Evangelical Alliance


The Evangelical Alliance is an evangelical Christian organisation based in the UK. Founded in 1846, the activities of the EA aim to promote evangelical Christian beliefs in government, media and society. The EA is based in London, with offices in Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.

History

The Evangelical Alliance was founded in 1846 by Ridley Haim Herschell, Rev. Edward Steane - a Baptist pastor from Camberwell - John Henderson and Sir Culling Eardley, 3rd Baronet. Eardley became the organisation's first chairperson, leading the Alliance in its various campaigns for religious freedom; in 1852, Eardley campaigned on behalf of the Tuscan prisoners of conscience Francesco Madiai and Rosa Madiai, who had been imprisoned for their Protestant faith.

Overview

The Evangelical Alliance works across 79 different denominations of Christianity, 750 organisations, and has 3,300 member churches. It is also includes and is linked to a number of separate Christian organisations, such as the World Evangelical Alliance - of which it was a founding member - Tearfund, an organisation originally established by the Alliance, and the World Council of Churches, after it announced plans for closer co-operation in January 2015. Other member organisations of the EA include Hope 08, Fusion and Serving In Mission.
The Evangelical Alliance's CEO is Gavin Calver, replacing Steve Clifford in July 2019. Peter Lynas is the Alliance's UK Director, with Fred Drummond acting as Director of Scotland and Siân Rees as Director of Wales. A number of Members of Parliament are associated with the Alliance, mainly through the Conservative Party; Conservative MP and former Conservative Party leadership candidate Stephen Crabb is associated with the Alliance through Gweini, and Conservative MP Stuart Anderson is associated with the Alliance through the Freedom Church. Conservative MP for Congleton Fiona Bruce is a member of the Evangelical Alliance; in 2010, Bruce faced accusations that the Alliance had assisted her in winning the seat of Congleton in the 2010 general election.

Positions

The Evangelical Alliance has historically supported ecumenism - the principle of unity between different church doctrines - with the Roman Catholic Church, an approach criticised by some as in direct contradiction to the beliefs of the Alliance's founders. In 2019, the Alliance supported the 'Thy Kingdom Come' initiative - an event organised by the Archbishops of York and Canterbury to bring more people to Christianity through a sustained period of prayer from the dates of the Feast of the Ascension to Pentecost annually. The Alliance is openly opposed to homosexuality and same-sex relationships, preaching sexual abstinence for those with same-sex attractions, with membership for openly lesbian and gay people open only to those who "come to see the need to be transformed" from their same-sex attraction.