Where Shall My Wond'ring Soul Begin? : The Landscape of Evangelical Piety and Thought - Softcover

A star-studded group of eight contributors offers readers loving but honest reflections on contemporary evangelical theology. In his essay on Scripture, William J. Abraham highlights two distinctive evangelical approaches to the Bible: evangelicalism's willingness to tackle "the epistemological issues that swirl around scripture" and its insistence that the Bible is an essential means of grace. Alistair McGrath examines why there is so little evangelical writing on the Trinity. Richard Mouw reflects on ethics, applauding evangelicals' increasing forays into the public square over the last generation, while Mark Noll suggests that the very best of the tradition is embodied in hymnody, though evangelicals may not always live up to the lofty ideals they belt out on Sunday mornings. Dallas Willard argues that there are three central components to evangelical pietyAsin, conversion and testimonyA though he admits that public conviction of sin has fallen out of fashion. The only disappointment is Cheryl Sanders's essay about the role disciplined spiritual practices have played in evangelicalism. Sanders, who is especially interested in African-American spirituality, leans a little too heavily on Charles Marsh's study of religion during the civil rights movement; it would be more rewarding to read an article by Marsh himself. The essays are a touch too scholarly to be truly accessible to the general reader, which is a shame because the insights Noll, McGrath and the other contributors afford are rich indeed.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A...group of eight contributors offers readers loving but honest reflections on contemporary evangelical theology. The insights...are rich indeed. -- Publishers Weekly, May 15, 2000

Fifty years ago, the worst insult an evangelical could hurlwas "worldly." But times have changed, and, as a new book devoted to exploring "the landscape of evangelical piety and thought" makes clear, evangelicals are now very much engaged in the world.

This collection of essays, which emerged out of a 1998 conference at Harvard, makes clear that evangelicals are very much engaged in the broader culture. Gordon-Conwell Seminary's David Wells explores the unique contributions that evangelical theologians and intellectuals are making to contemporary American academic culture. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary (and Beliefnet columnist), praises evangelicals for "thinking and acting in recent decades in a manner that takes our public lives more seriously." Mark Noll, in an essay on hymnody, says that "evangelicalism at its best" works to ameliorate social ills like slavery and poverty.

This slim book packs a punch. (Beliefnet, May 2000) -- From Beliefnet