By: Colleen Batchelder on January 17, 2019
Dr. David John Seel, Jr. harmonizes in thought with Taylor and Smith in his book The New Copernicans and suggests, “When belief and doubt are binary rather than a fused experience – as preferred by New Copernicans (Millennials and Generation Z) – the stakes are too high to be honest about doubt. The church is…
By: Mario Hood on January 17, 2019
David Bebbington in his work, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, while covering a historical board period, provides rich insights into the rise and spread of this movement throughout Britain. In order to track the movement Bebbington’s central thesis is that Evangelicalism can be identified on the basis of four core characteristics: conversionism, activism, biblicism, and crucicentrism.[1]…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on January 17, 2019
A few years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to hear Dr. Monica Coleman speak. Dr. Monica A. Coleman, a native Michigander (!), is the Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religions at Claremont School of Theology and Associate Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University. She’s also an ordained elder in the…
By: Dave Watermulder on January 17, 2019
To paraphrase our lead mentor Jason Clark, Charles Taylor’s tome A Secular Age is too big to read in one week. Some would say it is “much too big!” In reading around this book, it is clear that it is a respected, seminal work that has been reviewed appreciatively by both academic and popular sources, as…
By: Andrea Lathrop on January 17, 2019
Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain[1]was more engaging than I hoped. It continues to dawn on me that I understand my world better when I understand my heritage better. This study of evangelical faith heritage aids my assimilation of Grenz’s integrative trialogue for theological formation through scripture, church heritage and cultural context[2]. Bebbington makes the case…
By: Chris Pritchett on January 17, 2019
The first sentence of the first chapter of Charles Taylor’s monumental work, A Secular Age,reveals the trajectory of what Taylor is seeking to accomplish: One way that I want to put the question that I want to answer here is this: why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in, say, 1500 in…
By: Harry Edwards on January 17, 2019
The oft-quoted English aphorism, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a good rule of thumb. However, if something is broken, fixing it in most cases is preferable to replacing it. But I highly doubt the saying will catch on. Is Evangelicalism in need of fixing as pundits seem to suggest?1 Are we ready…
By: Rhonda Davis on January 17, 2019
Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain seems to have filled a gap in academic writing with this comprehensive look at the effect of evangelicalism on British society.[1] Even though some reviews such as Watts[2] and Rutz[3] have censured Bebbington for ignoring some of the more negative critiques of the movement, they have also expressed gratitude for…
By: Sean Dean on January 17, 2019
My two oldest kids have reached the point in their math studies where they are learning how to add and subtract mixed numbers like 1 4⁄5 + 2 2⁄3 = 4 7⁄15. If you can remember back to fifth grade math class the process is to find the lowest common denominator, add across, and reduce…
By: Digby Wilkinson on January 17, 2019
History is complicated because it records and interprets multifaceted humanity at work. Our capacity to simultaneously recognise and ignore the past is a reason our future is unpredictable; we do not follow logical lines of growth, instead we respond to set events at certain times without reference to the necessary causes creating the contexts in…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on January 16, 2019
What an interesting couple of books to start the spring semester with. The mammoth and overwhelming almost 1,000-page classic A Secular Age by Charles Taylor, and thankfully the much smaller How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor by James Smith that helped us actually read and digest Taylor. I appreciated Smith’s description of Taylor’s…
By: Jay Forseth on January 16, 2019
“We haven’t yet solved the problem of God,” the Russian critic Belinsky once shouted across the table at Turgenev, “and you want to eat!” [1] This phrase puts into simple perspective my reading of A Secular Age by Canadian Charles Taylor, a Roman Catholic, Emeritus Professor, as well as the prestigious winner of the Templeton…
By: Dan Kreiss on January 16, 2019
Not a bad way to begin reading for the semester. An erudite distillation of the challenging tome and seminal work of Charles Taylor. James K.A. Smith expertly provides both explanation and points of application relevant to all seeking to comprehend Taylor’s text and the wider culture. Smith provides an invaluable summation of the bulk of…
By: Mike on January 13, 2019
Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age and James Smith’s How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor are two books combined into one LGP8 post. Taylor’s masterpiece is massive in historical size and philosophical scope on the topic of secularism from the 18th century forward. Smith’s book is a companion field guide that condenses Taylor’s nearly…
By: Jennifer Williamson on January 13, 2019
When I reflect on my experience in Seminary, I realize that studying Christian history and theology did not give me any answers; but rather, made me comfortable with my questions. Instead of becoming one who was sure of what she believes, I became one who was not unravelled by how much she doubts. Perhaps this…
By: Wallace Kamau on December 30, 2018
I was eager to go to Hong Kong and had my expectations of what the city looks like but was not sure what to expect in terms of immigration officials and the hospitality of the people of Hong Kong. I was excited and really looking forward to meet my cohort LPG 9, other cohort members…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on December 28, 2018
Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain took me back to my own faith experiences which began in the mid-‘70s. I was particularly drawn to chapter 7 which dealt with the charismatic movement. While my dad grew up in the culturally Catholic state of Bavaria Germany, my mom grew up in a southern Primitive Baptist environment heavily…
By: Shermika Harvey on December 21, 2018
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight[1]. The DNA of fighters run profusely through my veins. I fight for my people, my heritage, my blood rite. I fight for the lost, the marginalized, the discarded and the abuse. However, when the fight comes to my front door, who will…
By: John Muhanji on December 21, 2018
By: John Muhanji on December 2, 2018
Christianity View of Theology in Relationship with Spirituality. All through this term and the selection of books Jason chose for the class are amazing and making one think a reflection on what is being brought out. From where I am coming from, and the cultural perspectives and believes of what theology is vis-à-vis the spirituality…
