American Council of Christian Churches
26th Annual Convention, October 24–27, 1967
Santa Monica, California
Resolution on The Dangers of New Evangelicalism
“The New Evangelicalism has changed its strategy from one of separation to one of infiltration,” says Harold John Ockenga who claims to be the father of New Evangelicalism. In the New Evangelical repudiation of the Biblical position of total separation from apostasy, the American Council of Christian Churches sees a grave danger to fundamental, Bible-believing churches.
Billy Graham, the best known New Evangelical, has implemented Ockenga’s strategy in the name of evangelism. At the National Council of Churches 1967 General Assembly, Billy Graham was a featured speaker. “I am honored and privileged to be here to participate with you and I would like to put it in these terms, ‘to participate with you,’” said Billy Graham in prefacing his remarks to the National Council of Churches. Graham practices a policy of ecumenical evangelism in his campaigns which not only involves apostates but directly aids the ecumenical movement by adding influence and members to the NCC-WCC [World Council of Churches]. The American Council therefore recognizes not only the danger of participating in the apostate ecumenical movement, but also the repudiation of the historic fundamentalist movement by the New Evangelicals.
Identification of the New Evangelicals therefore becomes essential in order to warn Bible believers against unknowing involvement in apostate ecumenical programs.
New Evangelicalism is identified by Harold John Ockenga as follows:
“First, there is the National Association of Evangelicals which provides articulation for the movement on the denominational level; second, there is World Evangelical Fellowship [now World Evangelical Association] which binds together these individual national associations of some 26 countries into a world organization; third, there is the new apologetic literature stating this point of view which is now flowing from the presses of the great publishers, including Macmillans and Harpers; fourth, there is the existence of Fuller Theological Seminary and other evangelical seminaries which are fully committed to orthodox Christianity and a resultant social philosophy; fifth, there is the establishment of Christianity Today, a bi-weekly publication, to articulate the convictions of this movement; sixth, there is the appearance of an evangelist, Billy Graham, who on the mass level is the spokesman of the convictions and ideals of the New Evangelicalism.” (From Ockenga’s news release, December 8, 1957, cited in The New Neutralism by W. E. Ashbrook, p. 5.)
The ACCC recommends the purchase, reading and distribution of the new book, Outside The Gate, by Dr. Carl McIntire as an authoritative source of information on the dangers of New Evangelicalism.
The resolution was passed unanimously at the 26th Annual Convention of the American Council of Christian Churches.
Download this Resolution:
The Dangers of New Evangelicalism
The Dangers of New Evangelicalism BULLETIN INSERT
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