The Futures of Evangelicalism (pt 1)

I have agreed to do a book review for a webring I participate in with Biblical Ministries Worldwide.  The book is The Futures of Evangelicalism: Issues and Prospects (Kregel, 2003) ed. by Craig Bartholomew, Robin Parry, and Andrew West.  I will break the review into posts on individual chapters as they are topical and distinct from one another.  The first chapter is Theology and the Futures of Evangelicalism by Alister E. McGrath. 

McGrath begins the chapter by noting the general hostility Christian culture has to the academic pursuit of theology.  He believes there are two main reasons. 

First, theology is marginalized because the Christian community tends to embrace the pragmatic and utilitarian before the philosophical and reflective.  Especially in America, there is a love for the practical that eclipses the theoretical.  McGrath illustrates the point by noting the emphasis a megachurch will place on pastoral technique versus theology.  He also references an interesting phenomenon in minister's libraries--a cut-off point when pastors stop buying theological works and start buying practical "how to" books; their brain dies.

Second, theology is little esteemed because of the perceived elitism of academic theology.  The theologians speak a different language and have a separate agenda.  McGrath remembers a prof he experienced in seminary who referenced spending time with little old ladies over tea in parish ministry.  McGrath said that when the man completed his absolutely irrelevant lecture, the students wished he had spent more time sipping tea with the little old ladies.  He says, "It was after that lecture I decided that I did not want to be a theologian, and would go into parish ministry as a corrective to my academic tendencies." 

Next McGrath takes up the topic of evangelicalism and theology.  The unique, and in some places despised, contribution of evangelical theology is its insistence on the centrality of scripture to the theologian's task.  Christian theology is subservient to scripture; it is shaped and reshaped by scripture.  Though evangelicalism has been regarded as anti-intellectual in the past, it has gained ground since the Second World War, and demonstrated a balance between the academy and the faith community.  Nevertheless, McGrath still believes a large segment of the evangelical community is ambivalent toward sustained theological engagement.  He lists four reasons:

First, the lingering influence of fundamentalism:  McGrath believes the initial fundamentalists of the 1920's divorced a generation from scholarly work by refusing any kind of cultural engagement.  In an over-reaching comparison, he likens the experience to the "Cultural Revolution" in the People's Republic of China. 

Second, a pragmatic approach to theology and church life:  Returning to a theme mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, McGrath laments the therapeutic culture of much of North American evangelicalism.  The church has yielded wholly to pragmatism and utilitarianism in pastoral and evangelistic methodology.  He notes the work of David Wells (No Place for Truth) in documenting this decline.  He also believes that theology itself must demonstrate its own relevance to the faith community.  This will only happen with a revival of sorts in evangelicalism itself.  The result of a deeper evangelicalism will be a more sustained theology.  "A vibrant tradition of theological reflection is the outcome, rather than the cause, of a dynamic community of faith."  For McGrath, evidence of this life is evangelistic activism, the vigorous pursuit of sustainable spiritualities, and an increased engagement with social and political issues."

Third, the elitism of academic theology:  The evangelical theologian is suspicious of a secular academy with a decidedly anti-Christian worldview that considers him to be naive.  The profession of learning is no longer identified with wisdom and personal integrity; therefore, the evangelical does not bow to the authority, so-called, of the secular academy.  Contrary to the academic theologian, the evangelical theologian stands within his community, and serves his community from the inside.  He is not over, or outside of, the church.  He serves the needs and life of the church.  This is distinct from the theological elite who grace their ivory towers in detached contempt from the realities of everyday life. 

Fourth, evangelical theology is rooted in popular piety:  Though McGrath praises the ability of evangelicalism to speak to the ordinary, he is concerned that evangelicalism will leave its theological roots for the shallow waters of populism.  Only the deep roots of the historic Christian faith will provide an appropriate anchor to span the generations.  Too many small ideas are being pitched with each successive generation.  McGrath says, "Given both the widespread contempt for the concern of ordinary Christians by academic theologians and the shallowness of populist theology, evangelicalism would do well to encourage the emergence of sustained serious theological reflection from a committed standpoint within the Christian community, and see the theologians as believers who think for themselves and for others within the community of faith."  He believes John R. W. Stott is an excellent model for this kind of theologian who comes from within the church and earns a place of authority based on who he is, rather than how he is credentialed.  "The best intellectuals may exist and operate outside of the academy!"

Finally, McGrath takes up the benefits of theology for evangelicalism.  He lists three:

(1) Theology enhances our appreciation of our faith (e.g. a rich, trinitarian theology), (2) theology helps us to engage our emotions responsibly (e.g. Isaac Watt's hymnody), and (3) theology enables us to behave appropriately (e.g. Jonathan Edward's sermon The Christian Pilgrim).   

Conclusion:  This chapter was not what I initially expected.  I was looking for an analysis of the theological challenges facing evangelicalism at the dawn of this millennium (e.g. open theism, postmodernism, hermeneutics, etc).  Instead, McGrath is more interested in outlining practical ways for theology to serve the evangelical community and leap over a couple of the barriers he perceives as obstacles to that reality.  The chapter serves as a good reminder of the "isms" that seek to snuff out good theology, of the centrality of theology to nurturing faith in a pastoral setting, and also of the need for theologians to work from within the church.  As pastors, we must be certain our libraries do not contain that tell-tale line of demarcation that indicates our brain died and we stopped doing theology.   

Comments

[Donald C S Johnson]

Jon,

McGrath is a very interesting character. I believe he was closely associated with J. I. Packer at one point. See Iain Murray's Evangelicalism Divided for several comments: p. 47 n, 88, 115, 118, 126-7, 130, 174, 195-9, 220, 222, 247, 252, 278 n, 280, 284. Murray's comments tend to cast him in a negative light.

However, I do have a book by McGrath on the translation of the KJV, In the Beginning. It is very readable and quite good, I think.

The last thing that I thought I would comment on here is from your summation of the benefits of theology, according to McGrath:

(2) theology helps us to engage our emotions responsibly (e.g. Isaac Watts hymnody)

Didn't Watts have problems with the Trinity? Interesting that McGrath would use him as an example.

I assume this book you are reviewing is a collection of essays, rather than a work by a single author? Interesting start, I'd say.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

[Joel]

It seems you're saying, Jon, that McGrath is giving pragmatic reasons for escaping from pragmatic religion toward something more responsible. Is this right? Does he ever advocate theology for the sake of God who is the object of this knowledge, who is glorious for his own sake (and perhaps this is beyond the scope of his essay)?

[jon]

Don,

I believe that McGrath is more ecumenical and casts Packer in the best of lights; however, I have enjoyed reading a number of his works: A Life of John Calvin, Reformation Thought, A Passion for Truth, In the Beginning, etc. He is a prolific writer and thorough scholar.

Joel,

You have put some of my thoughts into words...I thought the essay, given the topic, word be much more expansive and compelling, but perhaps this was not his intention or it just didn't receive the time needed. It seems like he aimed it at the evangelical community by being more evangelical.

[Donald C S Johnson]

Hi Jon, yes, I think McGrath is a great writer. Very easy to read in addition to being thoroughly scholarly. I'll have to watch for some of those other titles.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3