The American Evangelical Story by Douglas Sweeney defines and traces out evangelicals in history, starting with the Great Awakening in America. Being less than 200 pages, this book offers a clear and concise view of the evangelical movement in America.
Sweeney outlines his task in seven chapters:
1) Evangelical: What's in a Word?
2) A Surprising Work of God: The Eighteenth Century Revival
3) Crafting New Wineskins: Institutionalizing the Movement
4) As the Waters Cover the Sea: The Rise of Evangelical Missions
5) Crossing the Color Line without working to Erase It: Evangelical History in Black and White
6) In Search of a Higher Christian Life: The Holiness, Pentecostal, and Charismatic Movements
7) Standing on the Promises through Howling Storms of Doubt: Fundamentalism and Neoevangelicalism
In conclusion, Sweeney offers three lessons from this history:
First, the church needs evangelicals.
Second, at its best, evangelicalism functions as a renewal movement within the larger, universal church.
Finally, evangelicalism is not enough (evangelicals must looker further in their history than Edwards or Wesley).
This was an excellent and easy to read book. It serves more as a primer to deeper study, with bibliographies at the end of each chapter. As one who identifies with the label 'evangelical', there were stories of sadness and great encouragement to me. This book is a great place to begin when understanding the roots from which the evangelical church has sprung.
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