Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World

I enjoyed Robert Webber's book and have enjoyed hearing him speak as well. At a recent speaking engagement he echoed my own concern over the "fate" of the church in America. So much "commodification" has happened in the church that one wonders if anyone knows what it truly means to be "ecclesia"? Although I agree with much of what he says and am part of a liturgical church (The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod which utilizes the church calendar and has had a strong emphasis on liturgy - - - the church body which Webber received his doctorate from), my question is are we truly called to "change" the church in order to meet the people where they are at? I agree with his assessments yet I question the reasonings behind doing it. Do we begin to emphasize certain things to the demise of others, just because the culture would be more "prone" to come to the church? Or does the church remain faithful to its calling despite the changing tides of culture? Our self-centered culture always asks the question "What does this mean for me?", and this has been a active question in the church for sometime. I believe the question that we should be asking is how does God give meaning to me, or what do I mean to God? Our focus needs to be off of ourselves and onto the Lord of the cosmos.

This book has all ready been splendidly reviewed, but I felt I may have a few things to note. The author is a professor, and the book is written as such. People seeking "warm fuzzies" from reading a book about rediscovering classical Christianity are not going to find it here. They will instead find a powerful look at the way that classical Christianity can be drawn upon to reenergize the church, specifically the evangelical church, and make it a more dynamic force in the world as the body of Christ. Very highly recommended.

I found this book exciting and easy to read. The reason is that Webber connects the ethic and doctrine of the ancient Church to the postmodern world. The situations are quite similar. Webber, a conservative Baptist turned evangelical Episcopalian, argues that the history of the Church consists of different paradigms. Each paradigm is a different expression of the faith, relevant for the time, but inadequate for later generations. Thus, while reformation theology of Sola Scriptura was necessary to counteract the excesses of the later Middle Ages, for the postmodern (and for the early) Church it doesn't work very well (it has led to 1000s of denominations). Webber has some very helpful tables comparing beliefs of different paradigms.Webber correctly observes that postmodern people are more diverse, less concerned about minor doctrinal differences, and more symbolic. This coincides with new scientific theories that posit a dynamic, non-Newtonian universe. So how can we find authority and meaning? The answer is classical Christianity. Enlightenment rationalism doesn't work anymore, as relativity destroys any idea of objectivity, so theology must be done in the context of the Christian community, the Church, as it was in early Christianity. The Church provides the interpretive authority of the Bible through the creeds. However, this authority is broad, and is something that Catholics, Orthodox, and (most) Protestants share in common (see Vincent of Lerins' canon). As in the early Church, Jesus is the ultimate focal point of the Church, and apostolic tradition and the Bible point to him.Webber makes use of the "Christus Victor" model of the Atonement. This is the predominant theory of the Atonement expounded by the early Church. This theory says that Jesus, in his Incarnation, death, resurrection, and teachings, conquered evil. It is holistic, rather than narrowing down "when" Christ saved us, such as at the Crucifixion. Thus there is room for unity and mystery in the doctrine, just as in the early Church.Ultimately, as Modernity dies, Webber advocates a return to the early church of the Fathers. Thus the Church needs to be less individualistic, unified by the creeds, symbolic, sacramental, and arts oriented. However, Webber doesn't want postmodern values to *shape* the Church (e.g. when the Church is a business or side-show), but rather that the Church must be able to convey its basic truth in the postmodern world. Webber is simply advocating what many are already doing: rediscovering the riches of ancient Christianity, dismissed by many enlightenment-era Christians as "outdated" (liberals), or "irrelevant to faith" (fundamentalists). The era of Classical Christianity, when major doctrines were shaped, ethics were worked out, and the canon closed, is neither outdated nor irrelevant.

Continuing his quest for Truth and the "Faith Once Delivered", Bob Webber challenges the church to look at its great past in order to shape its future. We suffer from a lack of understanding of the past, so we find ourselves struggling in the present for that which is meaningful with a cautious concern for the future. For anyone who finds current "Pop Theology" thin and longs for authentic Christianity, this book offers a challenge to examine and drink deeply of the "faith once delivered".A masterful book that continues the challenge to the Evangelical Protestant mind to consider the Truths of the past in light of the present with an expectation of the future.

This book provided for me an important Schaefferian Hayloft experience. I have been doing some heavy rethinking about my beloved evangelicalism and it has proved, in its contemporary manifestation, to be quite insufficient in answering some of my deeper questions and longings about the nature of God, His creation and our humanity. This book has helped answer these bigger questions and shown me that in thinking about them, I am not moving away from orthodoxy, but in fact, toward it in a grand way. That has given me a significant sense of hope and encouragement. Many thanks to the author for a wonderful book.