The unhappy fate of Optional Evangelicalism – how Fulcrum strengthens the case for the AMIE

Posted on July 27, 2011 
Filed under Church of England

“In 1997, Roman Catholic theologian Richard Neuhaus wrote a celebrated essay entitled ‘The Unhappy Fate of Optional Orthodoxy’ in which he set out ‘Neuhaus’ law’, namely ‘Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed’.

His logic is arresting and really quite simple. In a denomination where orthodoxy is tolerated as an option rather than being normative, the orthodox are accepted only as long as they behave as if their convictions were matters of personal preference and interpretation. If they do not keep this rule, they will be ejected.…”

– Charles Raven takes a careful look at the direction of the ‘open evangelical’ group Fulcrum in his latest post at SPREAD.