From Encyclopedia Britannica - 1978
Evangelical Alliance, now called WORLD'S EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE, an association of churches, Christian societies, and individual Christians of different denominations. It was organized in London in 1846 at an international conference of relitious leaders after preliminary meetings has been held in Great Britain by Anglican and other British churchmen in reaction against the Oxford movement in the Church of England, which emphasized the Catholic heritage of that church. It was decided to form an international association, and 800 delegates from 50 denominations in Europe and America attended the 1846 founding convention. Subsequently, international conventions were held every few years. Branches were formed in several countries, although the Alliance was always most active in Great Britain. The American branch, organized in 1867, was superseded in 1908 by the Federal Council of Churches, which it had helped establish.The doctrine of the Alliance is contained in the nine articles adopted in London in 1846; the divine inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of the Scriptures; the right and duty of private judgment in the interpretation of them; the unity of the Godhead and the Trinity of Persons; the utter depravity of human nature; the incarnation of the Son of God and his atonement for the sins of all men; the justification of sinners by faith alone; the work of the Holy Spirit as sanctifier; the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment by Jesus Christ; and the divine institution of the Christian ministry. In the interest of spiritual unity, the founding convention also established the universal week of prayer, observed the first full week of January.
In the 19th century the Alliance was actively concerned with the furtherance of Christian liberty and religious toleration. It was successful in lessening the persecution of individual Christians in many parts of the world.
The influence of the Alliance declined in the 20th century, but it has continued its activities in Great Britain and has played an active part in various nationwide evangelistic campaigns. In association with kindred societies, the Alliance seeks to emphasize the reformed character of the Church of England. It publishes the monthly magazine Crusade.
In 1958 the Alliance helped organize the Evangelical Missionary Alliance, "to provide a medium of fellowship and effective cooperation in the interest of evangelical missionary work and service overseas." The more than 70 member missions (denominational, interdemoninational, and undenominational) enjoy complete autonomy but subscribe to a rommon doctrinal basis.
Headquarters of the Evangelical Alliance are in London. It is closely associated with similar alliances in many different countries throughj the World Evangelical Fellowship.
The New Advent - Catholic Encyclopedia [Web www.newadvent.org/cathen/05641a.htm]
The Evangelical Alliance
An association of Protestants belonging to various denominations founded in 1846, whose object, as declared in a resolution passed at the first meeting, is "to enable Christians to realize in themselves and to exhibit to others that a living and everlasting union binds all true believers together in the fellowship of the Church" (Report of the Proceedings of the First General Conference). The points of belief, which the members accept as being the substance of the Gospel, are contained in a document adopted at the first conference and known as the Basis. They are nine in number:
1. The Divine inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures;
2. the right and duty of private judgment in the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures;
3. the unity of the Godhead and the Trinity of Persons therein;While we agree in principal to the thought behind the expression given in #2 above, we cannot agree with the way it is worded."No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation..." 2 Pet. 1:20
4. the utter depravity of human nature in consequence of the fall;
5. the Incarnation of the Son of God, His work of atonement for sinners, and his mediatorial intercession and reign;
6. the justification of the sinner by faith alone;
7. the work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion and sanctification of the sinner;
8. the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the judgment of the world by Jesus Christ, with the eternal blessedness of the righteous and the eternal punishment of the wicked;
9. the Divine institution of the Christian ministry, and the obligation and perpetuity of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper."It being, however, distinctly declared that this brief summary is not to be regarded, in any formal or ecclesiastical sense, as a creed or confession, nor the adoption of it as involving an assumption of the right authoritatively to define the limits of Christian brotherhood, but simply as an indication of the class of persons whom it is desirable to embrace within the Alliance. In this Alliance, it is also distinctly stated that no compromise of the views of any member, or sanction of those of others, on the points wherein they differ, is either required or expected; but that all are held free as before to maintain and advocate their religious convictions, with due forbearance and brotherly love. It is not contemplated that the Alliance should assume or aim at the character of a new ecclesiastical organization, claiming and exercising the functions of a Christian Church. Its simple and comprehensive object, it is strongly felt, may be successfully promoted without interfering with, or disturbing the order of, any branch of the Christian Church to which its members may respectively belong.
The Alliance thus lays claim to no doctrinal or legislative authority. In a pamphlet issued by the society itself this feature is thus explained: "Then it is an Alliance–not a union of Church organizations, much less an attempt to secure an outward uniformity–but the members of the Alliance are allies: they belong to different ecclesiastical bodies–yet all of the One Church. They are of different nations as well as of many denominations–yet all holding the Head, Christ Jesus. Unum corpus sumus in Christo. We are one body in Christ–banded together for common purposes, and to manifest the real unity which underlies our great variety. We are all free to hold our own views in regard to subsidiary matters, but all adhere to the cardinal principles of the Alliance as set forth in its Basis."
The Alliance arose at a time when the idea of unity was much before men's minds. During the years that witnessed the beginning of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England, there progressed a movement in favour of union among men whose sympathies were diametrically opposed to those of the Tractarians, but who in their own way longed for a healing of the divisions and differences among Christians. In 1842 the Presbyterian Church of Scotland tried, though without success, to establish relations with other Protestant bodies. In England the progress of the Tractarian Movement led many distinguished Evangelical Nonconformists to desire "a great confederation of men of all Churches who were loyal in their attachment to Evangelical Protestantism in order to defend the faith of the Reformation" (Dale, History of Eng. Congregationalism, 637). At the annual assembly of the Congregational Union held in London, May, 1842, John Angell James (1785-1859), minister of Craven Chapel, Bayswater, London, proposed the scheme that ultimately developed into the Evangelical Alliance. He asked: "Is it not in the power of this Union to bring about by God's blessing, a Protestant Evangelical Union of the whole body of Christ's faithful followers who have at any rate adopted the voluntary principle? … Let us only carry out the principle of a great Protestant Union and we may yet have representatives from all bodies of Protestant Christians to be found within the circle of our own United Empire" (Congregational Magazine, 1842, 435-6). The first definite step towards this was taken by Mr. Patton, an American minister, who proposed a general conference of delegates from various bodies, with the result that a preliminary meeting was held at Liverpool in October, 1845, at which the basis of such a conference was arranged. On 10 Aug., 1846, at a meeting of eight hundred delegates, representing fifty denominations, held in the Freemasons Hall, London, the Evangelical Alliance was founded. All who would accept the Basis were eligible as members, and the representatives of the various nations were recommended to form national organizations or branches, of which the British Organization, formed in 1846, was the first. These organizations were independent of one another and were at liberty to carry on their work in such a manner as should be most in accordance with the peculiar circumstances of each district. They have been formed in the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Australia, India, and several missionary countries. The French national branch abandoned the Basis in 1854 and substituted for it a wider form of a Unitarian character. The Alliance meets and acts as a whole only in the international and general conferences, which are held from time to time. The first of these was held in London, 1851, and has been succeeded by others as follows: Paris, 1855; Berlin, 1857; Geneva, 1861; Amsterdam, 1867; New York, 1873; Basle, 1879; Copenhagen, 1884; Florence, 1891; London, 1896 (Celebration of the Jubilee); London, 1907, on which occasion the Diamond Jubilee of the Alliance was celebrated.
These international conventions are regarded as of special value in the promotion of the aims of the Alliance. Another matter to which much importance is attached is the annual "Universal Week of Prayer", observed the first complete week in January of each year since 1846. At this time the Alliance invites all Christians to join in prayer, the programme being prepared by representatives of all denominations and printed in many different languages. The relief of persecuted Christians is another department of work in which the Alliance claims to have accomplished much good. Finally, in 1905, the Alliance Bible School was founded with headquarters at Berlin, under the direction of Pastor Köhler and Herr Warns, "to place before the students the history and doctrine of the Bible in accordance with its own teaching". The reports of the conferences claim considerable success for these various works, a claim which cannot here be investigated. From its principles the Evangelical Alliance is necessarily opposed to the doctrine and authority of the Catholic Church; and Catholics, while sympathizing with the desire for union among Christians, realize that the unity by which we are made one in Christ is not to be won by such methods. The motto of the Alliance is Unum corpus sumus in Christo.
European Evangelical Alliance [http://www.europeanea.org/basis_of_faith.html] The European Evangelical Alliance is a fellowship of Christians who accept the revelation of the triune God given in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and confess the faith of the Gospel therein set forth. They assert the following doctrines which they regard as crucial to the understanding of the faith, and which should issue in mutual love, practical Christian service and evangelistic concern:
– The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption, final judgement and consummation.
– The divine inspiration of Holy Scripture and its entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
– The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God's wrath and condemnation.
– The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin, and from its eternal consequences.
– The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
– The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
– The priesthood of all believers, who form the Universal Church, the body of which Christ is the head, and which is committed by His command to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world.
– The expectation of the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ, in power and glory.
The Creeds of the Evangelical Protestant Churches.
The Doctrinal Basis of the Evangelical Alliance. A.D. 1846.THE DOCTRINAL BASIS OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE, 1846.
Adopted at the Organization of the American Branch of the Evangelical Alliance, in January, 1867.[The Nine Articles were adopted by the first meeting of the Evangelical Alliance, in London, 1846, and published in the Report of the Proceedings of the Conference, held at Freemasons' Hall, London, front Aug. 19th to Sept. 2d, 1846. Published by order of the Conference. London, 1847.
The preamble, which we print in small type, was added by the American Branch of the Alliance, organized in the Bible House, New York, Jan., 1867, and, with this qualifying preamble, the doctrinal articles were used at the General Conference of the Alliance held in New York, Oct., 1873.
The Evangelical Alliance is no Church, and has no authority to issue and enforce an ecclesiastical creed. It is simply a voluntary association of individual Christians for the promotion of Christian union and religious liberty; but as such it may declare on what doctrinal basis it proposes to labor for its end, and how much or how little of the traditional faith it takes for granted among its members.]
Resolved, That in forming an Evangelical Alliance for the United States, in co-operative union with other Branches of the Alliance, we have no intention or desire to give rise to a new denomination or sect; nor to affect an amalgamation of Churches, except in the way of facilitating personal Christian intercourse and a mutual good understanding; nor to interfere in any way whatever with the internal affairs of the various denominations; but, simply, to bring individual Christians into closer fellowship and co-operation, on the basis of the spiritual union which already exists in the vital relation of Christ to the members of his body in all ages and countries.
Resolved, That in the same spirit we propose no new creed; but, taking broad, historical, and evangelical catholic ground, we solemnly reaffirm and profess our faith in all the doctrines of the inspired Word of God, and the consensus of doctrines as held by all true Christians from the beginning. And we do more especially affirm our belief in the Divine-human person and atoning work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as the only and sufficient source of salvation, as the heart and soul of Christianity, and as the centre of all true Christian union and fellowship.
Resolved, That, with this explanation, and in the spirit of a just Christian liberality in regard to the minor differences of theological schools and religious denominations, we also adopt, as a summary of the consensus of the various Evangelical Confessions of Faith, the Articles and Explanatory Statement set forth and agreed on by the Evangelical Alliance at its formation in London, 1846, and approved by the separate European organizations; which articles are as follows:
'1. The Divine inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures.
'2. The right and duty of private judgment in the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.
'3. The Unity of the Godhead, and the Trinity of the persons therein.
'4. The utter depravity of human nature in consequence of the Fall.
'5. The incarnation of the Son of God, his work of atonement for the sins of mankind, and his mediatorial intercession and reign.
'6. The justification of the sinner by faith alone.
'7. The work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion and sanctification of the sinner.
'8. The immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the judgment of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the eternal blessedness of the righteous, and the eternal punishment of the wicked.
'9. The divine institution of the Christian ministry, and the obligation and perpetuity of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.'It is, however, distinctly declared: First, that this brief summary is not to be regarded in any formal or ecclesiastical sense as a creed or confession, nor the adoption of it as involving an assumption of the right authoritatively to define the limits of Christian brotherhood, but simply as an indication of the class of persons whom it is desirable to embrace within the Alliance; Second, that the selection of certain tenets, with the omission of others, is not to be held as implying that the former constitute the whole body of important truth, or that the latter are unimportant.'
In the original form the Articles are introduced by the following sentence:
'The parties composing the Alliance shall be such persons only as hold and maintain what are usually understood to be evangelical views in regard to the matters of doctrine understated, namely…'
The official Report of Proceedings (both on pp. 77 and 189) reads 'for sinners of mankind,' which is probably a typographical error. All other issues of the Articles in the Alliance publications read sins.
The Creeds of the Evangelical Protestant Churches. The Doctrinal Basis of the Evangelical Alliance. A.D. 1846.
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