to go to an online version of the Chicago Call.
Collection 33 [December 2, 2009]
The Chicago Call; 1977
Records; 1974-1978
2 Boxes (DC; 1.0 cubic feet)
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Historical Background
In late 1976, Dr. Robert Webber (Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College) called
together a planning committee consisting of Richard Holt, Donald G. Bloesch, Jan P. Dennis,
Lane T. Dennis, Gerald D. Erickson, Peter E. Gillquist, Thomas Howard and Victor Oliver. The
purpose of the committee was to plan a National Conference of Evangelicals for Historic
Christianity. This group met nine times during December (1976) and January (1977). They
decided that the goal of the conference would be to bring together selected Evangelical leaders to
draft an appeal to fellow Evangelicals which would stress a recovering of the theology and
practice of historic Christianity and to call them to a Christianity truly catholic and Evangelical.
The statement was to be loosely modeled after "The Chicago Declaration," "The Hartford
Appeal," and "The Boston Affirmation," and would be called "The Chicago Call." The
conference was held May 1-3, 1977, at the Cenacle Retreat Center in Warrenville, Illinois, and
was attended by approximately forty-five Evangelical leaders. The participants were broken into
working groups, and each group worked on a particular section of the Call such as: A Call to
Historic Roots and Continuity; A Call to Biblical Fidelity; A Call to Creedal Identity; etc. After
several drafts and revisions, the final form of The Chicago Call was decided upon, and it was
printed for public distribution. The Chicago Call received favorable but limited response from
Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals. A book was published in 1978 by the participants of the
conference.
Scope and Content
[NOTE: In the Scope & Content section, the notation "folder 2-5" means box 2, folder 5.]
This collection constitutes almost all the existing written and printed records of the Chicago Call. Important papers include the detailed minutes of the planning committee and the conference; the correspondence of Robert Webber and Richard Holt (Treasurer) and Peter E. Gillquist, editor of Thomas Nelson, Inc., who published The Orthodox Evangelicals, a book on the meeting, and drafts of each section of The Chicago Call. The sections are: A Call to Historic Roots and Continuity; A Call to Biblical Fidelity; A Call to Creedal Identity; A Call to Holistic Salvation; A Call to Sacramental Integrity; A Call to Spirituality; A Call to Church Authority; and A Call to Church Unity. Also in the collection are drafts of the different chapters of the published book The Orthodox Evangelicals. Items of note in the Webber correspondence are: a negative reaction by Sharm Gallagher to the conference (3/14/77); a statement by Al Glenn on spirituality (4/25/77); a response to the invitation to attend by Henri Nouwen (2/4/1977); and two letters (Donald Bloesch 11/19/76 and Jim Hestrom 12/7/76) written in response to a manuscript sent by Webber; a reaction to Webber's editorial by Dr. E. H. Schludermann (9/6/74). Another item of note is the post-conference report by Robert Webber. Also included are copies of articles in the Newsweek, The Reformed Journal, and the New Oxford Review on the conference and other press reaction. Miscellaneous items include clippings on The Chicago Call, and Bulletin of the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania. The collection includes a copy of The Orthodox Evangelicals. The records are in general chronological order corresponding to the development of the conference.
The material in folder 2-17 concerns the preparation of The Orthodox Evangelicals' chapter, "A Call to Biblical Fidelity." The original draft of this chapter was written by James Daane, Professor of Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. Inasmuch as it dealt extensively with the topic of Biblical inerrancy, it was found unacceptable by the book's publisher, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Daane declined to rewrite the chapter and when the book was published, the chapter on Biblical fidelity was authored by Roger Nicole of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (see folder 2-7).
The folder contains a draft of Daane's chapter (lacking page 1) with annotations by readers, and
correspondence among Daane, Thomas Nelson Inc., and The Orthodox Evangelicals' senior
editor, Robert Webber.
*****
Provenance
The records were given to the Center in December 1977, December 1978 , and 1980 by Robert Webber.
Accession 77-28, 78-47, 80-112
December 19, 1977
Robert Shuster
Abraham Labiano
James Stambaugh
Revised, January 12, 1978
Revised, August 5, 1982
Galen R. Wilson
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE ORTHODOX EVANGELICALS
Preface (page vii)
I. Introduction
II. An Explanation of the Call
Box Folder Description
| The Chicago Call | |||
| 1 | 1 | Minutes of Planning Meetings (Evangelicals for Historic Christianity); 1976-1977 | |
| 1 | 2 | Drafts of Invitations and Copy of Final Printed Invitation; n.d. | |
| 1 | 3 | Second Letter to Participants; n.d. | |
| 1 | 4 | Registration and Arrangement Forms; n.d. | |
| 1 | 5 | Drafts of Program of the Conference; n.d. | |
| 1 | 6 | Packet of Materials given to Each Participant (Robert copy); n.d. | |
| 1 | 7 | Opening Statement to Conference by Robert Webber; n.d. | |
| Minutes | |||
| 1 | 8 | May 2, 1977 meeting | |
| 1 | 9 | May 3, 1977 meeting | |
| Drafts | |||
| 1 | 10 | "Prologue;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 11 | "A Call to Historic Roots and Continuity;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 12 | "A Call to Biblical Fidelity;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 13 | "A Call to Creedal Identity;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 14 | "A Call to Holistic Salvation;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 15 | "A Call to Sacramental Integrity;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 16 | "A Call to Spirituality;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 17 | "A Call to Church Authority;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 18 | "A Call to Church Unity;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 19 | "A Call to Church Authority;" n.d. | |
| 1 | 20 | "A Call to Church Order" and "A Call to Servanthood & Stewardship" (not used in final paper); n.d. | |
| 1 | 21 | Complete The Chicago Call; n.d. | |
| 1 | 22 | Copy of the final printed form of The Chicago Call; n.d. | |
| 1 | 23 | Post Conference Report by Robert Webber; n.d. | |
| Correspondence | |||
| 1 | 24 | Gillquist, Peter E.; November 1976-February 1977 | |
| 1 | 25 | Holt, Richard; February-April, 1977 | |
| 1 | 26 | Webber, Robert; September, 1974 - February, 1978 | |
| 2 | 1 | Financial Records; March-May, 1977 | |
| 2 | 2 | Miscellaneous Papers; February, 1977; n.d. | |
| 2 | 3 | Press Reaction; March-October 1977 | |
| 2 | 4 | Books - The Orthodox Evangelicals; 1978 | |
| Drafts | |||
| 2 | 5 | "Behind the Scenes: A Personal Account by Robert Webber;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 6 | "A Call to Historic Continuity by Richard Lovelace;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 7 | "A Call to Biblical Fidelity by Roger Nicole;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 8 | "A Call to Creedal Identity by Morris Inch;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 9 | "A Call to Holistic Salvation by Lane Dennis;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 10 | "A Call to Sacramental Integrity by Thomas Howard;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 11 | "A Call to Spirituality by Donald Bloesch;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 12 | "A Call to Church Authority by Jon Braun;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 13 | "A Call to Church Unity by F. Burton Nelson;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 14 | "Reservations about Catholic Renewal in Evangelicalism by David Wells;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 15 | "A Roman Catholic Appraisal of The Chicago Call by Benedict T. Viviano, O.P.;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 16 | "An Annotated Bibliography for Further Reading by Jan Dennis;" n.d. | |
| 2 | 17 | Drafts and Correspondence, "A Call to Biblical Fidelity" by James Daane; 1977-1978 | |