The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is an organization of

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

individuals that believes

evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...

have largely forgotten the foundations of the Christian

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and is dedicated to calling on the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

churches, especially those that call themselves

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

, to return to the principles of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

. To advance its mission, the Alliance produces a range of media and educational resources. These include print publications, online articles, and radio broadcasts such as ''The Bible Study Hour'', ''Every Last Word'', and '' Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible).'' In addition, the organization sponsors conferences, including the ''Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology'', the ''Princeton Regional Conference on Reformed Theology'', and initiatives like the ''Reformation Societies,''aimed at teaching the Reformed version of the Christian message. The alliance promotes the traditional doctrines of the

, particularly

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

,Roger E. Olson, ''The SCM Press A–Z of Evangelical Theology'', SCM Press, 2005,
p. 297.
/ref> in response to a perception that "the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed." It has been branded as "exclusivist" because of its focus on Reformed thought. The alliance has

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Christian Reformed A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Chr ...

, and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

supporters. The alliance was formed in 1994 out of what was known as Evangelical Ministries when

James Montgomery Boice James Montgomery Boice (July 7, 1938 – June 15, 2000) was an American Reformed Christian theologian, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defense of Biblical inerrancy. He was also the ...

, then senior pastor of

Tenth Presbyterian Church Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,600 members located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tenth is a part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

in Philadelphia and teacher on ''The Bible Study Hour'' radio program, called together a group of like-minded pastors and theologians from a variety of denominations to unite in a common cause to help revive a passion "for the truth of the Gospel" within the church.History
, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals On April 17–20, 1996, the alliance came together in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, to draw up a statement that would be called the

Cambridge Declaration The Cambridge Declaration is a statement of faith written in 1996 by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, a group of Reformed and Lutheran Evangelicals who were concerned with the state of the Evangelical movement in America, and throughout t ...

.Randall Herbert Balmer, ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism'', Westminster John Knox Press, 2002,
p. 102.
/ref> Signatories included

R. C. Sproul Robert Charles Sproul ( ; February 13, 1939 – December 14, 2017) was an American Reformed theologian, Christian apologist, and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. He was the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, and ...

David F. Wells David Falconer Wells (born May 11, 1939) is Distinguished Senior Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books in which his evangelical theology engages with the modern world. He has taught at Trin ...

, and Michael Horton. The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is headquartered in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

References

External links

* {{Official website 1994 establishments in the United States Evangelical organizations established in the 20th century Evangelical parachurch organizations Christian organizations established in 1994