After Evangelicalism

The Path to a New Christianity
David P. Gushee

One of my friends said they had a positive experience from reading this book. I decided to check it out for myself. I had no background with the book or its ideas previously. Gushee presents a large work on what people coming out of Evangelicalism can do with their theology and practice. When you remove something, you must replace it. He gives the framework of three parts: authorities, theology, and ethics.

He opened the book in the introduction by telling his story of leaving Evangelicalism and how it has affected him. The author gives his grievances and problems he sees. In Part 1, he addresses the authorities and how to listen and learn from one another. In chapter 1, he explains the history of Evangelicals, that they were declared Evangelicals before they took the name. He separates Evangelicalism into groups like early Evangelicals, new Evangelicals, and American Evangelicals. One of his problems is with Evangelicals becoming the political right in America. He says this has opened doors to unfortunate connections with the political sphere. This has made many Christians who were part of the Evangelical camp to become disillusioned with it.

In chapter 2, the author talks about the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture, and how Evangelicals have begun worshiping the Bible over worshiping God. They defend it in these categories that it does not even claim for itself. Gushee says the Bible has always been under the authority of the Church and when we talk about its inerrancy or infallibility, is the Church interpreting the Bible to suit its needs. He points out that the Jews decided which books were included in the Hebrew Bi chapter 5 ble, and the Church decided which books were in the New Testament. He suggests that since the Bible is the Church’s book that we should use it in that way. He makes the case that there are other ways of learning information in the world, and Evangelicals had made the Bible the only way to learn knowledge.

In this chapter, I had the hardest time following the author’s arguments. When you replace the authority and inspiration of the Bible with your own ideas of how it is “the Church’s book,” you open yourself up to all kinds of interpretation. This reminds me of Bible studies where people read a verse or two and then go around the circle asking what people think it means. This is a dangerous path, and once you take the authority of Scripture away, you have nothing to stand on. I disagreed with his approach and information. The Church did not decide what books read the New Testament. The Holy Spirit did, and the Church agreed.

In chapter 3, the author now tries to put other authorities in place of the ones he removed when he left Evangelicalism. Gushee looks to other ways to hear God’s voice beyond Scripture. He expands on the different ways we gather knowledge. He points to Church tradition and Church leadership. The author says we should also look to human reason, experience, intuition, relationships, and community. He highlights the arts and sciences, but “good science” and the Christian humanism of Erasmus. Once again, when you replace the authority of Scripture and its inspiration, you have to look to other sources like these. It’s a slippery slope.

The author moves on to Part 2 which highlights the theology of believing and belonging. In chapter 4, he talks about the story of Israel and how God intervened on earth. Some of this chapter has some good stuff. The author says he starts with the burning of children in the Nazi concentration camps. I must point out that Pentecostals are often chided for “beginning with experience and then making theology out of it.” That’s exactly what he does. He describes how God deals with Israel through exile and exodus. Jews are still dealing with how God relates to them now after the Holocaust.

The author then describes Jesus as the apocalyptic prophet, lynched God-Man, and risen Lord. I thought he had some good thoughts on Jesus in this chapter. How does each group of people confiscate Jesus’s image for their own purposes? It is true we can commandeer Jesus for our own gain if we are not careful, but good Bible study habits and exegesis should keep us away from this. He uses the Gospel of Matthew to show how he approaches Jesus. He finishes by asking us how we deal with Jesus’s message and death.

In chapter 6, the author takes on our understanding of the Church, and rehashes the problems he has with the Evangelical Church. He has a previous book that deals with how he approaches Christian homosexuals, and how he has a life group that welcomes Christians of all kinds. I understand where his heart is coming from, but he makes some assertions in this chapter I do not agree with. For instance, I have no problem welcoming homosexuals who believe in Jesus into the Christian community. However, he says they should be in church leadership, and I think there are some issues with this and other assertions. There’s a big difference between tolerating a sinful lifestyle and promoting it within the Church.

In Part 3, the author addresses Christian ethics and being and behavior. Chapter 7 gives the author the opportunity to talk about how Evangelicals have dealt with sex, and their interpretation of it. He goes over some of the abuses of this topic among conservative Evangelicals. I grant that some popular cases have not helped the situation of those involved, like the “I kissed dating goodbye” campaign, but I feel it is important not only to inform children and teenagers about the full implications of sex before marriage.

I’d rather a conservative stance on it with proper education instead of an approach that prepares for them to experiment with sex before marriage. Once again, the author brings up the LGBTQ issue. He opens the door widely to allow for marriages under the banner of “covenantal, committed relationships” as the criteria for marriage. Nowhere in the Bible does God allow for this contingency. The Church’s stance needs to be one of both love and truth concerning lifestyles of sin.

In chapter 8, Gushee addresses in more detail the political “sins” of the “white Evangelicalism” that fully embraced president Trump and pushed him forward as the nominee in 2016. I’d like to point out that white Evangelicals were not the only people to vote for president Trump. If that were the case, he will not have won the election. I also agreed with much of this chapter. Christians, and not just Evangelicals, must be informed before they vote and choose a candidate that best represents biblical values. That said, we do not trust in government to save the world. Only Jesus can do that. Politicians will say and do anything to get into power. It is dangerous to have a “Christian Right” that votes as a block. Each individual question must make choices that please Jesus.

The final chapter addresses race and the sins of the white Evangelical movement. I agree with some of what the author presents in this chapter as well. Instead of making strides as most Evangelicals have toward the issue of racism of the past and present, the author wants to start a brand-new movement that is “free” of these racism issues. You cannot erase history by making a new movement. We have missed many opportunities to address and ask forgiveness for the issue of racism of the past. This will take time and continued effort. No person or movement is perfect.

The author has the habit of referring to “white American Evangelicalism” even though white Americans are not the only Evangelicals. The book will divide by race Christian believers, just like our political system is doing right now. I realize I am a white Evangelical, but I disagree with his assertion that everyone other than white males has a problem with Evangelicalism. I found this book hard to read, hard to find a common ground with him, and think he threw the baby out with the bathwater. He is searching for a way to fix Evangelical Christianity.

Perhaps I’m too harsh in my evaluation of his book. I realized after the Foreward by Brian McLaren I was basically reading the same postmodern approach to Christianity that the emergent church brought on the scene around twenty years ago. I have read some of McLaren’s work as well, and found the same shaky ground Gushee presents. I don’t know that I would recommend this book to the common Christian. If anything, it helps Evangelicals to see some of the places that we can use more work and attention. I don’t believe Evangelicalism has caused some of the problems that it needs to be abandoned. I think the emergent church and whatever Gushee wants to start is already running into problems, especially with their approaches to biblical authority. Read this book with caution.

Jonathan Srock

Rev. Jonathan Srock is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God since 2010. He received two Bachelor’s degrees in Biblical Languages and Pastoral Ministries, as well as a Masters of Divinity from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Jonathan was privileged to be the Lead Pastor of New Life Assembly in Shillington, PA for five years before suffering sudden paralysis in 2013. Jonathan has been a Christian since 1988.

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