Book Notice: A Future for American Evangelicalism

Readers will be aware that I have just begun a blog series describing my theological journey through Evangelicalism into a post-Evangelical identity.

So it might come as a surprise that I would alert readers to a new book called A Future for American Evangelicalism. (Subtitled “Commitment, Openness, and Conversation”). But I am aware that some of you who are interested in this ongoing dialogue remain in Evangelical contexts and are looking to connect to hopeful conversations relating to reframing, reshaping, and salvaging Evangelicalism.

This book by Harold Heie comes out of an extensive online conversation–to which I also contributed–which occurred a few years ago. Heie hosted the conversation about the present state and future prospects of Evangelicalism, both in its theology and in its church life. This book–which I have not yet read–is Heie’s synthesis of that conversation and his analysis of Evangelicalism’s future prospects, on the basis of those conversations.

In my (limited) opinion, American Evangelicalism’s hopes for continuing to be a cohesive, positive force within American Christianity and society depend on courageous, irenic conversations like those reflected in this work. For my part, I doubt that the center can hold. What was once “Evangelicalism” has become quite diffuse and the more irenic elements seem to be more and more marginalized; they are voices crying out in the wilderness. Hopefully they are being heard.

In any case, here’s the description from Amazon:

This book proposes that participation in ”God’s Project of Reconciliation” is the ”Center” that can hold evangelical Christians together in the midst of great diversity in belief and ecclesiastical practices. The author envisions a vibrant future for the Evangelical movement if professing evangelicals can model that rare combination of deep commitment to their own beliefs; openness to listening to the beliefs of others; and willingness to engage in respectful conversation with those who disagree with them in place of the combativeness that has characterized too much of Evangelicalism in the recent past. The book models this type of conversation on such controversial issues as the exclusivity of Christianity, the inerrancy of the bible, Evangelicalism and morality, Evangelicalism and politics, scientific models on humanity, cosmic and human origins, and the future of evangelical higher education.