Are we in the midst of the next Great Awakening?

We all feel it. Change. A subtle spiritual shift. A quiet revolution. The emergence of a new perspective, a new evangelical identity. After years of enduring a seemingly stagnant church, new and thought-provoking evangelical perspectives are popping up all over the place- infusing Christian literature, Sunday worship, board meetings, college lectures, facebook, the media, and family dinners.

Suddenly, evangelical Christians aren’t just focusing on the coming end-times, criminalizing abortion, and damning homosexuality. Nowadays, look around and you’ll find many in this community engaged in AIDS advocacy, creation care, combating sex-trafficking, immigration reform, global and domestic healthcare, climate justice, homeless outreach, reviving poor urban neighborhoods, corporate social responsibility, poverty and hunger alleviation, sustainable agriculture, disaster relief, and many other peace and justice efforts. And it’s not just evangelical causes that are changing. Something in its core perspective is shifting too.

Where is this new wave coming from? And what exactly is it? Does it present a more hopeful and holistic vision for the evangelical faith- and the world? Or is it a heresy that will ultimately undermine traditional evangelical values?

After all, change always generates controversy, and this budding evangelical movement is no exception.

But furthermore, is this new evangelical perspective really something “new” at all? An academic at heart, I started doing a little research. After consulting my 17-year old brother, evangelical pastor-father, one of Renewal’s student leaders, and my “spiritual but not religious” best friend, I’ve come to the suspicion that this “new” perspective is in fact, quite ancient.

One compelling definition of positive change is “not the innovation of new morals but rather original values stripped to their core and revisited with new vision, dedication, and implementation.”

Investigating the core values of this budding evangelical movement, I asked my in-the-know, younger brother, “What key Christian values should we live by in this day and age?” He replied simply, “We should live by the fruits of the spirit.” Not exactly the novel answer I hoped would reveal the mysteries of this new evangelical movement.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Haven’t these traits always been at the core of Christianity?

This got me thinking. Maybe this new movement isn’t just re-defining the evangelical identity after all. Perhaps, it’s simply questioning modern assumptions of Christianity, and revisiting the heart of what it means to be true followers of Christ in this day and age. As my best friend so eloquently articulated: “Christianity has branched into over 300 denominations to date. Like a 300-leg spider, these branches all stem from an original core." So what are these core, transcendental values and how have they been skewed?

This begs the question, what core Christian values does this new movement emphasize that have been neglected by the traditional evangelical church? This is a massive inquiry that I cannot hope to answer in full. But here are a few of my personal thoughts on the unique values of these “new evangelicals:”

Living by Example. Jesus didn’t just preach love, compassion, kindness, faith, generosity, justice, forgiveness, and righteousness. He lived out these values everyday. He demonstrated compassion and generosity to the poor, lost, sick, and marginalized. He treated people with kindness. He forgave. He made right choices. He had faith enough to walk on water. He challenged injustice. He was an unreserved and whole-hearted medium of God’s love. He loved his friends and family. He loved his enemies. He loved sinners and the people who hurt him.

The new evangelicals recognize the unprecedented power of not just preaching the good news, but demonstrating it in practical, visionary, and culturally-relevant ways.

Selfless Love and Simple Living. Jesus replied: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-40)

Contrary to our current cultural values, Jesus advocated living simply. He rejected material wealth and riches in favor of a lifestyle that prioritized a simple principle: our purpose in life is to love and care for others.

Obviously, loving others infers that we shouldn’t contribute to harming people here and around the world, or God’s creation. By following this simple principle, we reduce the burden we place on God’s earth and his people, and re-focus our lives on sustaining relationships, communities, and creation. As Gandhi said, we “live simply, so that others might simply live.”

What’s more, many who seek to live these values find that a simple, community-oriented lifestyle actually lends to more authentic and joyful living. Think about it. If we’re less concerned about the latest fashion, TV shows, techno-toys, and flashy cars, we have more time, energy, and money to invest in our families, communities, creative endeavors, intellectual pursuits, and spiritual lives.

The new evangelicals seek to embody the values of selfless love and simple living.

Compassion, Grace, Humility and Outreach. Whether its accurate or not, the traditional evangelical community is often perceived as de-emphasizing the Christian values of grace, humility, and compassion in favor of self-righteousness. However, we’re all broken and none of us would have a shot without God’s grace and compassion.

Jesus didn’t go around judging and damning people for their sinful lifestyles or flawed perspectives. He also didn’t shield himself from these realities by hiding away in the holy temple. He went out into the world. He dined with sinners, and befriended gentiles. He allowed immoral women to perfume his feet. He listened to people from all different perspectives, and tried to reach them with stories and parables they could understand. Though he was the most perfect and righteous person to ever walk the earth, he practiced great humility. And extended amazing grace.

It was his compassion, grace, humility, and resolve to reach out to sinners and people with differing perspectives that touched so many and compelled them to follow in his footsteps. It’s my hunch that had Jesus holed away in a temple and preached to the choir, he would never have changed the course of history, or communicated his timeless message of hope and love across cultures and ages.

The new evangelicals seek to follow Christ’s example of compassion, grace, humility, and community outreach.

Challenging Injustice. Jesus didn’t just sit back and observe the unjust world around him. And he didn’t keep quiet when it came to flawed religious doctrines and practices. He boldly, lovingly, and courageously challenged injustices in his society, and in the religious establishment. He presented a vision for a more hopeful, just and kind society, and worked to enact this vision by embodying it in his own life.

The new evangelicals boldly, lovingly and courageously challenge injustice- both in society and in the church.

Respect for all life. The Bible says: “for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” God sacrificed his beloved son not just because he cares for humankind alone, but because he loves all of his magnificent creation. Oftentimes Christians get so caught up in our human uniqueness that we forget God lovingly and thoughtfully created, and greatly values and blessed, all life.

As Christians, we shouldn’t need another reason to respect and care for God’s creation. But if so, here are a few:

1) God created us to be interdependent. Human life and wellbeing depends on the health of ecosystems that sustain us. If soil, water, and air are unhealthy, people are harmed. A huge part of loving our neighbors (and bodies), is caring for God’s creation.

2) Creation teaches us about God’s character. Romans 1:20 says “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” If we degrade or devalue the natural world, we’re neglecting a powerful teacher of God’s character.

3) God commanded us to be good stewards. In Gen 2:15, God instructs humans to “tend and keep” his garden. Jesus emphasizes the importance of good stewardship in multiple teachings. We were placed on earth by God and given the incredible gift of life. To ignore God’s commandment to care for his earth is not only disobedience- it communicates careless disregard, an incredible offense to the creator.

Too often evangelical Christians are told they must choose between loving and caring for people or loving and caring for God’s earth. Why? God doesn’t choose- he loves both. When did our hearts become so small?

The new evangelicals love, respect, value, and work to protect the whole of God’s creation- the earth and each other.

Active Hope and Participatory Renewal. Jesus came to earth to offer hope. And by hope, I don’t think he meant “hunker down and endure this mess of a world until you die and go to heaven or I come back and get you.” To the contrary, God never indicates that he’s given up hope for this world. In fact, he instructs us to pray that his will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Jesus didn’t just come to offer a future heavenly escape. Through love, faith, and healing, he actively worked to better people’s lives here on earth. He not only presented a vision for a renewed world, he enacted it. As followers of Christ, I believe we’re called to do the same.

Someone wise once said, "the best way to predict the future, is to help create it." God placed us here for a reason. He gave us life, choice, intellect, imagination, and the ability to work for positive change. As Christians, I believe we’re called to actively demonstrate Christ’s hope and participate in the renewal of God’s earth.

Can we do this without God? Absolutely not. Are we going to wake up tomorrow and find the kingdom of heaven has come to earth and everything is harmonious and whole again? Likely not. However, does this mean we shouldn’t work towards creating a more just world? Of course not. We’re called to be agents of Christ’s love, hope, and renewal. This means rejecting the silly and outdated notion that we shouldn’t work towards positive change here on earth.

The new evangelicals recognize and embrace the calling to be active agents of Christ’s love, hope, and renewal, and participate in creating a better world, here and now.

It is clear we're in the beginning stages of an important shift in the evangelical community, some might term a "new great awakening." Though this emerging movement incorporates new, fresh, and dynamic aspects, we can already see it is moored to the most basic foundational truths of the Christian faith....

Author's bio:

Anna Jane Joyner is a 2007 graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and current co-coordinator for "Renewal: Students Caring for Creation (www.renewingcreation.org)." She fell in love with God's creation while studying in New Zealand, and has since been inspired and driven to protect it. Being a pastor’s child from the southeast and knowing little about the subject, when she returned home she eagerly began studying Christian perspectives on environmental stewardship. Since graduating, she has dedicated her life and work to engaging the Christian community in caring for God’s amazing and life-sustaining creation. Her recent endeavors include co-authoring the Sierra Club report 'Faith in Action' and teaching environmental studies at a Christian high school. Anna Jane lives in North Carolina and enjoys hiking, travelling, frequenting independent bookstores, listening to bluegrass and writing poetry.