Liberalism without Illusions: Renewing an American Christian Tradition - Softcover

Evans, Christopher H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1602582084 ISBN 13: 9781602582088

Publisher: Baylor University Press, 2010

Synopsis

By the 1930s most mainline Protestant traditions promulgated the key tenets of liberalism, especially an embrace of modern intellectual theory along with theological and religious pluralism. In Liberalism without Illusions, Christopher Evans critiques his own tradition, focusing in particular why so many Americans today want to distance themselves from this rich and vibrant heritage. In a time when attitudes about "liberal" vs. "conservative" theology have become the focus of the culture wars, he provides a constructive discussion of how liberalism might move forward into the 21st century, which, he argues, is indispensable to the future of American Christianity itself.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher H. Evans is Sallie Knowles Crozer Professor of Church History, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Rochester, New York. He is the author and editor of several books, including, The Faith of Fifty Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture, and The Social Gospel Today. He lives in Penfield, New York.

Review:

A strong argument for the appeal and relevance of a liberal theology. Evans brings the liberal and evangelical stories into a compelling conversation, making a case for a liberal theology that reclaims its evangelical roots and its place in the life and witness of the church. --Gary Dorrien, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Religion, Columbia University

Evans transcends the limits of stereotypical "ivory tower history" by offering more than just analysis. He offers solutions.... Anyone interested in 20th- and 21st-century American Christianity needs to read and consider the suggestions Evans has to offer. --Publisher's Weekly, 1/26/2010

Evans is an expert guide for the liberal Protestant tradition, showing us the lost treasure and nuggets of power and wisdom that can and should be harvested. This book is an antidote against those who separate piety and social action, levying a powerful argument that any adequate theology enables church leaders to inspire its members to love justice, seek mercy, and walk humbly in service to the world. It is a prophetic call and important reminder of the dangerous good news of an applied gospel waiting to be lived. --James K. Wellman Jr., author of Evangelical vs. Liberal: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the Pacific Northwest

About this edition

• Publisher: Baylor University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1602582084
• ISBN 13: 9781602582088
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 211