Rite and Reason: Two weeks ago, Evangelical Alliance Ireland was launched. Seán Mullan explains what its members are about
Last year a "vox pop" on the streets of Dublin asked the question: "What do you know about evangelicals?" The response was memorably consistent. Almost no one had a clue. The few who had a vague idea had one thing in common - they were not from Ireland. Of those Irish people who know something about evangelicals, most associate the grouping with the United States, right-wing conservative politics and with various forms of extremism or intolerance.
There is an emerging evangelical Christian movement in Ireland that disavows those labels but seeks to explain itself and its message to Irish society. This month saw the launch in Dublin of Evangelical Alliance Ireland, a movement with the twin aims of developing stronger identity among evangelicals and creating a new engagement between Irish society and the Gospel of Jesus.
As a movement evangelicalism is not easy to define. It all depends on who is doing the defining. The 2002 census has about 4,000 people in Ireland calling themselves evangelicals. But that is not the full picture. Evangelicalism is a movement, not a denomination, and there are many within other religious groupings or denominations that see themselves as evangelical but would use a different label on the census form.
A recent survey showed that on any given Sunday in Dublin alone there are about 130 churches or groups that see themselves as evangelical. Figures for the rest of the country are still being gathered, but most medium or large towns in Ireland now have at least one such group.
Few actually have the word evangelical in their name. They are "Community churches", "Pentecostal churches", "Bible fellowships", or one of the more familiar denominational labels. There are also groups that reflect Ireland's increasing cultural diversity. Ireland now boasts a variety of ethnic evangelical churches including Nigerian, Filipino, Romanian and Chinese.
But most evangelical churches are predominantly Irish with a variety of other nationalities mixed in.
Diversity is also reflected in the variety of work carried out by this community. Though small in number, there are organisations doing work such as alcohol and drug rehabilitation, lobbying for persecuted Christians, care and support for AIDS victims, medical relief work, literacy development and back-to-work programmes.
What is the common denominator in the mix? What gives the common identity? As the word evangelical indicates, the identity is centred on the Gospel, the "evangel" of Jesus. They share a common conviction that the good news of Jesus is true, and as relevant and necessary as it has ever been.
But living out that conviction in Irish society is not straightforward. The two big issues are the development of a common evangelical identity and engaging with a changing society in Ireland.
Evangelicals are far from being a homogenous movement. There are disagreements over a variety of issues. There is now a growing conviction that such issues can be put to one side. Strong healthy relationships are essential for the well-being of the movement and its engagement with society.
Evangelicals, like most people, have watched with astonishment as Irish society has moved at breakneck speed from a traditional, conservative, monocultural and deeply religious society to a modern, liberal, multicultural and increasingly secular society. These changes raise issues for those who claim the Gospel of Jesus is still central to understanding the purpose of life.
The passion surrounding The Passion of the Christ is a good example. Call it good PR or shameful exploitation, it certainly caused a storm. Imagine the storm had the film focused more explicitly on the Gospel message of Jesus's death as the only effective solution for the sin of humankind. Such claims are simply no longer acceptable.
Religious relativism has become the defining principle to judge all such activities. No one must make truth claims that are exclusive.
In such a society it could appear that the Gospel is an irrelevance. But before the Gospel is dismissed as an anachronism, an examination of our society's current state is appropriate.
Current trends raise many troubling questions. Suicide rates, levels of drug and alcohol consumption, random acts of violence and aggression, levels of mental well-being and other social indicators all point to a society that is not at ease with its new-found prosperity and changed beliefs. There may be some questions worth asking again.
Evangelicals are not advocating a return to traditional religion, whatever the denominational hue. Compelling people to obey rules produces outer conformity but does not transform lives. And it is the transforming of lives that is needed.
What evangelicals ask is that in considering where we go from here, that we as a society consider the teaching of good news of Jesus and its relevance for life.
If evangelicals are to present the Gospel as a real alternative, they need to examine the extent that it has impacted on our own lives and community and then do the hard work of translating, applying and modelling the message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth to a society which is free to take it or leave it.
Seán Mullan is the director of Evangelical Alliance Ireland