This is a very important book and it also happens to be a very good book, in that it is well written. A special thank you to Michael Wittmer who is a professor of systematic and historical theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (i.e. he is really smart) for writing such a thoughtful and accessible book with doses of wry humor interspersed throughout it.
I had a good chuckle thinking about the Holy Spirit complaining He doesn't get noticed and saying, "Thank-God for the Pentecostals. Without them I'd get no attention" (pp. 51). It is little nuggets like that sprinkled throughout the book that are great.
Wittmer is gracious but clear as he describes certain tendencies among "some" emergent authors which amounts to a serious minimizing of Christian belief. He understands where these authors are coming from and why they are reacting to harmful excesses that have been found among "some" conservative Christians.
But the answer to wrongly held and rigidly defended belief is not to ignore belief nor to say that belief is unimportant,although he shows why it is a natural tendency for many postmoderns to "believe" that belief is no longer important.
Wittmer points out that the two main options have been conservative Christian belief and theologically liberal belief. Some emergent authors like to say they are charting a "third way" or a "middle way." Yet, when I read those authors, if on point after point the answers are much more like theological liberals and very little like conservative thinking, it is not really a third way. I appreciate Wittmer just saying, that this third way is not a third way.
In a very accessible yet substantial way, Wittmer looks at the issues of:
What is the core of the Gospel necessary for salvation? Are people good or bad (the question of sin)? The question of homosexuality and homophobia. Is substitutionary atonement really divine/cosmic child abuse? What is the Kingdom of God and who is a part of it? What about hell? How do we know anything? Is the Bible God's true word? And more stuff like this. (The Nicene Creed is pictured above.)
By the way, for a really nice image of the Nicene Creed, click on the file:
There is some theology and biblical study in this book. There is some philosophical discussion in this book. There is reference to a lot of postmodern authors in this book. Yet, it is all accessible.
I love church history and Wittmer drops delightful examples, illustrations and insights from that history throughout the pages of the book.
It is a very worthwhile contribution to the ongoing conversation about postmodern faith. What is exciting is that postmodern faith is just in its very early stages and this kind of conversation is helpful in shaping what it may look like in years to come.
Get in on the discussion and the conversation. This book is a good stepping stone to do that.
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Here is a short article by Wittmer summarizing many of the points of the book.
Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
