Keswick: Evangelicals Must Rediscover Meaning of Cross

Christians gathered for the ongoing Keswick Convention in the Lake District were warned this week that modern evangelicals have "lost hold of preaching the cross and what the cross actually means".

This was the assertion of Clive Calver, former head of the Evangelical Alliance in the UK and now Senior Pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, USA, in his key address this week.

"I want to challenge our understanding of the biblical gospel - whether the gospel of much of modern day evangelicalism is the biblical gospel at all," he said.

Calver continued by arguing that evangelicals had lost "what was achieved in that glorious moment, when heaven's love and heaven's justice met on a cross and crucified love was poured out on us, because He took the punishment of our sins upon Himself".

He challenged the traditional language of conversion bandied around in evangelical circles, admitting he "had trouble" with terms like "accepting" Jesus and "asking Jesus into my heart".

"When it comes to 'believing in Jesus', I am really in trouble," added, continuing, "Because Scripture says that the Devil believes in Jesus. I believe he died for us, but that was only step one."

He urged Christians to surrender their own will and follow Jesus to the cross.

"We have to get hold of the meaning of the Greek word 'pisteuo' to believe and
understand the depth of commitment that is involved in that - it is not an academic acceptance," he said.

An individual with 'pisteuo' belief surpasses mere intellectual acknowledgement of a truth to go to the level of being willing to commit to or follow.

"I do not believe that the cry of Christianity is just 'come and live'," said Calver. "I believe the cry of Christianity is 'come and die'. He wants us to die to all that we want and live to all that he wants for us.

"It is never easy to follow Jesus but the way of discipleship is the way of surrender to the crucified life."

In the second of this year's Keswick's lectures, Calver urged Christians not to fall into a "ghettoised mentality", believing there is nothing they can do to change the world.

Looking to the example set by William Wilberforce in paving the way for the end of the slave trade across the British Empire, he reminded listeners, "If Wilberforce had
had that attitude, then slavery would not have died when it did. We love the ghetto, we love to withdraw and let the world go to its own private hell."

He also challenged the audience to develop a uniquely Christian response to global issues. "We do what the world is doing, so if the world is protesting about something, you can almost guarantee that the church will catch up later. There has to be a uniquely different Christian response to the issues that we face - a radical Christian alternative."