Product Description

In a world marked by relativism, individualism, pluralism, and the transition from a modern to a postmodern worldview, evangelical Christians must find ways to re-present the historic faith.

In his provocative new work, Ancient-Future Faith, Robert E. Webber contends that present-day evangelicalism is a product of modernity. Allegiance to modernity, he argues, must be relinquished to free evangelicals to become more consistently historic. Empowerment to function in our changing culture will be found by adapting the classical tradition to our postmodern time. Webber demonstrates the implications in the key areas of church, worship, spirituality, evangelism, nurture, and mission.

Webber writes, The fundamental concern of Ancient-Future Faith is to find points of contact between classical Christianity and postmodern thought. Classical Christianity was shaped in a pagan and relativistic society much like our own. Classical Christianity was not an accommodation to paganism but an alternative practice of life. Christians in a postmodern world will succeed, not by watering down the faith, but by being a counter cultural community that invites people to be shaped by the story of Israel and Jesus.

A substantial appendix explores the development of authority in the early church, an important issue for evangelicals in a society that shares many features with the Roman world of early Christians. Students, professors, pastors, and laypeople concerned with the churchs effective response to a postmodern world will benefit from this paradigmatic volume. Informative tables and extensive bibliographies enhance the books educational value.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #272367 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For much of his career, theologian and worship consultant Webber (Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail; Worship Is a Verb) has been inviting evangelicals to rediscover their connection with historic Christianity. Here, Webber takes up his case with a new urgency, warning that American evangelicalism's historical rootlessness and acculturation to modernity leave it dangerously unprepared to deal with postmodern culture and to reach postmodern souls. But there is hope: even in its thornier aspects (e.g., pluralism, state indifference/hostility, learned skepticism and popular credulity), the postmodern climate resembles the environment in which the ancient Church not only endured but thrived. This book makes an important contribution, not so much as a cultural analysis (Webber's treatment of modernity and postmodernity makes no claims for depth or originality, and his proclamation of modernity's demise seems premature) but as a call for theological renewal within evangelical churches. Webber provides a wealth of suggestions to help churches appropriate the heritage of "classical Christianity" for use in contemporary settings, including the renewal of sacraments and the church year, reconnecting evangelism with discipleship (as in classical catechesis) and a "rule of faith" ecumenism that emphasizes catholic creeds and de-emphasizes denominational confessions. Webber correctly anticipates the inevitable questions about authority, Scripture and tradition that his proposals will raise for evangelicals. Although he may underestimate the uneasiness that many evangelicals still feel about "Catholic-sounding" concepts and practices, Webber's call for an "ancient-future" faith is timely, practical and persuasive. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
These two books together give an excellent overview of the past development, present objectives, and future possibilities of American evangelical Christianity. Balmer (Ann Whitney Olin Professor of religion, Barnard) traces the origins of evangelicalism from its beginnings (in the Second Great Awakening) to the present. He points out its broad popular appeal and sees its greatest strength as its willingness to use the latest communication techniques in each era. He also discusses current political and moral struggles. Looking toward the future, Webber attempts to reconcile evangelicalism with postmodern philosophy. Returning to the traditions of the very early church, the author attempts to show how such ancient paradigms as the "Christus Victor" concept as well as nonverbal communications through symbolism could revitalize the evangelical message in an age moving away from linear, verbal thinking. Both books are well written and readable scholarly works with some interesting insights into this important segment of religion in America. Recommended for academic and public libraries.AC. Robert Nixon, Lafayette, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Evangelicalism is a vital spiritual movement but has lots of room to grow in the area of theological hermeneutics. Welcome therefore is this proposal from a senior and respected leader which draws half a dozen lessons from the early church to help evangelicals move forward into the future. Here is a faith for our time that finds in the ancient traditions the power to speak to the postmodern world. This book amounts to an introduction to Christianity from the theme of Christus Victor. It draws from Webbers own experience of growth as a hearer of Gods Word and is backed up with an impressive set of endnotes, charts, and bibliography -- Clark H. Pinnock, professor of theology, McMaster Divinity College

The Agenda for Theology, which I attempted to set forth in 1979, is here being significantly extended by Robert Webber in 1999 in a way that is profoundly gratifying -- Thomas C. Oden, professor of theology and ethics, Drew University

With his customary lucidity and catholicity, but in a way that cuts deeper than his earlier writings, Robert Webber substantiates the vision of an anciently-rooted and forward-looking evangelicalism that marks all of his work. Ancient-Future Faith works as a narrative-oriented Christian primer and as a road map to the promise of catholic evangelicalism. For the theologically inclined, it also works as a Gadamerian exercise in the fusion of theological horizons, showing how the Christus Victor Christocentrism of ancient Christianity might reshape the faith that Christians live and claim in a postmodern context. Webber shows what it means to take seriously the character of Christian testimony as Christ-following church-formed story -- Gary Dorrien, author, The Remaking of Evangelical Theology

You can only think about the future of the faith after you have gone back to the classical tradition. So writes Bob Webber in this book, and he has made his lifework the forward-looking appropriation of that unboundingly richand, most important, truegenerous orthodoxy. Many of us are already incalculably in his debt. Now, more than ever, with the culture wars of a dying modernity cutting deeper and more darkly into desperation and anger, all evangelicalism needs to hear him. Take up, read, pray and consider: in this direction lies the most hopeful future of our faith -- Rodney Clapp, senior editor, Prism

Customer Reviews

Highly relevant and insightful
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.

This book was a just what I needed
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.

Well Done Book, yet...
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.