Author: Collin Hansen, "Don't Call it a Comeback"

Collin Hansen is a contributor to the book on evangelicals called Don't Call it a Comeback."

Why do you call the book "Don't Call It A Comeback"?

It's a bit of a cheeky reference to a song that was big in the 80s, but the idea is that there are a lot of people today saying that we need a new faith, and we need to change things about our tradition, because a lot of things just aren't "believable" anymore.

What is evangelicalism?

Evangelicalism is a vibrant expression of Christian faith today. A lot of people will trace it back to the 1700s and people like George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, etc.

But what we try to show here is that this faith is rooted in Scripture itself, rooted in the early councils that decided things like the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, and all the way through Martin Luther, John Calvin, and up to today.

As you look back, who puts this thing together the best?

I think by God's grace, every Christian figure you look back on in history is a failure in some way. You read about this great men of God, and they all messed up one way or another.

Their teaching was true in that it accorded with Scripture, but they fell short in many ways.
I learned a lot from people like John Wesley, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards. Despite theological differences, they all call you back to the same thing.

I think that's the way the evangelical movement is. We always call people back to the same gospel.

Is today's evangelical church healthy?

I think there are a lot of aspects of it that are very healthy.

It's dangerous when people say, "You have to do this program," or  "You have to shed that doctrine." I think be always wary of people who say your church is gonna fall apart unless you do ____.

The Lord is going to preserve his church. When the Church is in danger, that's when people realize their need for God and go to him for help.

Not many people seem to be striving for sanctification anymore. Is this cause for great concern?

Yes. I think to be truly authentic is to be able to connect with others, and to be open about your life.

But there's not much of an effort to reach for holiness.

I think the goal is to pursue it in t he right manner.

It's when we appreciate Jesus' dying for us, and the same poer that raised Jesus from the daea, it's then when we can receive holiness.

Will the younger generation be able to get excited about the local church?

The key is community. People are longing to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Young people find it in social media, but ultimately that's not a fulfilling sort of community. What we need is that life-on-life, face-to-face interaction with people.
They're turned off a lot by the hypocrisy they see in the Church, but one thing I hope they realize is that the Lord works in us despite all that.

The problem is not everyone else in the local church, the problem is me in the church. I'm a sinner like everyone else.

It's discouraging to see how many are put off by the local church, but I think the community is what will draw people back.