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Review Summary: Reconsidering the "T" word |
Date: 2008-08-14 |
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Details: I remember being raised to think that 'tradition' was equal to 'papist' back in my Lutheran days. For those Protestants who have their reservations about the Christian tradition (largely quite "unProtestant") this book is for them. The author is himself a Baptist and an expert on both Church history and the Church Fathers. His goal is fourfold: 1) Demonstrate that Scripture and early tradition go hand in hand and that Scripture is part of tradition, given by the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ correctly., 2) theology exists as a part of the worshipping community, and not as an abstraction. Without right worship, there is no right doctrine 3) our personal liberty in the Holy Spirit is a corporate liberty. That is, we exist as "members one of another" who cannot go off and "do our own thing" 4) the Protestant tradition must be reintegrated into the greater catholic tradition to properly understand itself and the Gospel. In short, the author doesn't try to make a Protestant into a Catholic, but to dispel the myths surrounding the Tradition to show the Protestant what it means to be a Christian in context.
I would recommend the author's other book, Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants, more than this book, good as it is. Please see my other reviews for similar books on similar topics, mostly geared to the conversation between Protestants, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.
Don't get fooled into thinking that the past of the Church is murky and unknowable. There are very few unknowns about it, just read the sources and start doing your homework. Enjoy!
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Review Summary: Good argument for the Value of Church tradition for evangelicals |
Date: 2008-07-24 |
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Details: Many evangelicals have shied away from the writings of Origen, Tertullian, Lactantius, Irenaeus, Marius Victorinus, and others for their occasional forays into allegory and because some of the things they taught were contrary to Scripture.
But D. H Williams cautions us not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. he notes that we can find springs of renewal and refreshment if we dare to drink more deeply from the fountain of the patristic fathers. He notes that the goal behind some of Origen's allegories was to encourage devotional reflection and application, even if he did go too far.
Williams also has section in the book where he quotes from some of the more devotional writings of the fathers. He says that evangelicals share the same tradition and history with Catholics and other Protestants and that this history could be an impetus for commonality and mutual respect. A good read. |
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Review Summary: A helpful book for evangelicals to read |
Date: 2008-04-11 |
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Details: D. H. Williams asserts that today's evangelical Protestants ignore or reject the traditions of the early Christian church, and these traditions are essential to correct practices of Christianity individually and in community. He writes his book in response to a "new openness to hearing the tradition" among evangelicals. This openness represents an "extraordinary work of the Spirit in our time." (15) Williams identifies a core perception among evangelicals that pits tradition as a "competing authority" to Scripture. (16) The book serves as Williams' attempt to persuade readers that the traditions of the early church complement Scripture and support Biblical authority. He writes with a sense of urgency recognizing that Christianity divorced from the early church tradition is susceptible to errors and heresies.
He rejects any notion of conflict between the Holy Spirit inspiration and revelation witnessed in the gospel and the Christian tradition seen in the teachings and practices of the early church. He defends this role of the tradition as the "canon of tradition" which does not challenge the authority of Scripture or stifle the ministry of the Spirit but serves as a guide to the church. He suggests that "A true interpretation of Scripture would always lead one to the tradition." (56) The tradition, including creeds and writings of the Fathers, would implicitly or explicitly acknowledge the supremacy of the Bible. The patristic tradition is not presented as infallible or unified in its writings; however, Williams calls this period "foundational to the Christian faith in normative ways that no other period of the church's history can claim." (50)
In presenting writings and summarizing the theology of patristic Fathers like Origen, Augustine, Ambrose, Clement, Tertullian, etc., Williams shows that the theology of the early church did not lack any revelation or insight. Their focus and methods may have varied based on their formational period and heresies they were confronting.
The constant striving for innovative ways to build churches and draw attention to churches among evangelicals has led to a disjointed, individualist Christianity. As Williams asserts, there is a definite rejection of authority among evangelicals, leaders and lay people. As in all things in the West, among evangelical churches a competitive nature exists that refuses conformity to a larger communion, ancient or modern. Williams sees the perceived conflict between tradition and spontaneity at the core of evangelicals' rejection of tradition in their practices. Evangelical pastors and ministers do not want to be "constrained" by rituals or sacraments when they see the success of ministry depending on individual Spirit led anointing expressed through preaching and ministry.
Williams makes his case by initiating the discussion that evangelicals ignore the early church tradition at their peril and loss. He effectively shows that ancient Christian tradition and Biblical authority are not combative but complementary to one another. I think he could have supported his case by showing specific or even general examples of how the ignorance of the tradition has undermined or harmed contemporary evangelicals in their doctrine or ministry.
I think placing more emphasis on the role of the Christian community in the early church to combat the individualist style of Christianity that pervades the evangelical churches today would help to raise awareness of the model of the early church tradition. I would have liked to see Williams include a section on specific ways that an evangelical church can incorporate traditions from the early church into its services and ministries. Including a reading list is not instructional enough for an evangelical pastor to know how to initiate the changes Williams would espouse.
Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays
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Review Summary: Renewing the Protestants |
Date: 2005-11-03 |
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Details: For those Protestants who have their reservations about the Christian tradition (largely quite "unProtestant") this book is for them. The author is himself a Baptist and an expert on both Church history and the Church Fathers. His goal is fourfold: 1) Demonstrate that Scripture and early tradition go hand in hand and that Scripture is part of tradition, given by the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ correctly., 2) theology exists as a part of the worshipping community, and not as an abstraction. Without right worship, there is no right doctrine 3) our personal liberty in the Holy Spirit is a corporate liberty. That is, we exist as "members one of another" who cannot go off and "do our own thing" 4) the Protestant tradition must be reintegrated into the greater catholic tradition to properly understand itself and the Gospel. In short, the author doesn't try to make a Protestant into a Catholic, but to dispel the myths surrounding the Tradition to show the Protestant what it means to be a Christian in context.
I would recommend the author's other book, Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants, more than this book, good as it is. Please see my other reviews for similar books on similar topics, mostly geared to the conversation between Protestants, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.
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out of 4 Reviews
