LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

The American Evangelical Story

Submitted to Dr. Martin Klauber, in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the completion of the course

CHHI 525-D02

Church History

by

Coral Nichols

May 10, 2018

 Introduction

The American Evangelical Story is written by Sweeney with the means of transparency

to display the historical struggles and successes of the American history of Evangelism from

what one can consider the foundation in the 18th century to the 20th Century notwithstanding the

changes within the American evolving culture. There has been such debate about the meaning of

the word evangelist and how to even define someone who is an Evangelist. This book review

intends to summarize the historical context of Evangelism and provide a critical aspect of the

materials. Sweeney a professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School writes

from a historical prospective with grace and knowledge.

Brief Summary

Sweeney’s work is comprised of seven chapters that dives in the success and failures of

the context of the Evangelical System. The opening chapter dives right into the theological and

historical debate over the definition of Evangelism that would appear so simple yet appear in

evidence to be so complex. The theological definition of evangelical comes from the Greek word

euangelion- mean “gospel” or, more literal, “good news” or “glad tidings”.1 While this definition

from the Greek provide the literal translation in the context of the word, there is a greater

definition that is left to imply within the context of these few Greek words. Sweeney spends the

greater part of Chapter one referring to several theologians aiming to provide a greater

understanding for the meaning of the word. Finally finishing the chapter with his own definition

of the word, Evangelicals comprise a movement that is rooted in classical Christian orthodoxy,

1
Douglas A. Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Academic, 2005). 17.

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shaped by a largely Protestant understanding of the gospel, and distinguished from others such

movements.

With this much information in the beginning of the book, one would think that Sweeney

went into that much detail in the context of the book. However, as the materials are read the

context of some of the book seems to be missing depth in the content on several dimensions. The

content of the book touches on the multidimensions of the Evangelical history. There is

significant information regarding the different waves of revival and the men and women of God

that played a powerful role during these eras, educating the reader on the missions that expanded

beyond the American boarders and reached a multicultural people who were also in need of the

gospel of Christ.

Critical Interaction

There is not a shortage of books and materials that cover the Evangelical movement.

Sweeney writes one whom knows from the inside out from the prospective of an Evangelical

from an optimistic prospective. The authors clear intention is to educate the reader of the

materials on the historical overview of the American Evangelical movement. The significant

cretic in the book is that there is too much information for Sweeney to really treat the history

with a full value in content as it should be to exhaust the information. The writing is more of an

introduction and not exhaustive, it is unclear to me if the point of the author was to provide

exhaustive information or detailed encounter.

There are many book reviews regarding Sweeney’s book, Ennis B Edmonds from

Kenyon College, points out that the content within the book is helpful in a classroom content.

This review points out that it was written from the evangelist point of view for the reference of

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“we” and ending in a prayer for evangelism.2 I agree with what the author has pointed out that

the book is missing the historical value of the past years and thus should be updated with the

most recent information. Perhaps if Sweeney intended to go in depth of the content there would

need to be a separation of the materials by era and create volumes out of the book for the

material to be adequately covered.

One of the significant things that seem to be attractive about the book is that Sweeney

does not negate the fact of women, men and all races involved. It is interested that many

denominations do not allow women to lead or teach a man but there is honorable mention of

many powerful women that influenced national and abroad Evangelism and missions. Charlotte

Lottie Moon is a renowned female Evangelist from the southern Baptist denomination. Since the

end of the nineteenth century they have comprised one of the words largest sending

denomination under the missions with her name.3 Another significant issue that is traced through

Evangelical is the line of racial prejudice within the movement. The Evangelicals took a turn

when the movement moved into a new area. There is the pronouncement of many evangelicals

that did not condone any form of racial prejudice like Billy Graham, Charles Finney and D.L.

Moody to name a few. Sweeney points out that although many of these Evangelicals denounced

racial division, to this day only 5.5 percent of churches in the united states comprise an

interracial membership pointing out while that the line has been crossed, not many have worked

hard to erase the line.4

2
Douglas, Jacobsen. "The American Evangelical Story: a History of the Movement." Church History 75, no. 2
(June 2006): 464.

3
Douglas A. Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement, p. 95.

4
Ibid., 128.

3
 As a minister of the gospel, one would find this book foundational to have in one’s

library. The information that Sweeney desires to relay from the prospective of Evangelist for

Evangelism is one that is important to understanding to know what has been done by the people

who trailed the way. One of the significant things that any minister of the gospel can learn is

through other people’s success and failures. However, if one desires a greater depth of the

Evangelical movement one will need to reach beyond this book and pick up more textbooks and

materials for a more theological landscape.

Conclusion

Sweeney writes from an intellectual and personal standpoint from the prospective of a

Evangelist that has the heart of the Evangelist to spread the good news. He tried to grasp the

wide range of information regarding the span of the American Historical time and the sweep of

these ministries into missions that reached beyond the American boarders. The encompass of

materials was expansive but with a limited scope of materials. The book provides a foundational

overview of the story of the heart of the American Evangelical Story.

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 Bibliography

Jacobsen, Douglas. "The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement." Church

History 75, no. 2 (June 2006): 464-465.

Sweeney, Douglas A. The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Grand

Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.