Lost in the Middle? Claiming an Inclusive Faith for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical [Paperback]

Wesley J. Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2008

There exists a deep and broad population of Christians who feel the labels of "liberal" and "evangelical" both describe their faith and limit their expression of it. By working to reclaim the traditional, historical meanings of these terms, and showing how they complement rather than oppose each other, Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice in today's polarized society.
Lost in the Middle? guides readers through a process of diagnosis and articulation, offering complementary perspectives on the phenomenon, problem, and promise of Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts. The authors show how individuals and institutions alike can reclaim and celebrate the highest virtues of both liberal and evangelical Christianity, and how doing so can lead to the creation of authentic and vibrant communities of faith.
Pastors, congregational leaders, seminarians, and all thoughtful Christians will learn how truly moderate Christianity can unite the compassionate openness and social activism of liberal Christianity with the magnetism and spiritual fervor of evangelical Christianity. You may feel lost in the middle, but you are not alone there. The middle may be the place where you find yourself living most authentically.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wesley J. Wildman is Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Boston University. His research and writing focuses on interdisciplinary topics connecting religion with the natural and social sciences. He is ordained in the Uniting Church in Australia and has seven years full-time parish experience in moderate Christian churches. Stephen Chapin Garner is the senior pastor of the United Church of Christ in Norwell, Massachusetts. He has just completed his DMin in homiletics, focusing on the role of first-person narratives in sermons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: The Alban Institute (November 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566993725
• ISBN-13: 978-1566993722
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wesley J. Wildman (1961-present) was born in Australia and moved to the United States in 1987. Since 1993 he has been a professor at Boston University, in the Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics Department within the School of Theology. He teaches and writes in those areas, and also in religion and science issues--especially the scientific study of religion. His home page is http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/.

Most of his writing is for academic specialists (yawn) but he is also working to communicate academic research to a wider public. To that end, he co-founded the Institute for the Biocultural Study of Religion (www.ibcsr.org), LiberalEvangelical.org, and the Spectrums Project (www.spectrumsproject.org), which reflect rather different aspects of his intellectual and political interests.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 18, 2010

By 

Penel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost in the Middle? Claiming an Inclusive Faith for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical (Paperback)

There exists a deep and broad population of Christians who feel the labels of "liberal" and "evangelical" both describe their faith and limit their expression of it. By working to reclaim the traditional, historical meanings of these terms, and showing how they complement rather than oppose each other, Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice in today's polarized society.

Lost in the Middle? guides readers through a process of diagnosis and articulation, offering complementary perspectives on the phenomenon, problem, and promise of Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts. The authors show how individuals and institutions alike can reclaim and celebrate the highest virtues of both liberal and evangelical Christianity, and how doing so can lead to the creation of authentic and vibrant communities of faith.

Pastors, congregational leaders, seminarians, and all thoughtful Christians will learn how truly moderate Christianity can unite the compassionate openness and social activism of liberal Christianity with the magnetism and spiritual fervor of evangelical Christianity. You may feel lost in the middle, but you are not alone there. The middle may be the place where you find yourself living most authentically.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much needed book!, March 19, 2010

By 

John W. Burgeson "Burgy" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lost in the Middle? Claiming an Inclusive Faith for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical (Paperback)

For those of us who take scripture seriously, too seriously to take it literally; for those of us in mainline churches, happy that the off-brand churches are growing and appalled at some of their theologies, for those of us who label ourselves both liberal (progressive) AND evangelical, this book, with its companion "Found in the Middle" is a breath of fresh air. Read them! Start with this one first.