Found in the Middle! Theology and Ethics for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical [Paperback]

Wesley J. Wildman (Author), Stephen Chapin Garner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2009

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 Gardner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice in today's polarized society.
Found in the Middle! offers a foundational approach to the theology and ethics that undergird a congregation where moderate Christians can thrive. Wildman and Garner serve as helpful guides on a quest for a humble theology, an intelligible gospel message, a compelling view of church unity, and a radical ethics deeply satisfying to most Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts.
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 of 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: 185 pages
• Publisher: The Alban Institute (May 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566993814
• ISBN-13: 978-1566993814
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,926 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.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, March 19, 2010

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This review is from: Found in the Middle! Theology and Ethics 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 "Lost in the Middle" is a breath of fresh air. Read them! Start with the companion volume first.