Gary J. Dorrien, The Remaking of Evangelical Theology (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998), x + 262pp., ISBN 9780664258030, and Millard J. Erickson, Postmodernizing the Faith: Evangelical Responses to the Challenge of Postmodernism (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1998), 163pp., ISBN 9780801021640.
[I first wrote this review of these two books in August 1999, and it was published on the London School of Theology website at that time. I’m aware that everything has in this debate moved on since then, but a question from a friend has prompted me to post mention of these books here. Dorrien’s volume, in particular, I think, still stands as a significant contribution.]
The last few years have seen something of a renaissance in discussions of evangelical theology. Most of these have remained at the level of ‘prolegomena’ – but such works of preliminary statement are important, and we may hope they anticipate some healthy constructive proposals in the not-too distant future.
The first of the ones mentioned here is not even by an evangelical! In fact, Gary Dorrien’s book has been heralded as the first major work of its kind by a non-evangelical theologian.
Dorrien carefully and critically, but not without sympathy, surveys the history and varieties of evangelical theology. He begins by examining the origins and development of evangelicalism, outlining the contributions of seventeenth-century scholasticism, the pietist movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the modernist-fundamentalist controversy, and the neoevangelicalism of the mid-twentieth century. Along the way, he describes the thinking of a number of influential evangelical theologians, especially Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield, James Orr, J. Gresham Machen, Gordon Clark, Edward John Carnell, Carl F.H. Henry, and Bernard Ramm. I especially enjoyed this historical sketch provided by the book. In successive chapters, he discusses debates over biblical authority, and Arminian and Catholic options in evangelicalism.
Dorrien distinguishes three dominant types of evangelicalism – Classical, Pietist, and Fundamentalist – and argues that a fourth type – Postconservative – is presently coming into being. This movement is shown in the works of, among others, Clark Pinnock, Stanley Grenz, J. Richard Middleton, Brian J. Walsh, Nancey Murphy, and others. In the writings of these figures, Dorrien argues, the meaning of evangelicalism is being redefined. It represents evangelical theology in a postmodern mode, and may well provide a mediating model for bringing ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’ into dialogue with each other.
Millard Erickson’s book intersects here, as does his previous work: The Evangelical Left: Encountering Postconservative Evangelical Theology (Carlisle: Paternoster/Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1997). In the 1997 book, Erickson offers a largely critical appraisal of postconservative evangelical theology, focusing especially, though not exclusively, on the works of Clark Pinnock and Stanley Grenz. After placing postconservative evangelical theology on the evangelical map, and a chapter on the task and method of theology, he deals in three successive chapters with the doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of God, and the doctrine of salvation, outlining the traditional evangelical views, then the postconservative evangelical views, and then a brief evaluation.
In Postmodernizing the Faith, Erickson summarises and critiques various evangelical responses to postmodernism. After an opening chapter of orientation, he considers in turn David Wells, Thomas Oden, Francis Schaeffer, Stanley Grenz, J. Richard Middleton and Brian J. Walsh, and B. Keith Putt. The theologians are placed on a spectrum which moves from generally negative to generally positive assessment of postmodernism for evangelical theology.
So far as I am aware, he summarises accurately the gist of the individual contributions. B. Keith Putt will probably be a new name to many readers; Erickson acknowledges that Putt’s published works are relatively few and not as readily available as the others discussed. And it’s a shame that other evangelicals who have contributed significantly to the debate (e.g. D.A. Carson, Kevin J. Vanhoozer) are not considered.
Each chapter outlines the contributions, and then concludes with comments of criticism, where Erickson lists positive and negative points. This procedure can appear somewhat artificial, as if what matters is how many of which kind of points are left over at the end! More important, however, to draw such points of assessment implies that Erickson is working with a larger framework in mind (which informs whether he agrees or disagrees with those discussed) – but he nowhere declares this larger framework of thought.
Although a brief final chapter offers perspectives on the church’s witness to a postmodern culture, Erickson goes only so far. He indicates that this is the firstfruits of a larger harvest, so we must watch this space for further and fuller discussion.
Both books considered here stay largely confined to the North American scene. What all of this looks like in the UK context might be a different story altogether.
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