The End of Evangelicalism? Discerning a New Faithfulness for Mission: Towards an Evangelical Political Theology (Theopolitical Visions) [Paperback]

David E. Fitch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2011 | Series: Theopolitical Visions (Book 8)

In The End of Evangelicalism? David Fitch examines the political presence of evangelicalism as a church in North America. Amidst the negative image of evangelicalism in the national media and its purported decline as a church, Fitch asks how evangelicalism's belief and practice has formed it as a political presence in North America. Why are evangelicals perceived as arrogant, exclusivist, duplicitous, and dispassionate by the wider culture? Diagnosing its political cultural presence via the ideological theory of Slavoj Zizek, Fitch argues that evangelicalism appears to have lost the core of its politic: Jesus Christ. In so doing its politic has become "empty." Its witness has been rendered moot. The way back to a vibrant political presence is through the corporate participation in the triune God's ongoing work in the world as founded in the incarnation. Herein lies the way towards an evangelical missional political theology. Fitch ends his study by examining the possibilities for a new faithfulness in the current day emerging and missional church movements springing forth from evangelicalism in North America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub (February 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606086847
• ISBN-13: 978-1606086841
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In your hands is one of the sharpest and informed evaluations of the state of evangelicalism. Read it slowly. Ponder it. Plot a better evangelicalism."
--Scot McKnight
Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies
North Park University

"In compelling fashion, Fitch digs deep to examine how key U.S. evangelical beliefs actually function as an ideology rather than gospel. He calls us from a Christianity that acts as 'ideology' to one that authentically incarnates Jesus' life and mission. What a book! This one will knock you back on your heels."
--Howard A. Snyder
Professor of Wesley Studies
Tyndale Seminary, Ontario, Canada

"This is a significant book for those wrestling with the theological and cultural integrity of the Evangelical movement in a post-Christian setting."
--John R. Franke
Clemens Professor of Missional Theology
Biblical Seminary, Hatfield, Pennsylvania

"David Fitch explores three key issues that symbolize the evangelical conundrum-the inerrant Bible, the decision for Christ, and the Christian nation-by reframing them through missional theology. This is a timely and crucial read for those concerned about the evangelical movement."
--Craig Van Gelder
Professor of Congregational Mission
Luther Seminary, St. Paul --Wipf and Stock Publishers

About the Author

David E. Fitch is B. R. Lindner Professor of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary, Lombard IL. He is also a pastor at Life on the Vine Christian Community in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. He is the author of The Great Giveaway (2005).

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub (February 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606086847
• ISBN-13: 978-1606086841
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for a New Faithfulness for Mission March 28, 2011

By Brian Houghtaling

Format:Paperback

As Dr. Fitch warns in his blog, "there's some intense political theory in this book alongside some intense theology." While I lack formal education in both political theory and theology, I still found this book to be both accessible and full of hope.

It's accessible because Fitch provides a comprehensive overview of the methods he uses to understand the `fact' of experience (political theory) of Evangelical theology. He covers a lot of ground as he helps the reader understand and apply Slavoj Zizek's social critical framework. After a couple of sessions of reading and rereading, I was prepared to use Zizek's framework to explore Evangelicalism.

Fitch goes on to systematically investigate three central Evangelical theological commitments: "the inerrant Bible," "the decision for Christ," and "the Christian Nation." He clearly shows how these commitments have lead to the establishment of an ideology that tends to be against much more than it is for.

The good news is that he doesn't finish with a mere critique. I found hope as Fitch goes on to truly discern a new faithfulness for mission. Faithfulness focused on the formation of God's people, socially, into the Body of Christ, "the very extension of "the Sent One'" participating in the missio Dei - the restoration of all things.

On several occasions, I have struggled to understand the opinions of some of my Evangelical friends and colleagues. Having a desire to live together in unity (Psalm 133: 1-3), I have sometimes remained silent especially when confronted with strongly held group opinions. Fitch's book has given me a way to both understand where these opinions come from and a renewed hope for change.... A hope that is based on faith in a loving God, a hope that claims that redemption, not suffering, is the final word. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging Theologically and Missionally April 26, 2011

By Greg Arthur

Format:Paperback

s evangelicalism over? It is changing? Are we discovering a new way of being the church within evangelicalism? David Fitch in his new book The End of Evangelicalism takes an in-depth look at the political theology of evangelicalism, its foundations, its ramifications and alternative practices that might better suit us.

Having just read through and reviewed Love Wins by Rob Bell this book is a completely different animal all together. My main criticism of Love Wins is in the irresponsibility of the format and style. The questions it asked were far too important for the stylized unsubstantiated methods of the book. The End of Evangelicalism? is the opposite. From the get go you are very aware that this is part of an academic series and carries the weight and depth appropriate to such work. It is extensively footnoted, researched, and well put together. Immediately my mind was excited by the challenge of this book and its high level theological and political discourse.

That being said this is obviously not a book for the average lay person. It wasn't written for mass pop consumption, it was written for those in the church who are engaging in the hard fought battles of missional discourse. What is particularly unique about the book is the David uses the ideological theories of Slavoj Zizek as the basis for his analysis of the politic of evangelicalism. Not familiar with Slavoj? Well you can join the club on that one because his work was entirely new for me as well. But David does a very effective job of making Zizek's work approachable and insightful. Zizek's work provides a very fruitful soil for the conversations around evangelicalism.... This is made especially more effective by David's addition of a robust kingdom theology that takes Zizek's critiques and insights and turns them into missional actions for the church.

What I appreciate most about this work is that there are real substantive missional ideas for us to interact with. This is not merely a critique or a vague theological work that has little bearing on daily church work. This is a book that if we engage with it properly it should regularly inform the daily missional of the church. That is its aim and that is what it delivers. I am sure that much of that is rooted in David's personal experience where he is not only a professor at Northern Seminary but also a pastor at Life on the Vine Christian Community in the Chicago area. So I highly recommend this book for those of you who desire to engage with the politic of the church on both intentionally theological and decidedly practical levels. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Review of David E. Fitch's "The End of Evangelicalism?" April 24, 2011

By Jeremy

Format:Paperback

Is Evangelicalism an empty politic (Zizek)? Have Evangelical's fallen into the trap of defining themselves by what they are against, rather than what they are for? Why is there a disconnect between the professed belief of Evangelicals and their actions? These are the questions addressed in David E. Fitch's "The End of Evangelicalism?".

Using Zizekian analysis, Fitch examines three core Evangelical beliefs: 1) The Inerrant Bible, 2) The Decision (for Christ) and 3) The Christian Nation. In examining these beliefs, Fitch brings out attention to what is wrong within Evangelicalism, and ultimately provides a new understanding of the above core beliefs, making way for a new direction for Evangelicals to consider. Staying within Evangelicalism, Fitch provides a succinct and effective analysis of the current failings of Evangelicalism.

If you are disturbed by recent trends within Evangelical thought, or are otherwise curious to see how Evangelicals are responding to their (own) crisis, then Fitch is recommended reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Yup, it's true, evangelicalism is against stuff... April 21, 2012

By S. Grace

Format:Paperback

Drawing on the socio-political insights of Slavoj Zizek, an ideological cynic and dialectical philosopher, author David Fitch develops the thesis that the present day evangelical Christian movement has become an "empty politic." This terminology refers to a system of belief or ideology that is driven by a political engine primarily by what it is against, being fueled by antagonism against those who would steal what evangelicals do not possess, and therefore is fundamentally void of value and meaning at its ideological core. The existence of the empty politic is completely dependent upon the reality of the antagonizing "object(s)". An empty politic is initiated through the construction of "master-signifiers" or ideas and concepts around which a group forms creating a political rallying point. Ironically the ideological symbol's definition escapes precision, clarity, and even real understanding. Once the "master-signifiers" are in place they are easy to locate based upon the "excessive and irrational enjoyment" that a group collectively and individually demonstrates through its "jouissance." This cynical celebration of antagonism serves to act as the reinforcing agent to the accepted political behavior. Joiussance acts as a reward through providing a group with excessive enjoyment knowing they are not part of what they are against. Finally, the master-signifiers are exposed for their emptiness at times where there is an "irruption of the Real".... Fitch understands Zizek as saying because the politic is fundamentally void at its core from relying only on what it is against, and since no one is aware of the exact referent of the master-signifier, when someone of the same ideology acts in such a way as to take the meaning of the master-signifier to its ultimate extreme, what is referred to as "over-identification", then the true emptiness of the ideology is finally revealed. The core of the ideology is empty and the purpose of the politic is simply a rallying point to determine who is in, and who is out. Once over-identification is observed there is good reason to believe the ideology has revealed its own illegitimate formation. Fitch points out that Zizek's basis for thought is primarily nihilistic suggesting that all ideologies are empty at their core, yet Fitch - though noting evangelical political formation express at times ideological characteristics - maintains that evangelicalism does not have to express an empty politic, but instead in so far as the evangelical church is faithful to fulfill the mission of the incarnate Son then the evangelical is capable of living out what he terms a politic of fullness.

One cannot help but wonder how, in Fitch's thinking, an empty politic came to describe evangelical Christianity. Fitch locates three primary master-signifiers in the evangelical movement. He argues that inerrancy, the conversion decision, and the idea of Christian nation stand as three great master-signifiers in the evangelical movement, even today.

Fitch argues that these three signifiers are the result of the "primordial traumatic event" of the modernist-fundamentalist controversy of the early 20th century in America. During this time the antagonism between liberal and conservative took hold and soon these master-signifiers revealed the emptiness in such a way that although no one was able to point out exactly to what these signifiers refer, it was "known" and those who questioned the meaning were in trouble of becoming one of the others who they were against in the first place. When appropriated for whatever cause in the evangelical movement these "master-signifiers" became symbols around which almost anyone who "belonged" could rally. Jouissance takes over and the antagonism is perpetuated. It is not until over-identification occurs that the emptiness of the politic comes to the fray.

The issue of inerrancy in the evangelical movement is perhaps the most famous of the master-signifiers. Prior to the 20th century there existed no formal signed document or council that gathered to discern the nature of the Scriptures in regards to whether or not they were inerrant (without error in the original autographs). It was not until the time when a scientific worldview came to dominate the institutions of higher learning that the veracity and nature of the Scriptures were called into question by broader society, even Christians. Conservatives rallied to defend the inerrancy of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. In doing this, albeit good-intentioned but misguided, the evangelical movement, Fitch argues, rallied primarily around what it was against, i.e. doubt in the Bible and higher criticism which subjugated the Bible to the level of "just another book" with no special divine inspiration or truth value intrinsically. The goal of the fundamentalist was to prove doubters wrong, and conversely show that fundamentalist was right. In this way inerrancy became, Fitch argues, an ideology, an empty politic. When all the layers are pealed off, inerrancy is found to be primarily an ideological statement of antagonism and, other than attempting to provide a certainty-based epistemological system, very little constructive value is attached with regard to fulfilling God's mission in the world.

So then, is the movement of evangelicalism destined to conform to its perceived image of emptiness, Fitch wonders? According to Fitch, not necessarily so. From the reading Fitch encourages the evangelical movement to cease and desist from perpetuating the cycle of empty ideological antagonism and return to the center of the Christian faith, the place of fullness where the mission of God is grounded in the person of Jesus Christ through the agency of the Spirit.

Fitch, building off a worldview which sees God as "Real"ity and the ontological core, does not give up hope and allows for the possibility that if evangelicalism will turn from defining herself by what she is against, who is out, and turns to delight herself in the mission of a politic of fullness, then the evangelical movement will ultimately take part in embodying the gospel of Jesus Christ and developing a politic that is sourced in a "source from beyond itself" and is a "gift [that] is full."

Fitch maintains that there is hope for the evangelical church. In a politic of fullness however these three signifiers (inerrancy, conversion decision, and Christian nation) will not longer be ends in themselves drawing lines, but instead when they are placed within God's mission through the incarnate Son and extended into the world by the Spirit they become tools which further the mission, which allow for a taste of the Kingdom to settle in where evil, brokenness, and sin still wage a strong war against the fullness of life in the Son. These signifiers become assets to the mission being oriented toward the person of Jesus Christ, rather than serving as lines to divide for purposes of identification and antagonism.

Fitch finally offers, in the last chapter, a way through which the evangelical movement might regain its legitimacy in the public square. Drawing from an eclectic group Christian thinkers and theologians Fitch offers a way out of the empty politic into a politic of fullness.

Because the book is primarily formative and not informative there is little evidence-based writing, instead it seems Fitch summoned strong insight and intuition in trying to gather the general disposition of the general evangelical movement over the past hundred or so years. Very little historical evidence is represented in the writing, but the point is generally understand, and in need of little evidence since it is generally agreed upon that fundamentalism (i.e. evangelicalism) is primarily driven by what it is against, at least in the public square (c.f. UnChristian by Kinnaman). Fitch's use of Zizek is very helpful as a model through which to think about evangelicalism.

It would appear on the surface level though that Fitch's arguments lack strong precision and the reader is left primarily with the idea that the evangelical church is broken and needs fixing. It causes one to wonder, "Who didn't already know that?" Noll and Marsden have offered plenty of assistance in this area, though primarily speaking to the academy. Ironically Fitch's work is needed at the lay level, but the book speaks in highly inaccessible philosophical language for the general reader and academic theological language that is really only 'en vogue' in the divinity schools and seminaries. Certainly it is accessible (or should be) to the divinity student, seminarian, and perhaps upper-level undergraduate, but definitely not Joe the Plumber, unless of course Joe the Plumber has a fascination for highly philosophical and theological jargon. Fitch's thinking will do the evangelical church a favor because Fitch does one thing well... he encourages the evangelical movement to define itself not by what it is against, but by what it is for. To that I sound a hearty fundamentalist, "AMEN!" Read more ›