Customer Reviews

Evangelical is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an evangelical deeply interested in and sympathetic to Catholicism, I found Thomas Howard's "Evangelical is not Enough" to be one of the most moving religious books I've read in years. Howard was born into an evangelical family, moved into an Anglican communion as an adult, and subsequent to the first publishing of "Not Enough" became a Roman Catholic. This is NOT a Roman Catholic apologia. As noted, Howard's famous (and, within evangelical circles, highly controversial) conversion post-dates this book. Instead, is an apologia for all the apostolic liturgical starins of Christianity (including the Anglican and Orthodox traditions).

Although the story is obviously colored by Howard's faith journey, this is not a biography or memoir. Instead, it is an exploration of the liturgical tradition written by someone deeply sympathetic to the evangelical tradition. Howard explores such controverted issues as Mary, the authority of scripture and church teaching (sola scriptura), justification (sola fide), and liturgy.

I believe (with Howard) that the evangelical churches have gone too far in rejecting liturgy. A traditional High Church service touches my soul far more deeply than the modern praise worship so common in evangelical services. (I was recently in one of those mega-churches where they serve Starbucks coffee and everybody takes their latte into the pew. I'm glad there are churches like that for people who prefer that style of worship, but its not for me.) The hard questions for me are the touchstones of Reformation theology--sola scriptura and sola fide. Does the apostolic tradition have authority or is only scripture authoritative? Is salvation by faith alone or by faith and works? Howard has struggled with these issues too and has given us a fair, balanced, honest, and deeply scriptural set of answers. In sum, HIGHLY recommended.

Howard was a shining star among Protestant Evangelicals until his conversion to Catholicism in the 1980s, and that conversion is described and explained in this book. His decision shocked his former Evangelical compatriots, some of whom attacked him rather severely for it. Howard had already written several books on Christian themes--some dealing with his hero, C.S. Lewis--and has continued in recent years to write books discussing aspects of the Catholic faith. This work is a fascinating apologetic about the limitations of Evangelicalism and the fullness of liturgical Christianity. It has much within its pages that will benefit Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Howard's gift for making complicated issues clear has led some to call him "America's answer to C.S. Lewis."

Howard makes it clear that he still has a great love and respect for his Evangelical roots: this is by no means an anti-Evangelical book. He found, however, that despite all the passionate zeal that he felt earlier in his life, there was still something missing--something that he discovered could only be found (much to his surprise) in the liturgy. One of Howard's strengths is his ability to anticipate the objections that Protestants hold regarding each topic, which allows him to explain liturgical Christianity with greater clarity while still retaining what is good about the Evangelical approach. The fact that he once shared these objections gives added weight and open-mindedness to his discussion. It is clear that Howard's interest is to find the Truth, not to take sides in a partisan theological debate, and in that sense this book is perhaps something of a spiritual thriller. His tone is always optimistic, sympathetic, passionate, and informative. He brings to this book a clear love for Christianity that readers of any faith will likely find contagious. Catholics will come away with a greater understanding of the beauty and grandeur of their ancient faith, while non-Catholics will better understand why liturgical Christianity is the fullest expression of the faith as Christ intended.

If you have heard a lot of bad things about the Catholic faith but want to find out more for yourself, Howard's later book (On Being Catholic) is a better place to start. If, however, you are interested in learning why yet another prominent Protestant made a carefully reasoned and heartfelt decision to embrace liturgical Christianity, this is the book for you. Howard is a clear, insightful and penetrating writer of great learning who believes very strongly in his subject, and his enthusiasm is evident on every page. He brings with him all the excitement and wonder of a convert who has discovered for the first time the Catholic faith as it really is, finding that it is a far different thing from what he had always heard and assumed. His surprise at what he found is evident, which is what makes this such an honest and touching account.

Tom Howard has written an excellent book here. It does not have to be read by a Catholic in order to gain great meaning from the work. As an evangelical, I can identify with what he discusses as lacking in the Church. He does a good job at identifying exactly the issues he sets out to work with: worshipping God in liturgy and sacrament. It is not a This-Is-Why-You-Should-Be-Catholic book, or at least does not necessarily have to be taken as a work of Catholic apologetics. He is aiming at the need in ANY church to identify its roots and appreciate 2,000 years of history in the communion of saints.

It was valuable to learn about the reason behind many traditions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who sees the traditional liturgy as rote memorization, boring and irrelevant to their life. Tom Howard breaths life into doctrines and practices of the Church, both traditional evangelical and Catholic, that many people can lose sight of.

What I liked, though, is that he took it to the next step, claiming that worshipping God is not entirely subjective, i.e. it is objectively GOOD to have roots in tradition. So often Christians are comfortable with "whatever size fits" in worship, and don't consider that WHAT they do may be as important as how they FEEL when doing it.

Recently, several Evangelical Christians have converted to more traditional and sacramentally oriented churches. The big headlines were that most of these converts were going over to Catholicism and to a lesser extent Eastern Orthodoxy and the Anglican Communion. But, few seemed to notice that one of the main threads through all of these conversions was a strong desire for more meaningful worship after a rush by many conservative Evangelicals to make their services more contemporary. Thomas Howard's book "Evangelical Is Not Enough" speaks perfectly to those longings and shows how the liturgy satisfies them.

Growing up in a conservative Protestant background, Howard felt that more sensual and liturgical brands of worship weren't "spiritual" or were nothing but a "dead ritual." Through a journey that spanned several years, Howard explains how the liturgical worship he used to view as a "famine" became a feast to the eyes, ears and touch.

Given the title, one would think that this is a fierce polemic on the inadequacy of Evangelicalism. Nothing could be further from the truth. While making sure to praise the Evangelicalism that nurtured him in the faith, he also critiques its deficiencies as someone who loves his fathers in faith so much that he must point them out because of that great love. Howard anticipates virtually every objection that people from his background can make against liturgical worship and answers them briefly, but in a cogent manner.

While this is a topic that can be extremely dry, Howard packages his views and spiritual journey in such magnificent prose that the reader is awakened to the drama that takes place at the seemingly hum-drum Mass, Divine Liturgy or Anglican services. This book isn't a complete and thorough apologetic for liturgical worship that goes through every possible objection and answers them with copious footnotes and greek grammar. It does provide for a breezy read that is guaranteed to get you excited about worship, no matter what communion you hail from!

As an evangelical who is finding herself drawn towards the Catholic Church, I found this book wonderful. At no time does the author "bash" his Evangelical heritage, unlike other convertion stories, and I found it helpful that he does not tell of his convertion to the RC Church until the end of the book. If you are of an Evangelical tradition, and feel that something is missing from your spiritual life - this book is well worth reading. I discovered a wealth of resources in a liturgy I didn't even know existed.

One rarely finds any Christian dealing so gently with the dichotomy between Evangelicalism and the Liturgical tradition. Moving from his Evangelical upbringing with a slow, thoughtful conversion, Thomas Howard respectfully describes why he believes that being Evangelical Is, simply, Not Enough.

Howard describes how he came to be reconciled with the more controversial issues of the liturgy - set prayers, the routine of the Church Calendar, priestly garb, prayer for the dead, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the incessant reminder that we are flesh and blood creatures, not pure intellects. Describing the Good Friday liturgy, where the faithful kiss a replica of the cross, Howard days, "I had never before done anything other than try my best to think about the cross. Here I was obliged to carry these sentiments into actual physical gestures. The act not only expresses something real, it gives force and clarity to it" (144). Howard constantly presses his reader to consider both spirit and flesh; his argument rests in the simple fact of the Incarnation: God became flesh and redeemed it thus (pg. 36, especially). Any reading of the Old Testament illustrates the incredible, visceral way God deals with his people: through sacrifice and blood, through incense, smoke, and physical posture, through meals and clothing. Few Christians realize just how important our bodies are, and Howard gently presses this, constantly reminding his reader that the Liturgy actually frees the believer to worship and refrain from being caught up in his own emotion.

As a convert to Catholicism from Evangelicalism, I was encouraged by the way Howard deals with controversy and challenged to keep the faith in my own routines - not just to genuflect, but to bow with my whole heart, not just to recite prayers at Mass, but to mean them. I often tend towards "apologetics with an axe," and I found the dignity of Howard's book inspiring. He is so courteous I wouldn't hesitate to hand this book to the most fervent opposer of the Liturgy, or the most timid searcher.

Perhaps most happily, Howard's writing is beautiful. I was first transfixed by his articles in "Touchstone" magazine - where he pointed out the overwhelming use of the word "just" in Protestant prayer, much to my amusement - and am simply charmed by his adept handling of the art of composition.

Brilliantly written, well-considered, and endlessly courteous, Howard's book deserves a place on all our shelves. As for me, I can't wait to get my hands on his follow-up book, "On Being Catholic."

Howard's book is excellent for those seeking a more incarnational, traditional, and holistic approach to the Christian faith. He covers key issues that typically keep Protestants away from the Roman Church- the union of spirit and flesh, traditional views of worship and prayer, the reverence Catholics offer to Mary and the faithful departed, and a convincing argument in favor of the "real presence" of Christ Jesus in the Eucharist. This book is very winsome and has been given to many friends. Other books of interest may include CONGAR'S "tradition and traditions" (quite scholarly); Frank SCHAEFFER's Dancing Alone (an Orthodox Apologetic); and the SUNGENIS duo "Not by Scripture Alone" and "Not by Faith Alone". Kallistos Ware's "Orthodox Way" and "Orthodox Church" are also HIGHLY recommended in this regard.

This book looks like a typical refutation of evangelical Christianity for Catholicism. However, it is much more. I never have read such a joyous, clear explanation of how evangelical Christians view and live their faith. I have read many Catholic conversion stories but this is the first without any judgement of one side or the other. Mr. Howard clearly shows how the two views of Christianity complement and fulfill each other. Both are in agreement on the fundamentals (anti-abortion, intense focus on redemption and Jesus) although each group would be surprised to realize this because they are so focused on their differences. Evangelicals have intense personal passion for their faith and Catholics have liturgy and sacraments that speak to our human senses and innate need for repetition (the liturgy of the year for example). All Christians would be surprised how much they could learn from this book.

Many things were used by the Holy Spirit to show me the glory of the Catholic Church, but one of the most important was this book. If you've not read it and discovered the splendors of both the ancient Faith and the great writer who is Tom Howard, then drop everything and do! Thanks be to God for his good servant, Thomas and his glorious gift of the Church in her fullness! An exuberant five stars because the system doesn't allow me to give it ten.

This book is a wonderfully written personal account of an evangelical's discovery of liturgy, sacrament, and Church history. Its charity and clarity are both disarming and compelling. It is a wonderful starting place for Christians who may be looking into Catholic Christianity for the first time. In a field too crowded with venemous polemic, this book stands out as a work of love and understanding. A real gem.