Customer Reviews

The Remaking of Evangelical Theology

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This is an important book, worthy of careful study byChristians wrestling with issues of biblical inspiration, authority,and reliability. Dorrien surveys how American evangelicals have responded to these issues, especially in the last century and in the context of the biblical inerrancy debate. His detailed and copious knowledge of evangelicalism is all the more remarkable since he appears to speak as an outsider to this tradition. Dorrien gives detailed summaries of the major works in changing evangelical theologies, and seems to restate varying views with fairness. His focus seems to be on evangelical scholars, and this may be why influential writers lacking earned Ph.D.s such as Francis Schaeffer and Charles Colson have been omitted in this survey. Also, pro-inerrancy Wesleyans from the Wesleyan Theological Society are deemphasized in favor of those speaking of the Bible's infallible teaching but not necessarily its inerrancy. Varying responses to the Jewish roots of Christian faith are also overlooked. But the book does cover the most important and influential evangelical scholarship of this century more thoroughly and carefully than any other book of which I am aware. This would be a fine textbook for a graduate course on theology in either an evangelical or a non-evangelical educational setting.

I could not recommend a more accessible, readable, and insightful survey of 20th century (American) evangelicalism. Dorrien takes the reader through the early days of fundamentalism, and traces evangelicalism from the days of Princeton seminary, through the foundation of Fuller Seminary (perhaps one of the most seminal events in evangelicalism's recent history), the disputes over inerrancy in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and the emerging progressive elements of evangelicalism. He covers in detail the major evangelical thinkers, ranging from Warfield and Machen in the early fundamentalist era, to Henry and Ramm in the era of 'new evangelicalism,' through to Pinnock and Bloesch in more recent times.

Writing as (I think) a theological liberal, Dorrien gives a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of evangelicalism's development. He is honest about the strengths and weaknesses of the movement, with no particular axe of his own to grind. The Remaking of Evangelical Theology represents a far more even-handed approach than some anti-fundamentalist polemics to be written in recent years, such as that written some twenty years ago by Professor James Barr. In an interview five or six years ago, Barr insisted that evangelicalism has still not progressed since he wrote his earlier critique. Barr paints a picture of evangelicalism as a monolithic movement still clinging to the indefensible inerrancy doctrine of the sort propogated by Harold Lindsell. Dorrien's more nuanced and honest look at the historical development of recent evangelical thought, however, reveals a multi-layered movement in the midst of progression.

Coming from an Evangelical background, I enjoyed Gary's even handed treatment of Evangelical Theology. He was fair in his treatment of the personalities involved. This is must reading for those who want an independent look at Evangelical Theology.