God in the Wasteland by David F. Wells - Essay Example

 Book Review: God in the Wasteland by David F. Wells Introduction: A David Falconer Well is a distinguished professor of historical and systematic theology at Gordon- Conwell theological seminary. He has authored and co- authored numerous books which speak of evangelical theology and the modern world. Wells is also a council member of the Alliance of confessing Evangelicals. As the basis of evangelicalism lies in a need for personal conversion, applying the gospel in action, respecting the biblical authority and emphasis on death and resurrection of Jesus, his book are also aligned on the same concepts. I Dr. Wells authored many books like Revolution in Rome (1972), The Search for Salvation (1978), The Prophetic Theology of George Tyrrell (1981), The Person of Christ: A Biblical and Historical Analysis of the Incarnation (1984)etc. The author received appreciation for his work in the book No Place for Truth, or Whatever happened to Evangelical Theory where he examines the evangelical theory. In this sequel to no place for truth he speaks of mass consumerism and church treating God as commodity. He calls for restoration of the church in this book. He provides data from a survey of seminarians to provide support his idea of reforming the evangelical world. Summary: In the book “God in Wasteland” the author continue to draw remarks towards the evils of modernization and how the “worldliness” has populated the minds of the present generation. He opines that the external modernity can only be cleared of its tribulations by bringing back the holiness in its divine forms. "Only those who are countercultural by way of being other-worldly have what modern culture most needs to hear--a Word from God that can cut through the deceits of modernity to reach the hearts that lie within." Wells feels that the transformation in the changing ways of the world have made people hollow from within, they are devoid of the attachment that the past decades thrived on "Thus thwarted in their efforts to find meaning outside themselves, moderns have sought to relocate all reality internally, detached from any fixed moral norms." The feeling of detachment, makes them react inconsequentially to the acts of sin as they satisfy his soul- he satisfies himself "modernity dispatches the God who is outside, and all that remains is the God who is inside." The central theme of the book however is to shed some light beyond the common man. Wells says that the church itself has ben greatly influenced by the change in the global horizon and perhaps they do not realize it either. The shalowness of the church has been spoken about by the author in many stances "It is entirely possible for those who have sworn to defend the concept of biblical inerrancy to function as if they had no such Word in their hands. Indeed, it happens all the time and the sad fact is that while the nature of the Bible was being debated, the Bible itself was quietly falling into disuse in the church." His judgement is that church does not take character or theology seriously and that God in today’s era is being treated as a product being delivered to the customers- believers is quiet thought provoking. Wells identifies the solution to the problem as a reemphasis on the doctrine and good theology. Critic: The book starts of on a note where the author talks about racing a truck driver in an attempt to read his bumper sticker which has an image of Jesus and Mc Guire. The author is intrigued by the choice of images and chases the truck to read the message each one of them would be communicating. “The great issues of life are compressed into a word or slogan and offered up as a commodity to any takers on the highway or by lanes of America. It is assumed that the consumers following the bumper are in a state of suspended dissatisfaction and that the message will answer their need.” These lines present his stark dislike towards the concept of presenting Jesus as a commodity to people. He says that god is being presented as a product in modern world. His description of the modern world is rather critical in some situations. He presents modernization as the biggest evil existing on the face of the world. The modern system is perhaps flawed and there are people suffering of poor fate because of it; his point about people turning self centric is also acceptable but no economy stands flawless. A quick review and there would be other cultures with a far dire effect on it. Well states the difference brought forth by modernity, by comparing obituaries of the past and the modern world. He feels there is low or no stress on the character and the communal good brought forth by the deceased. He also opines that the use of religious language has been stopped while writing an obituary today. The points may seem to hold an impact on the readers but perhaps is a little crude as it is quiet a morbid way to present modernity. Socialism had its own impacts and hurt the economy in worse if not better way. The evils of socialism if reviewed would perhaps be far more gruesome than that of the modern world. The central issue of the book is how the church is being influenced by the modern ways and still it does not realize the same. It also aims at throwing light on issues how people are engrossed by self well being rather than the larger communal good. However the book seems to be mismatched puzzles. It creates a maze of so many complex facts and figures that often the reader is lost and cannot place the context to the central theme. The book also gets repetitive in ways. One thing to be noted is that the author throughout critics the modern evils; yet uses modern techniques such as poles and surveys to substantiate his point of view in chapter 8. The research was done by Rodger Rice, Director of the Social Research Center to “measure saliency of belief among seminarians”. Thereby the survey had not been constructed by him personally. Besides the sample size is quiet small and thereby perhaps not a true representative of the community on a whole. So the conclusions drawn cannot be treated as a substantial proof. Also vast portion of the book has vivid description of the historic presence, growth and development of the church, which often dissuades a reader to read further. He speaks of the world as a modern wasteland. I agree with the author on the grounds that in the realm of modernity people often forget the true synthesis of life. However, every person is allowed to define his purpose of work and plan his course of action without any criticism from the people around him who are motivated by their own self interest. The freedom to act and speech is still given freely at today’s time which should be appreciated. The age of socialism did not let people define their own belief and restricted them to follow convictions set by someone else. The growth of an individual is thereby not always the death of the economy, the unison of man and the modern tool when looped with faith, will lead to a prosperous future. Wells is right when he says that the church should seek god and follow the path that he had showed rather than seek to attract a larger number of people. “He says the more modern they felt themselves compelled to be, the less Christian they were they able to remain.” He speaks about the Protestants and their move which was towards empowering of the religious consciousness on the basis that god lay among each of us. This believes in ways lay ground for the modernity in churches today; however the author draws no such conclusion in his book on the issue. If modernity is the curse on generation now, then why not emphasize on where the root cause lay. Under standing the root to a problem is the path to analyze its solution; then why has the author left that untouched? The author who opines against the concept of modernity is himself seen to present conflicting views. He, as a person against the modern ways, speaks of god as inconsequential and yet as a theologian he says that god id mightier than modernity. So it is crucial for the author to resolve his dissonance so that a reader is not confused by his state of mind. An issue of such sensitivity arouses ample number of feelings; thereby such mixed vibes can lead a reader to feel misguided. The book is although written by a theological devotee and in spite of all its drawbacks would be appreciated for its criticism by many non theological devotees as well. However from the theological devotees’ point of view many issues have failed to be touched; Issues such as worship and theological education which have not been given proper attention, although these should have been among the basic foundations to construct the book. Besides the stark remark made on evangelicals also are razor sharp. “The problem lies in the current evangelical inability to see how things carry within them values that are hostile to Christian faith”. He speaks of the problem of disloyalty from the evangelical end which may be a rather strong remark. The solution to modernity and the role of church in future could also be better defined by the author. Although the author does provide a solution that is- re emphasizing on doctrine but it leaves a murky picture in the minds of a reader. He says that we need to seek god first and not over estimate the power of modern tools such as psychology, marketing etc. but how the path to redefining the bliss of holiness and following the path mentioned in the doctrine has not been clearly specified. Some of the critical reviews published were: John Bolt says that even many non evangelical people would also be influenced by “Well’s summary of modernity's prevailing pressures”. The critic however raises a question on the solution suugested by Well. He asks wether “North American evangelical church dissociate itself from modernity's charms” and says that from the evangelical point of view th answer yes however only the “holy spirit” would have the righht answer. Bolt feels that the book does not live up to the expectation raised by No Place for Truth. He feels that most of the book is “cultural analysis” and “extended biblical construction” on God and holiness. II Critic Phillip Cary opines that the average evangelical would be taken aback by Well’s opinion in stating that both liberals and evangelicals have given into modernity and lost the way shown by the evangelical theory to perceive God. He belives that Well’s work is a “bombshell” which should act as a wake up call for evangelical leaders. Cary feels that the book gets its initial grip by “fastening on some familiar and dismal phenomena”. Cary says that Well has tried to show the connection between modernity and the “social process”. He belives that Well’s analysis of “the religious consumerism of the evangelical church” is not that influencial. “How Wells can attempt to retell this story without even mentioning the existence of the Religious Right is a puzzle.” And thereby feels that there are few issues not taken up by the author. III Critic Randy Newman opines that “Much of this kind of critique can be found elsewhere (e.g. Neil Postman’s excellent works Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technology). However, Wells’ unique contribution is his worshipful reflection on theology as the antidote to the church’s shallowness”. The critic says that the book lays stress on the fact “God is holy” and he revealed “Himself for us to know Him”. He says “Academicians should read Wells’ works because they have the capacity to grasp his arguments”. The critic believes that similar warning should be passed around in all churches so that the world does not turn into a wasteland. IV Conclusion: The topic discussed in the book evokes many thoughts in a readers mind. The present mayhem in the society, the drastic change of culture can be seen in all the things around us. Often we find people in trouble and no one bothers to lend a helping hand. The world is turning to serve only itself. I can I ways relate to the evils brought forth by modernization. Whether it is in the corporate field, where people are substituted with computers or at home, where the recreational time now implies individualistic worldly satisfaction. However, modernization has given us many positive things as well. The work load has been decreased, things has been more oriented and organized. So a part of the book is relevant in modern world but to so strongly criticize it seems a little unjust, if I may opine. The book however does make you question modern day living and to what extent should “modernity” lead your life. Also the changing face of the “holy world “has been presented. Perhaps people of the evangelical belief would try and mend way. The book helps the reader face the ground reality which surrounds him. Often things are right in front of us but we fail to see it. The book could act as an eye opener for many. References: 1. Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, http://www.gcts.edu/faculty/wells.php 2. Theology Today, Jan 1996, John Bolt (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/miqa3664/is_199601/ai_n8750285/) 3. Christian Century, Nov 1994, Phillip Cary (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_n34_v111/ai_15996092/) 4. Faculty Commons’ Academic Initiative, 1994, Randy Newman (http://ai.clm.org/reviews/god_in_the_wasteland.html) 5. God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams By David F. Wells, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1994. Read More