This week the blog is sponsored by The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, which invites readers to revisit—and rediscover—the call for a modern reformation in today’s Church.
Thirty years ago, a diverse group of evangelical leaders gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, united by a shared concern: that modern evangelicalism was drifting from its theological foundations. What emerged from that pivotal meeting was the Cambridge Declaration—a bold call to recover the historic truths of the Reformation for a new generation. Soon after, those convictions were captured in the influential volume Here We Stand! A Call from Confessing Evangelicals for a Modern Reformation.
Now, three decades later, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals invites readers to revisit—and rediscover—that call.
To mark this anniversary, a newly revised edition of Here We Stand! brings together the original 1996 Cambridge papers alongside fresh reflections on their enduring relevance. Originally edited by James Boice and Ben Sasse, this updated volume features new chapters from Sean Michael Lucas, Carl R. Trueman, and David F. Wells, with an afterword by Michael Horton. Together, these voices bridge the past and the present, showing why the concerns raised in Cambridge are not relics of another era but urgent realities for the Church today.
The list of contributors reflects the depth and breadth of the original movement: James Montgomery Boice, Ervin S. Duggan, Sinclair B. Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, R. Albert Mohler, David Wells, Michael Horton, and Gene Edward Veith. Their collective work represents unity across denominational lines—Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and more—standing together for the authority of Scripture and the Gospel of Grace.
In his afterword, Michael Horton offers a vivid glimpse into that historic gathering. He recalls a “chilly April night” warmed by a remarkable sense of camaraderie and conviction among more than one hundred Evangelical leaders. Despite their differences, there was a surprising and powerful consensus: the church must resist the growing influence of pragmatism, relativism, and doctrinal indifference.
Horton recounts how the Cambridge Declaration itself came together—drafted in a flurry of late-night collaboration, shaped by ongoing discussions, and refined through the shared input of attendees. What made the effort succeed, he explains, was a clear understanding of its purpose. The coalition did not attempt to replace the church or its confessions, but rather to call the Church back to them. The solution to theological drift was not innovation, but recovery: a renewed commitment to Scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, and the glory of God alone.
That same need remains today.
In an age still marked by shifting beliefs and cultural pressures, Here We Stand! serves as both a reminder and a challenge. It reminds us of the clarity and courage of those who came before, and it challenges us to consider where we stand now. Are we rooted in the enduring truths of the Gospel? Are we willing to stand with conviction in our own time?
This revised edition offers more than history—it offers a vision for renewal.
To learn more or purchase your copy, visit ReformedResources.org/HWS and use the code HWS30 for 30% off at checkout.
