Somewhat ironically, in shooting for sensational worship, Evangelicalism tends to miss the ordinary Christian life. In short, being “on fire for Jesus” is different than dying to self and living unto God. The truth is, fires eventually burn out. 

Reformed theology and practice entails many different attitudes, beliefs and practices relative to Evangelicalism. In that respect the two faith communities can seem like different religions with respect to feel, creed and application.

Highlighted below are some basic principles that distinguish Evangelicalism from the Reformed faith. Those differences are rooted primarily in how the two branches of Christianity view the church, her creeds and Reformed confessions.

Worship Innovation:

Within Evangelicalism there is little regard for how the church fits into the historic Christian landscape. Consequently, Evangelicalism pairs nicely with nondenominational churches that are not bound by Protestant confessions and catechisms. Given such ecclesiastical latitude, downstream from doctrinal independence is an absence of the church’s historical liturgies, unregulated worship, a minimalist view of the sacraments, and traditionally a more revivalistic feel on Sunday mornings.

Trinitarian Worship:

In sharp contrast to Evangelicalism is the Reformed tradition, which does not see itself as lopped off from its historic catholic roots. The Reformed self-consciously identify with the creeds of the historic Christian church that confess the Holy Trinity with particular emphasis on the Son of God. Front and center in Reformed congregational worship are publicly confessed doctrines that are no less mind engaging as they are soul-stirring. With regularity the saints confess and worship God according to the one divine essence and eternal origin of divine persons: the unbegottenness of the Father, eternal generation of the Son, and procession of the Holy Ghost. Moreover, it is not uncommon in Reformed worship for a trinitarian creed to be bookended by praising the ontological Trinity:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.

Tritheism and Modalism:

In stark contrast to Reformed practice we have broad tent Evangelicalism, within which the triune God is rarely formally confessed, let alone with any conscious solidarity with the communion of saints and early church. Apropos, within Evangelicalism reciting a trinitarian creed in congregational worship would be a peculiar occurrence. Yet the creeds, when attended to with pious reflection, are designed not only to lift our hearts up to the Lord, but to provide protective solidarity with Christ’s church throughout the ages. Sadly, an unintended consequence of not attending even to this one catholic tradition of congregational creedal reflection is theological vulnerability. The fallout from being less than intentional with trinitarian reflection is pervasively evidenced by preaching that misses the inseparable operations of the Trinity and extemporaneous pastoral invocations that slide in and out of tritheism and modalism rather than addressing the triune God through the Son by the Spirit. (The latter is not an uncommon occurrence in the PCA.)

Doctrine Ex Nihilo:

Even when church websites within Evangelicalism borrow from the historic Christian church to define critical evangelical doctrine (e.g., Christology and Justification) the theology is usually deficient and without reference to any historical creed or Reformed confession. It’s as though the “fundamentals of the faith” were directly yet separately revealed to each independent church as opposed to debated and formulated by the one holy, catholic and apostolic church. At the very least, there is scarce recognition and appreciation of God’s providential care over early church councils and the Reformed doctrinal standards produced by the sixteenth and seventeenth century church. God’s mighty works performed through the church that culminated with the Reformed tradition is not relevant enough to mention, let alone study, in a twenty-first century context.

“No Creed But Jesus”:

Ecclesiastical instability comes from doctrine needing to become more loosely defined or watered down in order to allow for differences of opinion and inclusiveness within the church. Reformed types are painfully aware that what accompanies a shift toward simplistic doctrine is a replacement of what truly unites Christians. The historic emphasis on a common confession of faith, trinitarian baptism and holy communion has been largely replaced by personal testimony and conversion experience. Consequently, fellowship becomes more about sharing in a common emotional encounter than basking in a living spiritual connection over objective truth that is signed, sealed and improved upon through God’s ordinances. (John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 12:13; Ephesians 4:5,6)

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