing its statement of faith in response to the recent debate about penal substitution.