In depth review | Younger Evangelicals, The: Facing the Challenges of the New World

an excellent resource | Younger Evangelicals, The: Facing the Challenges of the New World | Robert E. Webber

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	• Younger Evangelicals, The: Facing the Challenges of the New World Robert E. Webber Baker Books, 2002 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely fascinating

In this fascinating book, author and Professor of Ministry at Northern Seminary, Dr. Robert E. Webber unveils what just might be the future of Evangelicalism. In the mid- to late-twentieth century, Evangelicalism was dominated by the Traditional Evangelicals who held a modern, print-oriented worldview. In the late-twentieth century, the Boomers took over Evangelicalism, with their broadcast, presentational-oriented worldview (think Willow Creek and the "Seeker-Friendly" church movement). But, waiting in the wings is a newer generation of Evangelicals who are post-modern in their worldview, and they are going to the Evangelicalism in whole new directions!

Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. The author does a great job of explaining the post-modern worldview, and how it is different than traditional Evangelical thinking. Indeed, post-modernism, with its rejection of absolute truth has already produced such new movements as the Open Theology movement, with its rejection of the omnipresence and immutability of God.

Now, it is correct to say that this book is less a generational look at Evangelicalism, than it is a triumphalist declaration of the arrival of post-modernism in Evangelicalism. As such, this book has nothing to say to what the future might bring, in the form of a split between modern and post-modern factions within Evangelicalism. But, that said it does go into great depth in a new and growing movement within Evangelicalism, one that will have a great impact of the future of world-wide Christianity!

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In depth review

This is a great book for reviewing the historical progress of Christianity in the United States and gives clarity to the confusing times we live in. I really appreciated the author distilling it down into a somewhat intense read.

an excellent resource

I give this book to anyone who wants to know what the whole emerging church movement is about. Webber does an excellent job of placing emergent Christianity in a historical context with fundamentalism and pragmatic evangelicals (your Willow/Back churches) and shows how each came from the other in succession... and how each is distinctive. Want to know about the practices and beliefs of many in the emerging church? Start here.

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Hearing from a new generation of evangelicals

Robert Webber, The Younger Evangelicals: Facing the Challenges of the New World (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003)

Webber describes how a new generation of leaders are redefining and reexpressing the shape of evangelicalism. Different from traditional evangelicals (strongest post World War II for a few decades) or pragmatic evangelicals (the next few decades of church growth and seeker service focus), these twenty-first century `younger' leaders are seeking to keep ministry up-to-date for our postmodern culture. They have different approaches to communication - with new appreciation for tradition, story and community embodiment of truth, and a desire to move from a market-driven to a missional church. Pastors are moving from power to servanthood, youth pastors from parties to prayer, educators from information to formation, spiritual directors from legalism to freedom, evangelists from rallies to relationships, and artists from constraint to expression. This readable and scholarly work, with helpful summary tables, points toward new paradigms built not on being right in the fundamentalist-liberal arguments, but built on a missional understanding of church, with thoughtful theological reflection, broader spiritual formation and cultural awareness.

Originally reviewed for D Cronshaw "The Emerging Church: Pioneering Leadership and Innovation Reading Guide", Zadok Paper (Forthcoming 2010).

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Over two decades ago, Richard Quebedeaux's classic The Young Evangelicals told the story of a new generation of believers. Now, in The Younger Evangelicals, Robert Webber explores how another generation of emerging leaders is bringing sweeping change and renewal to the twenty-first century evangelical church. Webber explores the characteristics of these emerging leaders and provides an outlet for their stories. After giving an overview of twentieth century evangelicalism, he examines how the way "younger evangelicals'' think about faith and church practice is radically different from their "traditional" (1950- 1975) and "pragmatic" (1975-2000) predecessors. Thought provoking and timely, The Younger Evangelicals is a landmark book for all who want to prepare for and respond to the new evangelical awakening brought on by our changing cultural context.

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