Giants of Church History Help Us Enter a Postmodern Age
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Curtis Chang's Engaging Unbelief: A Captivating Strategy from Augustine and Aquinas seeks to answer the challenges of postmodernism by applying the methodology of two giants in church history.

Chang demonstrates the rhetorical effectiveness of Augustine's City of God (400's A.D.) and Thomas Aquinas' Summa contra Gentiles (1260 A.D.) by showing how each theologian confronts the epochal threat of his generation. Chang outlines their apologetic strategy as follows:
 1. Enter the challenger's story.
 2. Retell the challenge's story.
 3. Capture the story in the wider story of Christianity by exposing the challenging story's "tragic flaw" or inadequacy.

Though Augustine and Aquinas faced different threats (Augustine's was a culture turning hostile to Christianity and Aquinas' was the rapid expansion of Islam), Chang argues that both utilized this method of apologetics. Of course, Chang does not leave us with history alone; he then shows how Christians can confront the arrival of postmodernism the same way.

Chang's book is not an easy read. Even as a student who loves church history, I found some of the historical details unnecessary. It would have been more helpful for Chang to intersperse advice for our current challenges within the biographical chapters, instead of simply bookending those chapters with the practical.

Still, there is much to be commended in Chang's work. He correctly identifies many of the problems of postmodernism, one of the features missing from many in the Emerging Church discussion.

Though he occasionally falls too far into the culture he is trying to reach (Is filmmaking really the key to reaching postmoderns? Is inerrancy a doctrine that can only arise in a modernist context, etc.?), Chang manages to strike a good balance between condemning everything about postmodernism and baptizing postmodernist thought in Christian lingo.

I would love to see a rewrite of this book because the world has changed substantially since it was published in 2000. Our collision with radical Islam on September 11 makes Aquinas' confrontation with Islam all the more compelling. And as our world continues to slip into a post-Christian state (with evangelicals waking up to the fact that there are two kingdoms that should not be confused) we would be wise to take another look at Augustine's testimony.
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One of the most important missional books on incarnational living in this decade.
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In lucid prose, Cardinal Wuerl portrays the "ecumenism of blood" that the martyrs of the past 100 years, by the millions, have left as testimony of their faith, and how their witness has brought Christians together more than the ecumenism of words could ever do. The book is a sweep of history, focusing on the continuity of the martyrs from the earliest centuries of the Church until now, that puts everything into perspective. It could be a primer of history for high school or college students, a framework into which the rest of history could be fitted.
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The Episcopal church in the twentieth century took advantage of the general availability of publishing to good advantage, compiling through several auspices different collections and teaching series, the latest of which was only completed a few years ago.  There have been 'unofficial' collections of teaching texts, such as the Anglican Studies Series by Morehouse press, put out in the 1980s, as well as an earlier teaching series.  However, each generation approaches things anew; the New Church Teaching Series, published by Cowley Publications (a company operated as part of the ministry of the Society of St. John the Evangelist - SSJE - one of the religious/monastic communities in the Episcopal church, based in the Boston area) is the most recent series, and in its thirteen volumes, explores in depth and breadth the theology, history, liturgy, ethics, mission and more of the modern Anglican vision in America.
This third volume, 'Engaging the Word' by Michael Johnston, picks up where second volume leaves off.  Whereas Ferlo in the second volume looks at the Bible as a document in practice and development, Johnston's emphasis is on interpretation and meaning.
The first several chapters of this look at narratives - stories.  How does one tell the story?  What are the important aspects of retelling the story, and of receiving the story?  How do we adapt the story to our own situations and make it our own?  There are key stories in the biblical text - the Abraham cycle, the story of the Exodus, the gospel stories of Jesus - identifying these and the worlds they came from are key steps.  Re-reading to grasp aspects of community is also a critical step - Johnston uses the example of the gospel of John and the Johannine relationship with the more-dominant Jewish culture to show the complexities that can arise.  These first three chapters can be considered strategy sessions.
The next chapters look at methods and uses.  Johnston discusses some of the more recent hermeneutic processes, as well as methods for tying things together to make general sense.  These can then be turned to answering critical questions such as 'Who is God?' and 'Who is Jesus?'  The key purpose to all of this is to build community and find the place of Jesus.  In his epilogue, Johnston focuses upon two particular pieces from the Emmaus text (Luke 24:27 and Luke 24:30-31) that locate Jesus for us; we must also find and form ourselves in process with these.
Anglicanism is sometimes accused of not taking the Bible seriously.  Nothing could be further from the truth, as this text will indicate.  The Anglican church requires no particular hermeneutical framework, nor any particular translation of the text to be used.  However, this freedom is accompanied by the longer traditions of the church that give respect and authority to certain kinds of interpretation over others.
Michael Johnston is an Episcopal priest who has taught Bible study and classes in lots of parish groups.  He has also taught at Seabury-Western (the Episcopal seminary in Chicago) and his diocese's school for deacons.
Each of the texts is relatively short (only two of the volumes exceed 200 pages), the print and text of each easy to read, designed not for scholars but for the regular church-goer, but not condescending either - the authors operate on the assumption that the readers are genuinely interested in deepening their faith and practice.  Each volume concludes with questions for use in discussion group settings, and with annotated lists of further readings recommended.
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The Divine Drama is an example of the postmodernism process.  In other words, there is a new mindset today that is gaining ground in our culture, and it is one of less statistics and more stories.  Many today do not want to be told that two plus two equals four; rather, they want to hold in their hands a grape, an apple, a pear, and an orange and have someone explain in story form how these items together come to the number four. Stories are replacing science, and fiction, too often, replaces facts.  Kurt Bruner, however, does not lose the facts of the gospel in this book, and for that I am grateful.  However, he has used the postmodern process to say what great theologians and apologists have been saying for years: however, they have used propositional truths to accomplish the same goal.  We are in a day when this sort of "postmodernism story telling" is necessary to reach a certain segment of people.  So, let's use it. Though I would certainly not put this work in the category of a C. S. Lewis, it is a fair product of the story-telling genre for those who like that sort of thing.
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Spong's book is a challenge to his readers, and a challenge to the church as a whole to apply hermeneutic principles to the church itself.  Can Christianity revitalize itself and respeak its ancient truths in ways that  are meaningful to the postmodern culture of the present age?  If not, Spong  insists that it will pass into oblivion.  The "god of the gaps"  is dead, and in place of this idol, the church has an opportunity to  re-enshrine the God of all creation.  A "must-read" for any  serious Christian of the sacramental traditions.
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An alternate sub-title for this book could be: "Leaving Supernatural Beliefs Behind."  Caught in the Pulpit should be widely read for the issues it raises about the roles of the clergy and the future of churches in an increasingly secular, pluralistic society.  Its major value is in stimulating the kinds of conversations that need to be ongoing among believers, non-believers, atheists, humanists, Christians, adherents of the world's religions, and all those who care about creating a humane world for all peoples.  The authors describe many kinds of faith and unfaith, focusing on both 1) clergy who struggle to maintain their integrity in institutions that are changing and who are supported by their members even when their understandings differ; and 2) churches that are evolving in a cultural context that no longer provides a "sacred canopy" to support their world views. (Full disclosure: I was "Rick," one of the original five "subjects" in the study in 2010; I was an "outlier" who never felt "caught").
  Neither clergy nor religious communities have a clear blueprint for how to adapt.  The authors prescribe strong doses of honesty, but they do not provide many positive or practical suggestions for moving beyond the ancient "atheist versus theist" debates, or how churches as social institutions might be helped to change.  But they do give an inside glimpse into some of the problems that must be confronted if religious communities and their leaders are to evolve into cultural movements capable of continuing to contribute to creative human transformation and ecological flourishing.
  Dennett and LaScola persuasively describe the discomfort of clergy who can no longer affirm "acceptable" orthodoxy.  They also consider the potential evolutionary extinction of churches.  They wonder whether removing supernatural elements from beliefs about God, the Bible, Jesus, creeds, and doctrines might help churches evolve into more relevant social movements in our increasingly secular scientific culture.
  While the purpose of the study was to raise questions, I wish they could have done more to identify already existing non-supernatural ways to interpret and re-construct religions that honor the humane values that non-believers and believers alike can affirm.  Some theologians, biblical scholars, church bodies, and progressive clergy are contributing to these efforts of reimagining, drawing on the core historical principle of many churches: "reformed and always reforming."
  Yet the authors are correct in their assessment that while many liberal and evangelical churches have made significant contributions to ethical discourse, social justice, human rights, and equality for gays, women, and racial/ethnic communities, most of them have not updated their statements of faith to reflect our modern scientific world view (which, it must be admitted, has itself not been free from violence, war, repression and bloody conflict).  Finally, the book leaves open the question of whether the churches will evolve or die.  That may be partly up to courageous clergy like those in this study, to the religious communities which formed them, and to whether there can be cooperation between them and the emerging communities of humanists and freethinkers that are evolving alongside them.
  -Mark Rutledge
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In the same way that I used to lovingly tell my sons bedtime stories about our family of origin to help them proudly appreciate and more fully love their ancestors, Marcellino D'Ambrosio offers us the story of our Fathers, the master builders of the Church instituted by Jesus Christ. With rich historical context that is at once comprehensive and highly readable, When the Church Was Young is the perfect primer for any Christian. Revisit history, place worship into context and better understand the roots of the Church you love with this wonderful new resource from a trusted scripture scholar.
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Brian McLaren calls himself "post-Protestant" and others have talked about our society as "post-Christian."  I identify as "post-postmodern" and "post-emerging."  There was a time of several years that, while terribly discouraged with the state of the evangelical church as I understood it, I was definitely in the emergent camp.  My book shelves are still replete with the ruins of that time: books by McLaren, Marcus Borg, Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, Shane Claiborne.  They testify to a time when I was searching.

My time in the emergent church felt like being one of the great explorers who left Europe looking for the New World.  My convictions told me that something was desperately wrong in the church in America, and I was determined to find a solution.  What was surprising was this: that the further I traveled the more lost I became.  The more I ventured into the emerging identity, the less I used the Bible as my guide.  And less than 2 years ago, my ship ran aground.  As G K Chesterton put it, I set out to discover a new land and when I spotted my destination, I realized that it was none other than orthodoxy.

In his book Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications, DA Carson even-handedly critiques the perspective, sharing both strengths and weaknesses in how they handle issues like truth, salvation, modern and postmodern culture, and the future.  It was for me like reading my ship's log; league by league of the life I lived over the past decade.  It cheers me to have that perspective, empathy, and compassion for those who have also taken that journey, especially those who are still out to sea.  Carson gives a great treatment on not only what to be warned of, but also how to set up lighthouses to call these ships into dock.
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This is truly a great book for those who want a concise history of the development of Western Theology. What makes it truly outstanding is that it's not just a history lesson, but it explains the discussion's implications/relevancy for contemporary theology. You won't need to be an expert to follow the discussion (though some knowledge of church history might be helpful, though not necessary).

As an evangelical, I have been rather frustrated with evangelicalism's view of salvation as simply a door into heaven. It has left me despairing of relevancy considering the fact that I'm not in heaven yet but still living in the here and now. This book explains how much of traditional Christian theology (including evangelicalism but also Catholicism and liberal Protestantism) is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and theology originally based on Tertullian's legalistic theology (what the author calls type A theology: the Bible is a set of laws to be obeyed). This theology has been mixed with Augustine's Neo-Platonism (type B theology) resulting in the theology dominant in the West:a theology that interprets Scripture as a set of fixed, universal truths that need to be followed. God is the Judge that will punish any deviation herefrom.

But the author shows that there was an early theology, originally from Syria and probably closest to the tradition of the New Testament. The author calls it type C theology and considers Irenaeus its main exponent. This type of theology has disappeared due to social and political circumstances. But it's a theology that considers the Christian faith not a set of rules to be obeyed, but God's active participation in the history of mankind. In this theology history is the stage where His purposes will unfold, where His kingdom of justice will be established. This Christianity is not just relevant for the individual Christian who wants to "change his bad behavior" but for the whole Christian community fighting evil in all its forms and manifestations (including society's). And thank God this theology is experiencing a revival thanks to the end of modernity, the fight for social justice (for blacks, women, the poor) and the resurgence of the younger churches from the Third World (and I'm a woman from the Third World).

Anyways, a book that has made me think extensively and is helping me free myself from more traditional theology that IMHO has immasculated much of the liberating, earth-shaking, life-transforming, yes, even politically subversive elements of the gospel.
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George Barna, in this short, well-written volume, challenges what it means for Christians to be the church in the 21st century. The upshot is that most of the exciting work of the Body of Christ is taking place outside the walls of churches, and more and more sold-out Christians are finding that a local congregation doesn't support their quest to know God and make Him known. This should be required reading by pastors everywhere.
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George Hunter turns to the past to confront contemporary Christians with a clarion call to salvage Christianity in 21st-century America.  In a brief work he outlines the techniques utilized by Saint Patrick to spread the gospel of Christ to the Irish, and then the manner in which the Irish descendants used quite similar methods to inform and convert numerous pagan tribes throughout modern-day Scotland and England.  He shows how these same techniques can and should be used to witness to the increasingly secular, unchurched population of the United States, which might nominally be Christian, but realistically has become syncretized with pop culture and pantheism.  A worthwhile read if for no other reason than to make you ponder this current situation.
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Examining the thunderous changes that have beset our world as it moved from the traditional to the modern and now to the post modern, the author identifies nine areas in which the church must transform to meet those cultural and paradigm changes.  He goes on to examine the implications of these changes for church leadership.  Along the way, we are constantly reminded of the outlook of the up and coming Generation X, for if we fail to reach that generation, we will have come one step closer to the extinction of the church.

Barna is quoted as noting that, even in the case of the baby boomers, 24% of those who consider themselves Christians do not attend a church on even a once a month basis.  Though a number of factors are suggested for this decline, one particular notable observation was that people are not looking so much for worship that is relevant as they are for worship that is real (Page 155).

Wonderfully relevant as next week's newspaper, Gibbs brings out principles that are applicable for both the large and the small church and even for personal living as he points out the many ways we have been influenced by modernity and post modernity.  We live in an increasingly post literary age; one that is oriented toward the visual.  This means that we must learn to speak the language of our culture, not only in words, but in ways that communicates through that visual medium.

A particularly telling point is made regarding the course of future seminary education:  The issue is not whether theology per se is important, but what kind of theology.  It must be theological training that provides the skills to apply the biblical texts to contemporary situations (Page 99).

Gibbs calls us to develop an apostolic mindset in the way we do ministry and in our making of disciples as a lifelong process.  This involves having a vision of people-centered ministry that decentralizes control and utilizes networking to get people involved in ministry that changes from an inviting to an infiltrating mindset.

In describing a return to Celtic Christianity, the author describes the emphasis of life as a journey and how such Christians see themselves as hospites mundi, guests of the world.  Emphasis is placed on the going rather than on arriving at one's destination at some holy place, believing that "Is shall not find Christ at the end of the journey unless he accompanies me along the way." (Page 137).
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The language of systems theory applied to the Church is the common language of the clergy. We frequently cite terms like `triangle' while noting the need for a `non-anxious presence' among `anxious, undifferentiated' parishioners whose `over functioning' is a sign of their `enmeshment.' We nod in general agreement (at least among ourselves in clergy support groups) that `self differentiation' is the response to the `undifferentiated ego mass' that is the local congregation. This is in large part due to the theories of Murray Bowen and his students, particularly the brilliant Rabbi Edwin Friedmann whose book Generation to Generation introduced a generation of clergy to a new way of the church as a biological system that required particular pastoral practice to be healthy. We now have a vast company of clergy laboring to be non-anxious, self-differentiated leaders who are unfamiliar with the deep sources of pastoral wisdom that guided the Church for centuries. One has to admit that the result is a mixed bag if not worse. The New York Times (August 2010) reported on the large numbers of clergy experiencing signs of poor health including obesity, depression, sexual addiction, loneliness and burnout. Gregory Jones countered, citing a survey that indicated the large number of pastors who are satisfied with their vocation and find joy in it. (Pulpit and Pew) Denominational executives will tell you the number of congregations in survival mode that likely to close within the decade. Still there are pastoral leaders among these congregations who are called to be shepherds who need more than therapeutic language and clever techniques to feed the flock for congregational vitality in the 21st century. Christopher Beeley, an experienced Episcopal parish priest who teaches at Yale Divinity School, beckons clergy to attend to the theology and practice of early church pastors. Ironically while some are steadily inventing theory and practice to guide the "emerging" Church, Beeley encourages a radical turn to the past tradition as a way into the future. Drawing upon the teaching of Augustine, Ambrose and Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory the Great, John Cassian and John Chrysostom, he brings to light essential pastoral practices that were laser-focused on teaching the faith to their congregations and providing pastoral care for the "health of the whole person." He writes, "At the end of the day, and at the end of a lifetime of ministry, the only thing that matters is whether we have made the love of God and the spiritual growth of our people the top priority." Beeley is a sure guide and a good writer reminding pastors, and other church leaders, that the essential purpose of the pastoral vocation is to shepherd the flock and ensure the sure and certain knowledge of God. He addresses teaching and preaching, pastoral counsel, spirituality and church leadership all from the perspective of these ancient guides whose wisdom continues to speak to the Church in the midst of change. "Weak leadership does not promote vital lay ministry; it compromises the health of the entire body by failing to provide the laity with the basic spiritual guidance they need to be effective leaders themselves." Reading this book one is reminded of other classics such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Spiritual Care or Eugene Peterson's Working the Angles. Here is food for every pastor and church leader.
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After returning to the Lord after a 23-year absence I was very surprised to see how much the church in America has changed. Taking the place of a dwindling number of traditional churches are now seeker/purpose-driven churches and emergent churches. What's all this about?

In this book, evangelical theologian and minister, David Wells, takes aim at the seeker and emergent models. Seeker churches use the latest marketing tools and technology to draw visitors. Content and format are overtly culture-friendly while preaching and doctrine are decidedly on the light side. Emergent churches use the Bible as a starting point to a self-discovery "narrative" which suggests truth/s rather than declares it. Emergents are so culture-friendly they've adopted much of the relativism that surrounds us in this post-modern era. In both types the vital distinctives of evangelical Protestantism - the Five Solas - are being compromised or dismissed altogether.

Wells is extremely critical of both movements and supports a return to the traditional church/worship model. I cautiously recommend this book to those interested in learning more about the seeker and emergent models and how they compare to the traditional church but be forewarned that the theology gets VERY heavy. It's definitely not a breezy read for the beach.

My opinion? I'll take some traditional hymn singing and the pastor preaching from the pulpit in a suit every Sunday but it looks like those days are fading fast. However, I'm grateful just to have a church to go to where the Bible is preached without compromise. They seem to be getting harder to find. But it is a little disconcerting to see how pastors' obligatory Sunday outfit de rigueur is now jeans, sneakers, and a flannel shirt.
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Doug's new book is vintage Emergent: great stories, insightful ideas, challenging claims, a fresh outlook at ancient issues etc.  If you enjoy the writings of Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, and others in the emergent conversation, you will love this book, as I did.  It is insightful, well written, and refreshing.  If you don't like to be challenged and to rethink ideas of faith, you may be less impressed.

The great thing about A Christianity Worth Believing is how Doug challenges the interpretation of certain ideas throughout the ages, particularly the Greek influences on early Christianity that we have codified into our own religion.  He asks: "Is it necessary to convert to a particular worldview in order to hold the Christian faith? Or in this case, does a person have to be a fifth - century Augustinian in order to be a follower of Jesus? The answer, of course, is no...I believe that it is the tradition of our faith to constantly renew, rethink, and reformulate our ideas about what it means to follow God" (pg 49).  His exploration of this theme and the questions that follow are worth the price of the book alone.

The first eight chapters or so are Doug sharing personal stories from his own conversion as well as a critique of modern Christianity (it is more than that, but I'm being general). The rest of the book presents new ways of looking at some age old thinking in the Christian movement. Doug challenges long held metaphors and offers some new ones on topics like sin, humanity, the Bible and others.

Those wanting a challenging read full of great stories and a postmodern perspective on following Jesus will not be disappointed in A Christianity Worth Believing.
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This is a difficult book to review, particularly because I've not finished it. It represents the classical Medieval style of biblical commentary structured on a tripartite view of the "historical, allegorical, and moral" meaning in each passage under consideration. The historical commentary is arguably somewhat limited by today's standards since the Medieval scholars didn't have access to the kind of archaeological or data-processing tools we have today; however, St. Gregory's profound and expansive knowledge of Scripture and tradition often reveal fascinating details about people and places which aren't readily available elsewhere or widely known. The allegorical and moral commentaries are sometimes so far-fetched as to be almost comical, leading this reader to suspect that St. Gregory was at times challenging himself to see how far he could string out his allegories. He often provides some very insightful and well-grounded moral or spiritual advice, undiluted by any hint of postmodern sappiness, of course. I find his style refreshing for this reason. The book is huge, however. I would be surprised if more than a handful of dedicated modern scholars have ever finished it. Overally, I think the Moralia on Job is most valuable for giving the reader an intimate appreciate for how the Medieval Church approached their faith, often leading to striking and instructive contrasts with the way in which modern Christians do so.