From Pragmatism to Doctrinal Commitment

An Evangelical Megachurch Embraces "Sacrament"

Abstract

Corporate worship is central to Evangelical Christianity. This paper outlines the ways in which and reasons why Church of the Highlands, a prominent Evangelical church in the southeastern United States, has found in “sacrament” a pathway toward deepened theological exploration and renewal of worship, while at the same time encountering significant tension around emphasizing this atypically-Evangelical theological concept. The paper aims to demonstrate how a close reading of a specific Evangelical community can be a means of more effective engagement with Evangelicalism within the academy that avoids overgeneralizations and recognizes the tradition’s diversity.