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The Keele Congress of 1967: A Paradigm Shift in Anglican Evangelical Attitudes1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2011

Andrew Atherstone
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Abstract

The National Evangelical Anglican Congress which took place at Keele University in April 1967 is widely acknowledged as a major watershed for the evangelical movement in the Church of England. This paper offers a fresh analysis of the event, based on detailed archival research. It argues that there was a decisive attitudinal shift at the congress, driven especially by the younger generation – from piety to policy, conservatism to radicalism, homogeneity to diversity, and exclusivism to ecumenism. It shows how in these four areas the Keele Congress established a new agenda for Anglican evangelicalism, a legacy which still continues today.

Keywords

conservatismecumenismevangelicalismJohn StottKeele Congresspartisanshippietismradicalism
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Anglican Studies , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , 26 September 2011 , pp. 175 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust 2011

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Footnotes

1.

An earlier version of this paper was presented at Stirling University in April 2009 as part of the Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism in Britain Project. I am grateful to Professor David Bebbington for the invitation to speak on that occasion, and to participants for their helpful interactions. I am also grateful to Peter Webster for his comments.

2.

Dr Andrew Atherstone is a tutor in history and doctrine, and Latimer research fellow, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, UK.

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