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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great perspective on an important topic, July 9, 2006
This review is from: Character of Theology, The: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose (Paperback)
I agree with most of the comments of one of the other reviewers, particularly the difficulties with the authority of scripture (if one context cannot speak into another, how does God communicate?) Franke's answer seems to be through the Spirit but this doesn't seem to solve the problem of why the Spirit needs the Scripture at all. There is a lot of overlap between this book and "Beyond Foundationalism" by Franke and the late Stanley Grenz, sometimes almost verbatim overlap. I also agree Franke's critique does not have the depth of Vanhoozer (my personal favorite), Jamie Smith or Wesphal (all great authors to check out, by the way, if this book whets your appetite). It spite of these weaknesses, the book is an excellent critique of modern foundationalism and its influence on the evangelical church. While it may be hard to find a "classic foundationalist" anywhere at all (and Franke's critique is of classical foundationalism and in that sense Franke is battling windmills instead of dragons, since most foundationalists are of the softer variety), he does make some strong points. Knowledge is transmitted from context to context, it seems to be impossible for it to be impartial. He also makes a strong point about evangelicals having a tendency to treat the Bible as "a collection of propositions" ready to be analyzed and from that analysis a collection of principles derived by which we live. It does seem as though there are other ways of communicating truth other than propositionally (for example narrative, poetry, metaphor) and that most communication of knowledge will somehow be tainted by the context from which it comes and the context to which it goes. While I find this critique compelling, as was mentioned by the other reviewer, Franke's solution does seem weak. Basically, the Bible becomes the "norming norm" by which we judge all of our actions and we decipher the meaning of the Bible (coming from one context to another) through the Holy Spirit. While claiming Reformation thought as the inspiration for this solution, it does seem more like experientialism to me. First, why have the Bible at all, surely if the Holy Spirit is the only active element in knowing the truth of Scripture he could speak to us us as easily through Zane Grey or Superman Action comic #1. Franke fails to develop a reason that scripture is necessary. Second, the history of Protestantism is fragmentation based on varying interpretations of scripture and this view of Scripture would seem to promote further disintegration of the church rather than unity. Third, while distinct communities are healthy, I don't know if he proves that distinctly Christian communities are necessary. His view of orthodoxy is very broad but I wonder how difficult it would be, using his logic, to accept a distinctly non-Orthodox community as one that embodies truth and defines it within its own community. So if each individual community defines its own truth within its own context, why is a Christian community necessarily right while a non-Christian one not? In spite of these caveats (and many more I haven't time to discuss), I still highly recommend this book. I think Franke raises issues that will be critical to the church in the coming decades and much of this thought mirrors that of the emerging church which is growing in influence. My advice is to read it critically and also, if your interest in piqued, take a look at some of the other authors mentioned earlier for a deeper look at these issues. You might also look at some of the works of Lindbeck (post-liberal) and Horton (reformed).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book, October 31, 2005
This review is from: Character of Theology, The: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose (Paperback)
John's latest book, strikes out from where that text left off, although John suggests it is more of a prequel, and it is much easier to read. It's slim at 200 pages, and set to become another key text for people wanting to understand theology in a post-modern context. What I love about the book, is that John put's himself into it, theology is part of his journey and story, this is not esoteric academics, but someone who has been trying to make sense of his own questions and those of his students in the real world. So if like John you value your evangelical heritage, appreciate the process the reformers undertook, and want to engage meaningfully with our post-modern context, this is the book for that. I love John's sub title, for the book, 'A Post-conservative evangelical approach'.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Too Much of a Good Thing :: The Character of Theology by Franke, February 6, 2010
This review is from: Character of Theology, The: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose (Paperback)
Standing firmly within the Reformed tradition, [1] John Franke, in The Character of Theology, sets out to make a case for postconservative theology. At a critical level, Franke is wildly successful in this endeavor. His work shines brightest when he discusses issues of epistemology,[2] which is a reoccurring theme throughout the work. Frank ultimately presents a baseline theological method which will be helpful for anyone doing theology in the wake of modernism's passing. The work suffers from two problems. First, the style teeters on the edge of the academic, which removes it from the lay reader's bookshelf. For instance, Franke spends much time discussing the works and contributions of other authors to the fields of theology which is immensely helpful in understanding the contours and developments of theology, but forces the reader to keep track of several other chess games in addition to Franke's. Secondly, Franke sometimes glosses over those he criticizes for the sake of his theory. For instance, Franke does not engage nor refers to any engagement of criticisms of the imagined hegemony of orthodoxy in the pre-Nicean churches that he so readily dismisses and the work suffers because of it.[3] This book is recommended for Christian theologians looking for an alternate way of doing theology which is both faithful to the biblical witness and Christian tradition while divorcing a foundationalist epistemology. More adventurous lay readers will find the work immensely helpful too, though most lay readers might want to seek out more popular works, such as Grenz's A Primer on Postmodernism or Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? by Smith. [1] This might be a slight stumbling block to Christian readers outside or on the margins of Reformed thought. He does not, however, play cheerleader to all things Reformed, critiquing the tendency to present static, rather than living views of tradition and theology. See John Franke, Character of Theology, The: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose (Baker Academic, 2005), 110. [2] Most notably when he defends the common charge that anything in any way connected with postmodernism is really relativistic nihilism. See Franke, Character of Theology, The, 79. In academic circles, this might not be the case, but it is in popular Christian theology and apologetic works. For an example of this, see J. P. Moreland, Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit's Power (Zondervan, 2007), chap. 3 & 5. [3] See Franke, Character of Theology, The, 108. Such an engagement is important for the plurality of orthodoxies in the first three centuries of Christianity because it directly mirrors our situation - of a people dealing with a paradigm shift, wrestling with tradition and forming varied and contextual responses.
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