It was drafted by members of the Consultation, the Drafting Committee being under the chairmanship of the Rev.
John Stott, who was also responsible for the final editing. In arranging for the publication of this Report and encouraging the study of it, neither the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization nor the World Evangelical Fellowship necessarily endorses every opinion expressed in it.
Evangelicals and evangelism have always been bracketed. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that whenever evangelicals have become concerned about social issues, some eyebrows have been raised, and questions have been asked whether the cause of the gospel is not about to be betrayed.
The history of the ecumenical movement has unfortunately strengthened evangelical suspicions of social involvement. Modern ecumenism was born in the missionary enthusiasm β even euphoria β of the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh. From this high point of commitment to world evangelism, however, there seems to have been a steady decline. The convening by evangelicals of the two Congresses on World Evangelization at Berlin in and at Lausanne in must unfortunately be understood, at least in part, as a loss of confidence in the World Council of Churches.
But then leaders of the World Council have also been justly critical of many of us evangelicals for our lack of social concern. Neither group had intended that these meetings should be juxtaposed in this way, although perhaps it served to highlight the continuing tension. A number of evangelicals attended both conferences and found reasons for hope in both.
