Wedding Over and Moving Full Steam Ahead

This past week has brought another school year to a dramatic close. I was installed at graduation as the W. A. Criswell Professor of Expository Preaching, delivered the commencement address, traveled to Glen Rose, Texas to attend and help officiate at my son Daniel's wedding, watched the Jerry Falwell funeral, entertained out of town guests, and preached. This summer is going to be very busy. Besides preaching each week, taking a group of students on a mission trip, and teaching international students at the Global Proclamation Academy (held on the campus of DTS) for Ramesh Richard, I will also attempt to complete writing my dissertation on "The Kingdom-driven Church: Evangelism and Ecclesiology in Eschatological Perspective."

Research for the dissertation has become a joyous, although strenuous adventure. I completed my first Ph.D. in 1982; so, this has been a lot of work for an old man! In the course of the past three years I have read nearly 400 books on the subject and untold journal articles and commentaries. I believe I have a real grasp of the kingdom and hope I will be able to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge now available. My main objective is to relate kingdom theology to the local church.

The kingdom of God is now my passion. The Lord willing, I wish to devote the remainder of my academic life to kingdom studies. If the kingdom was the focus of Jesus' ministry, it should be ours as well.

The Apologetics Study Bible

Word arrived today from Broadman and Holman that The Apologetics Study Bible is in the final edit and will be released on October 1, 2007. I was responsible for writing "The Twisted Scriptures" commentaries section. These are comments on verses the cults misinterpret to promote their false doctrines. Each note will be offset in a display box near the text in question.

This volume will be a valuable resource for pastors, Sunday School teachers, student leaders, and lay people who want to defend the faith against cults and heresies.

You will be able to order your copy of The Apologetics Study Bible from Amazon or CBD at a discount.

Jerry Falwell is Dead? Don't Believe it!

Dwight L. Moody said, "One day you will hear reports that D. L. Moody is dead. Don't believe it. I will be more alive then than ever before!"

Likewise, Dr. Jerry Falwell is more alive now than ever!

According the Associated Press reports, Dr. Falwell collapsed in his office this morning at 10:45, was rushed to the hospital, and never regained consciousness.

I have met Dr. Falwell on several occasions. Last fall he and I were the plenary speakers at the West Virginia Baptist Evangelism Conference. We sat together, laughed, and then we preached.

Dr. Falwell was an extraordinary man. He rose to fame, but never forgot his common roots. He always had time to speak to the "least of these my brethren." His humble heart and servant spirit is what endeared him to so many. He shared the gospel at every opportunity, especially when being interviewed on national TV.

Dr. Falwell, you will be missed. But we are right behind. See you soon!

Commencement Address

Yesterday, I delivered the 2007 commencement address to the graduating class at Criswell College, Dallas, Texas. I spoke on Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus invites 1) the toilsome and burdened to come to him for rest (the rest of salvation)and 2) to take his yoke and learn of him and thus find rest (the rest of service). I challenged the graduates to go forth with more than their B.A., the first two letters of the alphabet, but to be equipped with them all A-Z, which is found in Jesus alone, the Alpha and Omega.

Earlier in the ceremony, I was officially installed as The W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching, a position named in honor of the college's founder. Criswell College is known for training students to exegete a text, prepare and deliver an effective expository message. Dr. Criswell was one of the best expositors among twentieth century Southern Baptists. I feel a great responsibility to our students and the Board of Trustees at the college to carry on his legacy.

TEN REASONS FRANK BECKWITH BECAME A ROMAN CATHOLIC

As you have heard by now, Frank Beckwith, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University and unto recently, President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), has been officially accepted back into membership of the Roman Catholic Church. News of his conversion to Rome shocked evangelicals throughout North America and caused them to ask, “Why would Beckwith switch from Baptist to Catholic?” The opinions have varied among internet bloggers. Finally, Beckwith came out with the “official” story. But is that the true story?

In the spirit of David Letterman, we offer ten alternative reasons for his return to Rome. We start with the least plausible (Reason #10) and move to the most convincing (Reason #1). If you have other explanations, please feel free to respond.

Ten Reasons why Frank Beckwith Became a Catholic:

Reason #10 – Old habits never die: Frank couldn’t find a Baptist church where he could play Bingo.

Reason #9 – Health reasons: Frank found all the genuflection in the liturgy quite reinvigorating. He plans to drop 10 pounds easy in his first year of Masses.

Reason #8 – Economics: Since the Catholic Church does not require a tithe; Frank will boost his annual income by 7% .

Reason #7 – To ease his conscience: As a Catholic he can now drink “fermented” communion wine without scrutiny.

Reason #6 – His love for seafood: Frank missed the Friday fish dinners at the local Catholic Church.

Reason #5 – To mastermind a coup: Frank hopes his move to Rome, while maintaining his membership in ETS, will inspire Roman Catholics to join and take over ETS.

Reason # 4 – His emotional stability: The trauma of putting together the 2006 national ETS led to a complete mental breakdown and this irrational behavior.

Reason # 3 – Altruism: In the spirit of brotherly love, Frank wanted to provide Norm Geisler with a subject for a new book project.

Reason #2 – A Damascus Road experience: While listening to last year’s Presidential speech by Ed Yamauchi, Frank fell into a trance and had a vision of the Pope calling him back home to Rome.

Reason #1 – Conspiracy: Frank never really left the Catholic Church, but was actually a Jesuit priest spying on evangelicals for Rome. The forthcoming Chick tract will tell the whole story.

CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW HOT OFF THE PRESS

The Spring 2007 issue of Criswell Theological Review(CTR)is hot off the press! The theme is "War and Peace." Few topics produce as much passionate discussion among Christians. The prolonged conflict in Iraq has fueled the fires of debate even more. To address this controversial and complex topic CTR invited several experts to write pro and con on just war theory and pacifism. To preview this issue go to www.criswelljournal.com.

In the lead article J. Daryl Charles, Associate Professor of Religion at Union University (Jackson, TN), presents a strong case for just war theory by appealing to the Scriptures and the Church fathers for support, while arguing that Pacifists misinterpret both sources in an attempt to defend their view. Charles then makes a distinction between force and violence, and contends the use of the first is justified to bring about peace or free oppressed people, while the latter is not.

Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (Nashville, TN), applies seven standards of just war theory to three real-life scenarios. After examining and analyzing the human rights abuses in Korea, Rwanda, and Darfur, he asks if the international community had a moral obligation to step in and take forceful action to rescue the millions who suffered under those totalitarian regimes. His conclusions may surprise you.

With disenchantment growing over the war efforts, many Christians are beginning to take a fresh look at pacifism. Tim Erdel, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethel College (Mishawaka, IN), asserts that the term “just war” is an oxymoron and then presents a list of fourteen considerations, which he says will lead open-minded Christians to embrace pacifism. Erdel presents one of the strongest arguments for pacifism you will ever read.

Stanley Hauerwas, the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School (Durham, NC), named “America’s Best Theologian” by Time Magazine, is one of the most provocative writers of our day. In his article, “Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War,” Hauerwas takes a look at the effects killing has upon those soldiers who actually do the killing. He argues that in Christ God has created a new community which expects the resurrection and therefore has no need (or right) to kill and wage war for its survival, but instead seeks to reconcile enemies, even at the cost of death. In doing so, this community follows the example of its Lord and witnesses to the new reality of God’s kingdom.

Our final article, “War and Peace in Christian Hymnody,” is a real delight. David W. Music, Professor of Church Music, Baylor University (Waco, TX) does an excellent job culling the hymns for military imagery. He then establishes the scriptural basis for military language in hymns and shows how the writers use such language to portray Christianity as a life and death commitment. Music balances his study with an examination of many hymns which deal with peace.

Subscription to CTR is $25 per year.

Recently Dr. Jerry Johnson asked if I would consider serving a new position at the college. Here is a news release, which tells the story:


Streett Named to Endowed Chair of Expository Preaching

President Jerry Johnson and the Board of Trustees of Criswell College (Dallas, Texas) are pleased to announce the election of R. Alan Streett as Professor of the W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. This endowed position is named in memory of the late W. A. Criswell, who served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas (1944 to 2002) and devoted his life to the mastery and promotion of verse-by-verse expository preaching.

Streett, the author of The Effective Invitation (Kregel), a text dealing with persuasive preaching, has served fifteen years as Professor of Evangelism and Pastoral Ministry and will assume the position immediately. An official installation service will be held on May 12, 2007, during the Criswell College graduation ceremony, where he will deliver the commencement address.

Recently Streett revealed plans to launch in 2009 the annual "W. A.
Criswell School of the Prophets" in celebration of the centennial year of Dr. Criswell's birth. This national conference will include plenary sessions featuring America's best known preachers and seminars designed to help pastors prepare and deliver expository sermons.

Criswell College is a regionally accredited school offering degrees at both the bachelor and master levels. It is also the custodian of the W.
A. Criswell legacy project, an internet depository of more than 2.500 of Dr. Criswell's sermons, which can be accessed at www.wacriswell.com .

For more information about Criswell College or the W. A. Criswell Endowed Chair of Expository Preaching, please contact Criswell College, 4010 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246.

NEW CTR READY FOR PRESS

A new issue of Criswell Theological Review (Spring 07, 4.2), dealing with "War and Peace," is edited and ready for printer. It features articles by Daryl Charles and Richard Land, Stanley Hauerwas, and others who tackle various aspects of just war theory and pacifism. You can order a copy online at criswelljournal.com via Paypal.

I have included a review on Cecil Wayne Cone's book The Identity Crisis in Black Theology. Here is a preview:

The Identity Crisis in Black Theology. By Cecil Wayne Cone. Nashville: AMEC, 2003, 140 pp., $20.00, hardcover.

This is a revised and expanded edition of Cecil Wayne Cone’s 1975 book of the same title, originally written as a response to the burgeoning Black Theology movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which was founded ironically by his famous brother, James H. Cone, the Griggs Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary (NY). Cecil Cone constructively critiques the ideas of his brother and those of other key spokespersons for the movement.

According to the author, all attempts to develop Black Theology apart from understanding or considering the “black religious experience” produce little more than fanciful and at times, radical social and political theories. Cone describes the essence of the black religious experience as “an encounter with an Almighty Sovereign God” that results in conversion (p. 75).

In chapter 1 Cone briefly traces contemporary black theology back to the late 1960s and introduces us to three key thinkers—his brother James Cone, Joseph Washington, and J. Deotis Roberts, whose writings he will critically examine in later chapters.

In chapter 2, entitled “Black Religion: The Foundation of Black Theology,” Cone demonstrates that Black Theology begins and ends with God. Even in Africa, blacks had an awareness of a creator god. After being enslaved and brought to America, they were introduced to Christianity. White slaveholders initially wanted to evangelize their slaves, possibly thinking this would turn the “heathen” into more docile subjects. Instead, biblical teaching introduced the slaves to the Israelites who, like themselves, had been oppressed by tyrannical masters. Through the preaching of the gospel, masses were converted and experienced an inward freedom from the bonds of sin. Though still slaves in the flesh, they were a new creation and no longer defined by the slave system but by their relationship to God. They viewed Jesus as their Deliverer and King who would one day also set them free from physical oppression. While waiting for this promise to be realized, they sang praises to God for present salvation, addressed their questions and complaints to Him, and when faced with untold hardship and even death, they followed Christ’s example, knowing that resurrection lay ahead.

There were exceptions. In 1831, Nat Turner, a recent convert and zealot, believed God had called him to lead an uprising against the whites in Virginia, which resulted in fifty-one people being killed. Turner was tried, convicted and hanged. As a result, many slaveholders kept their slaves from attending church or reading the Bible, fearing such practices would motivate others to rebel (p. 56).

Chapters 3 through 5 examine the ideas of three leading black theologians. In chapter 3, Cone interacts with James Washington, the author of several Black Theology books, and challenges him on three points. First, his premise that black religious organizations are mere imitations of white religion (p. 70); second, his attempt to reduce black religious experience to a quest for social, economic and political freedom, along with his failure to grasp its supernatural and conversional aspects (p. 74); third, his call to develop a theology of Black Power (pp. 78–79).

Cone delays his sharpest criticisms until chapter 4, where he takes on his brother James Cone. He admits that “the sound and tone” of his brother’s early writings are “that of an angry black militant,” who equates blackness with Christ and whiteness with antichrist (p. 81), and calls upon blacks to embrace “Black Power,” a term first coined by Adam Clayton Powell in 1965 and popularized a year later by Stokely Carmichael (p. 83), which eventually came to mean blacks separating from whites. “The overriding motif of Cone’s work is that of liberation.” (p. 81) Cone’s “Black Power,” which he equates with Black Theology, is zealotry at its worst, and calls for armed violence and revolution. Black Theology, he asserts, “came into being when black churchmen realized that killing slavemasters was doing the work of God.” (p. 88) It is exactly here that Cone deviates from the Scriptures. He would prefer Moses kill the Egyptian soldier than depend on Yahweh for deliverance.

The difference between authentic Christianity and Black Power can be seen in the way Jesus faces the cross. Rather than raising a sword of self-deliverance, He trusts God, knowing His Father may choose to send a myriad of angels to deliver Him from crucifixion or may choose to raise Him from the dead.

This does not mean that James Cone gets everything wrong. He recognizes that Western, post-Constantinian Christianity has veered far from its origins and has distorted the gospel. Unfortunately, he has little to replace it with except revolution. Cecil Cone closes the chapter on his brother with the hope that he will rediscover the black religious experience of his youth, one which is infused with the supernatural and leads to conversion (pp. 98–99).

While this reviewer found little upon which to disagree with J. Deotis Roberts, Cone finds two points of contention. First, he calls Roberts to task because he calls upon blacks to view Jesus as the universal messiah, not merely as a “black Jesus.” Second, he believes Roberts’s view that reconciliation and intercommunication between blacks and whites constitute “the primary task of Black Theology” again missing the essence of the black religious experience.

When Cone and other black theologians speak of a “black Jesus” they do not mean that the historical Jesus was a black man, but that he stood with the blacks, not the white oppressors. This implies that salvation for whites must also come through the “black” Jesus, not through a Jesus of their own making, who has little semblance to the Jesus of the Bible. The “black” Jesus offers hope of liberation to the oppressed of the ages, which is accomplished through supernatural intervention and not through political struggle or man-made schemes.

Though not mentioned, a question that begs to be answered is, “When slavery ruled in the South, where were God’s prophets? Why were there so few dissenting voices in the church?”

This book is essential reading for those not familiar with Black Theology and for those who wish to understand it from a scriptural and historical perspective

CULLMANN MAKES A COMEBACK!

Kudos to Wipf and Stock publishers who plans to reprint nearly all of Oscar Cullmann's books, beginning with his classic CHRIST AND TIME. Cullmann, a premiere NT scholar in the mid-20th century, emphasized the concepts of "salvation history" and "Already/Not Yet" eschatology. Born in Germany in 1902, he lived until 1999. He taught at Basel and the Sorbonne. This reprint project will introduce Cullmann to an entire generation of scholars "who knew not Cullmann." Among Cullmann's more memorable works are:

• Baptism in the New Testament
• Christ and Time
• The Christology of the New Testament
• Early Christian Worship
• Salvation in History
• The Immortality of the Soul or the Resurrection of the Body: The Witness of the New Testament
• The State in the New Testament
  
• Jesus and the Revolutionaries
• Peter

BAH. HUMBUG!

Evangelical Christians are an unusual lot, especially at Christmas time. I am always amused how a significant minority eschew Christmas on the premise that its origins can be traced to the Roman Catholic Church. Others celebrate the holiday, while lamenting its secularization, pointing out that “X” has even replaced “Christ” in Christmas!

Such claims, which have no foundation in fact, somehow find their way into evangelical thinking, and in turn influence one’s perspective of Christmas. Over the next few days we will examine these and many similar assertions and show that they fall far short of truth. Today we look at the first two.

CLAIM 1: CHRISTMAS IS A ROMAN CATHOLIC HOLIDAY

This claim is based on the thesis that the word Christmas is derived from Christ-mass, and is thus linked to the Catholic sacrament of holy mass. This conclusion, however, is erroneous.

Any authorized dictionary will reveal that the English word “mass” evolved over the years from the Anglo-Saxon maesse, which in turn was derived from the Latin missa, meaning “to send.” Consequently the etymological meaning of Christmas is “Christ is sent.” Therefore, the term actually represents the true nature of the holiday. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman . . .” (Gal. 4:4).

CLAIM 2: CHRIST HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM CHRISTMAS

While some fearful retailers have instructed their store clerks to greet shoppers with the less offensive “Happy Holiday” rather than the traditional “Merry Christmas,” the “X” in Christmas is not a secular substitute for Christ.

A number of years ago George Beverly Shea wrote a popular Christmas song that went like this: “Don’t wish me a Merry Xmas or a happy holiday. Put Christ back into Christmas on this happy holy day.” While the catchy lyrics are still being sung today, they are based on an erroneous claim that “X” in Xmas is an irreverent attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. The facts prove otherwise.

Xmas has a long history. X is the Greek letter chi (pronounced ki) and is the first letter in the Greek word Christos. The early church used it regularly as an abbreviation for Christ, just as we use “W” to refer to George Bush. Abbreviations such as FDR, JFK, or LBJ are used commonly as a device to shorten a word or words, while retaining the clear identity of the person.

Wycliffe, Tyndale and a host of other devoted Christians throughout church history have abbreviated the name Christ with the simple use of X. Obviously they were not attempting to remove Christ from their vocabulary. Xmas has been a legitimate way of referring to Christmas since the first century until now.

The next time you see Xmas scrawled across a display window or written in big green or red letters on a banner over the perfume counter; use the occasion to explain to the sales person the origin of the word. It will make for a great witnessing opportunity.

George Bush's America and the Kingdom of God

I will be presenting a paper this year at ETS (Washington, DC) entitled "George Bush's America and the Kingdom of God." It will be given on Thursday November 17 in the Grant Room at 11:00 a.m.

The topic of discussion will center on a Christian's responsibility to government and whether or not there is a conflict between one's allegiance to the Kingdom of God and the State. It should stimulate a lot of scholarly discussion.

Hopefully, attendees will find their way to the session, since the time and place of the presentation have been changed.

Criswell Theological Review Tackles Tongues

The Fall 2006 edition of the Criswell Theological Review (CTR), of which I serve as Editor, examines the "tongues controversy" that has recently rocked the Southern Baptist Convention. Both the International Mission Board (IMB) and the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, TX) have taken a strong stand against tongues. CTR has invited a group of scholars to write pro and con articles on the validity of speaking in tongues. Additionally, the Editor has conducted an exclsuive interview with Tom Hatley, former Chair of the IMB when the anti-tongues policy was proposed and passed.

A few articles will appear on the CTR website in the near future. You can access them at: www.criswelljournal.com

Hopefully. you will get your appetite wet and want to subscribe to CTR.

Walter Rauschenbusch's Version of the "Kingdom of God"

On his Jesus Creed blog Scot McKnight got a conversation going about Walter Rauschenbusch being an emergent forerunner. Hopefully, the following two book reviews will add to the discussion. In them, I compare and contrast the ministries of Walter Rauschenbush and A. T. Pierson, two early twentieth century stalwarts, the former a modernist and the latter a fundamentalist, but both captured by the kingdom of God.
________________

Occupy until I Come: A. T. Pierson and the Evangelization of the World. By Dana L. Robert. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003, 322 pp., $32.00. The Kingdom Is Always but Coming: A Life of Walter Rauschenbusch. By Christopher C. Evans. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004, 348 pp., $25.00.

These latest volumes in the Library of Religious Biography offer a vivid comparison and contrast between two of America’s most influential Christian leaders during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Arthur Tappan Pierson, recognized as the “Father of Fundamentalism,” was a successful pastor and missionary promoter whose concern for souls and strong social consciousness led him to minister both evangelistically and practically to the urban poor. Likewise, Walter Rauschenbusch, later dubbed the “Father of the Social Gospel,” had a similar two-fold approach to ministry. Both men, native New Yorkers, traced their theological roots to Puritanism and Pietism, wrote gospel hymns, served inner-city pastorates, befriended the wealthy, and focused the latter half of their ministries on bringing in the Kingdom.

In time, their theological perspectives changed. Pierson abandoned postmillennialism to become a leading spokesman for the nascent fundamentalist movement. Rauschenbusch, while continuing to affirm the need for individual conversion, picked up the gauntlet of liberalism and became its leading proponent in North America. Rauschenbusch was a lifelong Baptist; whereas, Pierson, a lifelong Presbyterian, submitted to believer’s baptism at the age of fifty-eight.

Occupy until I Come is a well-researched and thorough treatment of the life and ministry of A. T. Pierson. It traces his life from his days as a student at Union Theological Seminary to his writing of five articles for The Fundamentals, conservatism’s answer to higher criticism. Dana Robert, Professor of World Mission at Boston University, demonstrates her familiarity with Pierson’s fifty books and thousands of articles, and draws from them often to piece together Pierson’s illustrious career as a pastor, apologist, missionary strategist, prolific writer, and conference speaker. By the end of the book, the reader comes away with a profound respect for both Pierson and Robert.

Pierson was reared in New York City in a family with strong Christian and abolitionist roots. As a postmillennialist, Pierson initially believed that the church could bring in the Kingdom of God by aggressively Christianizing the world. His views changed, however, when the famous British man of faith George Mueller sat him down and explained that the Bible predicted perilous times and apostasy for the last days; a far cry from ushering in the Kingdom. Pierson became an avid premillennialist (although he never embraced a belief in a pre-tribulation rapture).

Robert points out that this was just one of several theological crises in Pierson’s life. Others included his receiving a “baptism in the Spirit” (not of the speaking in tongues variety) during the 1857-58 Businessmen’s Prayer Movement. Another came at the age of forty, while serving as pastor of the largest church in Detroit. After attending a series of evangelistic messages, Pierson realized he was prideful and greedy, and had sought the approval of the rich. As a result, he started living by faith, depending on the Lord to meet his needs. Then came his revelation in 1885, based on Matthew 24:14 and 2 Peter 3:12 that the coming of the Kingdom could be hastened by aggressive evangelism. He resigned his pastorate and took to the road as a missionary conference speaker calling for “the evangelization of the world in this generation.” Another crisis, but certainly not the last, came when he chose to be baptized by immersion. This led to his expulsion from the Philadelphia Presbytery. Each crisis led Pierson to more fully dedicate his life to the Lord’s service.

Through Robert’s meticulous research and clear explanations, the modern reader gains much insight into many nineteenth century American church customs, movements and practices, such as the pew rental system, the Women’s Temperance Movement, the influence of dispensationalism on missions, and the sense that industrialization was driving a wedge between management and labor. Many evangelicals, including Pierson, were social activists who believed that the rich had a moral responsibility for the welfare of the poor.

As a missionary speaker A. T. Pierson influenced Robert Speer, Samuel Zwemer, and John R. Mott to give their lives to missions. He was also the keynote speaker at the Mount Hermon conference of 1886, where 100 young men answered the call to missions. The Student Volunteer Movement traces its beginning to this meeting.

Besides his contributions to missions, Pierson’s most notable legacy was his commitment to orthodoxy. When liberalism began sweeping through the mainline denominations, Pierson joined other concerned Christian leaders in publishing The Fundamentals, a series of booklets designed to “contend for the faith” and answer the critics of Christianity. Because of his prolific pen and apologetic abilities, Pierson was invited to write five of the major articles. Each booklet was distributed free to pastors throughout America. This marked the beginning of the Modernist-Fundamentalist split in American churches. In time, the booklets were combined into a twelve volume set of books, which are still available today in a five volume set. Because of his contribution to the cause, Pierson was often called the “Father of Fundamentalism.” Unfortunately, Robert devotes only two pages (282-283) to this major event. She could have introduced the reader to R. A. Torrey and the other stalwarts who contributed to The Fundamentals and explained how, if any, they interacted on the project.

On two occasions Pierson successfully served as pastor of Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle. He spent the final two decades of his life “on the road,” the last ten devoted to teaching believers how to live victoriously. He was a favorite speaker at the Keswick conferences in England.

Robert has written a superb book. It should be read by all who wish to understand the contribution A. T. Pierson made to the cause of Christ.

++++++

The Kingdom Is Always but Coming by Christopher H. Evans, Associate Professor of Church History at Crozer Divinity School, is the informative biography of William Rauschenbusch, who was a contemporary of and lived in close proximity to A. T. Pierson. Ironically, Evans holds the same teaching position at Crozer that Rauschenbusch did a century earlier when the school was known as Rochester Theological Seminary. Drawing upon a treasure trove (180 boxes) of letters between Walter Rauschenbusch and his contemporaries, personal diaries, unpublished documents, and newspaper clippings, plus interviews conducted with family members, Evans gives us an intimate look into Rauschenbusch’s life and thinking. We glimpse into his heart for evangelism, his agony over his own children not being converted, his belief that the Social Gospel was the authentic gospel (“faith without works is dead”) and his understanding that the Kingdom of God was the cornerstone of Christianity. Rauschenbusch believed that the rediscovery of the Kingdom of God was as important for the modern church as justification by faith was for the Reformers.

The Kingdom Is Always but Coming is the third book written about Rauschenbusch in the past sixty years, and of the three it is the definitive biography. The first, Walter Rauschenbusch (Macmillan, 1942) by Doris Sharpe, paints her subject in glowing terms. Evans avoids such a temptation by showing Rauschenbusch’s weaknesses as well as strengths, his legitimate contributions as well as his controversial theories. For example, because of his German ancestry, Rauschenbusch had divided loyalties during WWI and called for American neutrality; he embraced religious pluralism toward the end of his life, possibly because his children were outside the fold; he became the leader in the Men and Religious Forward Movement, a 1910 version of the Promise Keepers; he petitioned the local government to build New York’s first public playgrounds; he believed a woman’s place was in the home (despite his daughter becoming a feminist); he called for a redistribution of wealth; and he stated that “the religions of Jesus and Paul were antithetical to each other” (278).

Paul Minus’s Walter Rauschenbusch: American Reformer (Macmillan, 1988) was much more factual and scholarly than Ms. Sharpe’s, but lacked some of the research data available to Evans.

Evans forcefully presents Rauschenbusch as a man in pursuit of the Kingdom, who believed that as more converts were won to Christ, the social conditions of the world would improve, setting the stage for the second coming. America would lead the way by ushering in the Kingdom. It was incumbent upon the church therefore to promote and live by Kingdom ethics. This involved promoting justice and standing for the poor. The love of Christ was to be manifested in our actions. This was often costly to the Christian, but it was through a life of vicarious suffering that God would bring about societal reconciliation and final redemption. Through two major books and numerous scholarly articles, Rauschenbusch called upon his academic and ministerial colleagues to promote “Social Christianity.” This teaching was brought down to the lay level by Charles Sheldon’s book, In His Steps, which asked the question, “What would Jesus do?”

One wishes Evans would have dealt more with the relationship between Rauschenbusch and Augustus Hopkins Strong, the noted “New Light” Calvinist theologian and president of Rochester Theological Seminary. Despite being apprehensive about Rauschenbusch’s acceptance of the moral view of the atonement and his questioning of the Old Testament’s divine authority, Strong brought him on as a faculty member. Although not stated, this may have been out of kindness to Rauschenbusch’s father who was one of the seminary’s founders. By the end of his presidency, Strong who himself flirted for a while with liberal theology, filled half of the seminary’s teaching positions with liberals. At the close of his life, he regretted it.

Like many biographers, Evans has difficulty at times presenting a clear chronological narrative. When dealing with certain major themes in Rauschenbusch’s life, Evans is forced to jump ahead of his story to carry out the train of thought. In the next chapter, he turns back the clock. This leaves the reader to sort things out chronologically.

Evans briefly mentions a few fundamentalist’s reactions to Rauschenbusch’s theological writings. Much more was needed in this area. Did he have friends in the opposite camp? Did he ever correspond with or debate his theological adversaries? Evans mentions only two: Pastor I. D. Haldeman (FBC, New York City), who believed Rauschenbusch’s theology was “clearly outside the boundaries of biblical Christianity” (225) and Pastor William Bell Riley, who Evans fails to identify as pastor of FBC, Minneapolis and President of Northwestern Schools. This reviewer knows from other reading that Rauschenbusch spoke on occasion for the Student Volunteer Movement. How did this relationship change as the Modernist-Fundamentalist debate heated up in the early 1900s? Did Rauschenbusch and Pierson ever cross paths?

Overall these deficiencies are minor and only concern the hard-nosed student of history.

When Walter Rauschenbusch died of colon cancer in 1918, postmillennialism was also in the throes of death. WWI had unofficially turned the idealistic theology on its head. Until his last breath, however, Rauschenbusch was looking for the Kingdom. A half-century later, Martin Luther King, a graduate of Crozer Theological Seminary, said that Rauschenbusch’s writings gave him the theological basis for non-violence.

The Kingdom Is Always but Coming is a fascinating read and helps us to understand the evolution of the Social Gospel in America. For many evangelicals this book will be an eye-opener. It shows how a conservative theologian becomes a liberal. This reviewer, however, came away liking Walter Rauschenbusch, despite his flaws. Rauschenbusch the man has a lot to offer evangelicals. He never lost sight of the Kingdom of God nor its ethical implications for the Church. Additionally, he was forever an evangelist, calling upon sinners to repent and be converted. If Walter Rauschenbusch were alive today, he might be considered part of the broader evangelical camp, not someone who could join the Evangelical Theological Society, but one whose books would be read by its members.

Those desiring to understand the early development of American evangelicalism and modernism, as seen through the eyes of their respective leaders, will find Occupy until I Come and The Kingdom Is Already but Coming very helpful.

Criswell Theological Review -- Providing for an Honest Dialogue

As editor of the Criswell Theoligical Review, I receive many letters about our journal. Our Spring '06 issue on "The Emergent Church" stirred quite a conversation among bloggers. Recently, I received an email asking where CTR (and its sponsor Criswell College) stands on emergent. Here was my reply:
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Thanks for your inquiry. Neither CTR nor the Criswell College takes an "official" stand on emergent. I imagine our faculty is split on the issue. CTR is an academic journal which seeks to explore various theological issues and trends from a scholarly perspective. We have covered such topics as Open Theism, New Perspective on Paul, Kingdom of God, etc. Our Fall '06 CTR will deal with tongues (the recent tongues controversy within the SBC and the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street revival make this a relevant issue).

As editor of CTR, I believe I have a responsibility to present all sides of an issue, allowing the honest reader to evaluate the articles on the validity of their claims. In this manner, truth has a way of surfacing. For example, the CTR reader who approaches the emergent articles with an open mind should be able to compare and evaluate the arguments of each writer. This is why we place both pro and con articles in our journal (Hammett, Smith and Driscoll write critically of the movement. McLaren, Mills and Webber write in favor of it).

I personally believe that those on both sides of most issues often talk past each other. Each starts with certain presuppositions (which may or may not be valid) and works out from there. As a result, they have already settled certain issues in their minds, and do not want to be challenged by or give ground to the other side. Additionally, they make judgments without actually reading the other side's writings; thus, making honest inquiry impossible. I know this is true with many emergent critics, especially among the clergy. They would rather follow their leaders than read the primary sources for themselves. In this way they don't have to think. It is equally true with the pro-emergents. While the leadership may grasp the issues, the rest simply follow.

CTR hopes to challenge the status quo. If read in its entirety, the pro/con articles in CTR may be the first time a person hears both sides of an issue. In this way, we hope to make a contribution to the dialogue.

Alan Streett, Editor
Criswell Theological Review