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Christianity Today, February, 2008 |

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Ancient-Future People

Mark Galli | posted 2/08/2008 10:04AM

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You might say that a number of CT editors have a vested interest in this issue's cover story. David Neff, Ted Olsen, Tim Morgan, and I have been doing the ancient-future thing for many years, at Episcopal and/or Anglican parishes.

And, if this were not enough immersion in the topic, in his spare time, David Neff heads up the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future, founded by the father of the ancient-future movement. (Check out David's blog at http://ancientevangelicalfuture.blogspot.com.) In light of all this interest, it may be surprising that our inherent bias didn't produce the cover story, "The Future Lies in the Past" (page 22), much sooner!

While the ancient church has captivated the evangelical imagination for some time, it hasn't been until recently that it's become an accepted fixture of the evangelical landscape. And this is for the good.

Evangelicalism has been a chief engine of church renewal, with its emphasis on the individual's relationship with God, a proper suspicion of institutions that can indeed thwart the Spirit, and boldness to step into the future to which God is leading us.

But these strengths have also produced our movement's weaknesses: spiritual narcissism, shaky institutions, and historical amnesia—in short, a tenuous connection to the ancient church's wisdom and strength. The new appreciation of the early church is providing resources to face the challenges of 2008 and onward, which, in a lot of ways (increasing skepticism, paganism, libertinism), looks like the Roman Empire in and around A.D. 208.

That said, some of us have been basking in the warm glow of liturgy and tradition so long that the glow has worn off. We know the ancient church, in itself, is not the answer to evangelicalism's problems. If liturgy can revive, it can also deaden. If tradition can give us fresh perspectives, it can also bind us to anachronistic ways of thinking. Liturgy is another worthless work if not infused with faith and the Holy Spirit, and tradition is a noose around our necks if it isn't held up against biblical revelation.

This is why we are particularly encouraged to see evangelicals engaged in a search for the church's past. When fully immersed in Word and Spirit, what is ancient may truly become the church's lively future.

Related Elsewhere:

"The Future Lies in the Past" and sidebar "Monastic Evangelicals" explored Ancient-Future practices in today's evangelical church.

Christianity Today editor in chief David Neff interviewed Webber in 2006 about the AEF Call.

Neff blogs at AncientEvangelicalFuture.blogspot.com.

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February 2008, Vol. 52, No. 2

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Ephrem Hagos

Posted: February 09, 2008 2:42 AM

The answer to "evangelicalism's problems" lie in successful identification of the strategies Jesus Christ put in place to change a handful of fishermen into fishers of men. The hard way and narrow gate to life, accessible only to few (Matt. 7: 13-14), consist of firsthand knowledge of who Jesus Christ is obtainable from the cause and effect of His death on the cross. Let's not continue to be fooled by the red-herring of resurrection on the third day, which was a full-proof security device for His work on the cross (Matt. 16: 20-28) and a mere sign given for an an evil and godless people (Matt. 12: 38-42). This was the subject of rehearsal for 40 days after His death (Acts 1: 1-5); at the heart of Peter's message on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and all about God's powerful weapons used by Paul over and over again (1 Cor. 2: 1-5; 2 Cor. 10: 4-6). There is no other solution!

we do not have to look too far back but it must be before the drought

Posted: February 08, 2008 2:45 PM

The need is for doctinally sound people to teach us with fire and fervor, who had learned the scriptures at God's feet. We respect Augustine because he insists on the orthodoxy of scriptures against the heresies which try to undo faith in a good God and a sovereign Lord Jesus. But respect Spurgeon too who was completely submitted to God and who in his turn rejected the RC church and the papacy and the professors of religion who do not have a heartfelt hearing-mind and so merely treat Jesus as an article of "knowledge". So, which preacher today, whether Catholic or Protestant, is completely humbled at Christ's feet and has a fervent heart and mind and committed absolutely to love and morals in a godly and servant-like way? If there were gifted people who could in turn anoint us rather than preach "at" us then we would be sufficiently filled by the Holy Ghost and be firmly established in our religion; fully in its full depth. I use Spurgeon as an e.g. because he wrote before the drought!

Curtis

Posted: February 14, 2008 8:47 AM

Sounds like ya'll (writers of the article) love religion more than your Lord. Why look to the ancient church.. we know from scripture that they needed correction almost from the very begining. How about we look to our Lord.. and the scriptures He told us He would protect and reveal.. then we know Him.. and listen to Him and He will guide our paths. That's all "church" is about . knowing your God and Him knowing you. A relationship.. one that if we listen.. we will do what is right. It is very simple.