A Theology as Big as the City

Ray Bakke is a biblical theologian whose passion for history makes a wonderful combination for those serving or studying urban ministry. Having been a student of Dr. Bakke while in Chicago I can tell you that his sage advice and insights will stick with you and give you the kind of vision that is trans formative. This book is full of wonderful true stories and a theology that is both biblical and born of blood and sweat. God is working out a grand salvation story, and cities and their people are loved by God. In my estimate, Dr. Bakke offers great hope for those battling in the trenches of urban ministry, his vision is Christ-centered. - Dr. Scott Arnold (Flint School of Urban Ministry)

Ray Bakke writes with passion and gives insight into how we should reach our cities. His personal experience of being a Pastor in the city shapes his Theology and gives us an insight on how we should minister and reach the cities for God. Read it and you will be both challenged and hopefully enthusiastic about being a Pastor in the city.

This book is a great tool to add to the reading selection of any Urban worker. It gives time and thought to the issues of reconciling theology to inner city life. It wrestles with the American church health and wealth theology verses the realities of the inner city church. Good for missionaries as well.

Following his graduation from Moody Bible Institute, Ray Bakke found himself propelled from "rural Washington to inner-city Chicago". This book traces his journey, and combines his experience of the city -- Chicago in particular -- with his own theological reflection. The end product is an unusual mix -- yet it works. Being an inner-city minister myself, I felt that Bakke deeply understands ministry in the city. The city, considers Bakke, is no bad place. It is not the case that "all cities are evil". Rather, a city might be described as a "magnificent ruin'". It is a ruin on account of its being "sin-scarred", yet it is magnificent for the reason that, in the city, "there have been ministries of such splendor and significance". This having been said, city ministry is not merely about human activity, as so many theologies would seem to imply. Above all, it is about "our God as One who engages in external-world activity". The city is the story of "God's surprising interventions". "I acknowledge Scripture to be the final test", writes Bakke. With this in mind, he considers that there are two distinct "spiritualities" in the Bible -- both evangelism and social engagement. Therefore "what God has brought together, let no one put asunder". The righteous, he writes, "are called to be both salt and light . . . the twin vocations of the Christian". He broadly surveys the theology of Scripture, its example, and the example of Church history, to make what would seem to be a strong case for the Christian's twofold calling. He considers that this is, on the whole, "beneficial to the security and salvation of individual persons". A modern city, writes Bakke, will typically contain many ethnicities. He approaches the subject from the point of view that God makes loving and providential use of ethnicity to proclaim salvation to the world. One need only think of Pentecost, or the prophets and teachers at Antioch (Acts 13:1). He suggests modern examples, and further welcomes the influx to Western cities of many who belong to "the Orthodox family of Churches". He comments: "Isn't it amazingly gracious of our God to bring our ancient Christian leaders to be side by side with us in Western cities . . . ?" We can be greatly enriched through them. "Over 50% of people on the planet", notes Bakke, will by now live in cities. For this reason, it is crucial to develop an appropriate attitude towards ministry in the city. In this, I feel that he succeeded. This was a warm-hearted and refreshing book. My sentiment on completing it is: "Thank God for Ray Bakke." He has surely done city ministry a great service. My only question is why this book should not yet have reached a Second Edition.

The church must learn to minister in an increasingly urban world. Recruitment and motivation for this task involves theologically based worldview change. Bakke renders an important contribution in contextualizing biblical theology to the urban context. His is not a literalist biblical hermeneutic; instead Bakke models theological reflection, bringing to the text questions raised by his own unique traditions and social context (Bakke 1997:29). Insofar as this context is an urban one largely abandoned by much of the Evangelical community and insufficiently explored theologically, he renders a great service. The Trinity doctrine forms the proper foundation for urban ministry: "God lives in community and works in partnership for both the creation and the redemption of the world." Modern cities are marked by economic classism and social stratification which are the same injustices for which ancient Sodom was judged. Yet because "God's hands are in the mud" and actively involved with both redemption and re-creation even the most corrupt of cities is eminently redeemable. Bakke believes a principle from Nehemiah, the relocation of a "tithe" of godly people into the urban context would have a profound preservative and regenerative effect on cities. Even the weak, imprisoned and powerless faithful in remarkably small numbers have often transformed entire cities. The task of urban ministry must be viewed soberly yet hopefully. Bakke provides an important antidote to the predominant causes of attrition among urban workers: burnout and compassion fatigue.Proclamation remains at the center of urban evangelism but the gospel's social implications must be fulfilled. Bakke gently and insightfully exposes the inconsistency of a well-meaning suburbanite's criticism of a "social gospel" on the basis that primarily social criteria had been the grounds upon which the suburbs were chosen as his neighborhood. The city's urbanizing influence cannot be avoided by living extramurally. Moreover, the physical presence of godly people within a city is essential for confronting its strongholds.Bakke demonstrates that mission has been brought near to us through urbanization but urges readers to take the final incarnational step of engaging urban contexts theologically and diaconally. In response, missiology must increasingly support cross-cultural ministries in the pluralistic urban context. The church must increasingly adapt its forms in response to 24/7 urban pluralism. Our hermeneutic historically has reflected a rural, agrarian or even anti-urban bias (Bakke 1997:14) but now theology must grapple with an increasingly urban world context. An urban theology should take into account God's concern for places as well as people. Bakke will motivate many suburbanite and rural Christian readers to emulate the Christ of Philippians 2, by practicing "downward social mobility" (Bakke 1997:46) as they establish a righteous witness in an often corrupt urban community. If urban ministry