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Editorial:
"There's Nothing New About Change"
Anna Rankin
Comment:
Embracing the Stranger
Denise Wright
From
the Director: Change and Decay – so what's new?
David W Porter
Alwyn
Thomson
Ethel White
A
Changing Church
Chris Easton
Women,
the Church and Change
Lesley Carroll
Interview
with Noel Fallows: Multi-cultural Church Life
Anna Rankin
Urban
Grit
Ken Groves
Higher
Throne
Keith
Getty & Kristyn Lennox
2003
Conference: Reconciliation – Illusion or Elusive?
What's
Jesus got to do with Forgiveness?
Stuart Noble
Review:
Lost in Translation
Gareth Higgins
Review:
The Church Beyond the Congregation by James Thwaites
Claire Martin
Review:
A Time for Mission by Samuel Escobar
Ben
Walker
Review:
Against the Stream by David W Smith
Cheryl
Reid
Review:
Evangelicalism and National Identity in Ulster, 1921-1998 by Patrick
Mitchel
David Hewitt
Review:
I was a teenage Catholic by Malachi O'Doherty
Fran
Porter
reviews:
AGAINST THE STREAM
by David Walker
Reviewed by Cheryl Reid
A SERIES of eight essays and lectures (including the 2003 ECONI Catherwood Lecture), Against the Stream is more like a photo album than a feature film. It's a collection of related observations, rather than a thesis, which alludes to a broad based perspective on biblical history and the history of mission.
David Smith looks critically at the Church's failings, at our shortcomings in the eyes of those damaged or disappointed by "Christianity" and challenges certain received, stereotyped understandings of our Christian response to the world. The holiness movement, revivalism, fundamentalism (in its Western form), racism; and the syncretism of Christians who uncritically align their faith and Western cultural values, such as materialism, secularism and liberalism, all come in for scrutiny, yet without hectoring or negativity.
He also explores the theological and missiological issues arising in a religiously plural world and highlights the dangers of unwarranted optimism regarding the Western church's capacity to evangelise the whole world (such hope resting largely on technological innovation), to bring about Christ's return, and conquer all opposition to Christ. Smith warns against unwarranted revivalist optimism, but also against sociological pessimism.
There is an urgent need, particularly within Western Christianity, for openness to new perspectives in theology and mission and to refocus on the missionary calling of the whole people of God. How shall we truly live the gospel of Christ, his life and death, as people of the West? In a globalised world, shaped by materialist and economic values, Smith argues that Christianity and mission must be countercultural and calls the Western Church to humble itself, take up the cross and follow where Christ is leading. Enlightenment Christianity, which places the rational above the spiritual instinct, has been inadequate to sustain faith in the West and is seen as bankrupt in the emerging Christian heartlands. Smith calls the western Church to listen to and respect the growing southern Church, and to be ready for the challenges of the "fundamentalist" peoples of the poor, southern nations, whose northward, westward migration will almost inevitably follow the world's flow of wealth, bringing with them a world-view which does not separate the spiritual from the secular.
Though wary of globalisation, Smith is positive about the globalisation of the Church and affirms that the Church now looks more like the multi-ethnic crowd without number from John's vision in the book of Revelation than at any previous point in history.
Smith wants us to wake up to the reality of a vibrant, lively Christian Church, thriving in places which have moved straight from premodern to post-modern society, whose faith is unhampered by the compartmentalising (and secularising) tendencies of rationalist modernity and brings God into politics, economics, even football.
If you think theology is dry, academic, merely theoretical, it might be worth picking up Against the Stream. It is gratifying that ECONI receives credit for modelling faithful and contextual theology and ethics. Personally, I loved this book. Not only does it feel nice, look good, read well and fit in your handbag - it.s dynamite.
CHERYL REID is Associate Minister of Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church and is an ECONI Board member.
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