Scan barcode
laurenfro22's review against another edition
3.75
This is one of the first books to make me really question whether I still do/still want to consider myself Christian.
Gushee is knowledgeable and does a lot throughout the book to break down failures of evangelicalism and explore facets of scripture, belief, and community. I appreciate his clear commitment to unpacking evangelical norms and arguments and reframing them. He is emphatic about LGBT affirmation (to an extent), and use of cultural contextualization. There’s plenty of coverage of how each person comes to scripture with their own lens and of how misaligned evangelical teachings from the pulpit/normative practices are vis-à-vis what scripture actually says.
Where it falls apart for me is in a few places. One is the emphasis of not giving up on church/church community; maybe not intentional but it seems to not take into appropriate consideration the devastating consequences some people suffer coming out of the capital-C Church. Gushee also gives a heavy weight to monogamy/covenantal marriage. That on its own is maybe not the worst thing, but for chapters ostensibly meant to be focusing on sexual ethics ‘post-evangelical,’ it felt very light on the actual topic. It felt like there was more to cover around intersectional issues related to sexual ethics and Christianity and how to repair past mistakes/move forward.
My biggest issue came up at the end of the sexual ethics chapter. Gushee says, “…I would counter that embracing polyamory on this basis will weaken the case for LGBTQ equality.” p135 This comment is referencing Brandan Robertson’s endorsement of polyamory. I find it fairly rich that a straight white guy, who has spent 100+ pages talking about the failures of theology and how to move forward, feels it necessary to draw a line around which gays are allowed to be part of the inclusion club. This follows the issue of the ‘good gay’ and I’ve got to say I’m sorely disappointed. For the queer community, we have to have solidarity with our community. It’s also frustrating that little to no time was spent on trans folks and the devastation wrought upon our siblings at the behest of white evangelicalism.
Overall Gushee clearly knows a lot and has consulted a wide range of theologians. I feel like there’s maybe some decolonization and intersectional work to be done. Maybe I am not the right audience for the book? It certainly felt more like it would be geared towards people more invested in Christianity than I think I currently am.
Gushee is knowledgeable and does a lot throughout the book to break down failures of evangelicalism and explore facets of scripture, belief, and community. I appreciate his clear commitment to unpacking evangelical norms and arguments and reframing them. He is emphatic about LGBT affirmation (to an extent), and use of cultural contextualization. There’s plenty of coverage of how each person comes to scripture with their own lens and of how misaligned evangelical teachings from the pulpit/normative practices are vis-à-vis what scripture actually says.
Where it falls apart for me is in a few places. One is the emphasis of not giving up on church/church community; maybe not intentional but it seems to not take into appropriate consideration the devastating consequences some people suffer coming out of the capital-C Church. Gushee also gives a heavy weight to monogamy/covenantal marriage. That on its own is maybe not the worst thing, but for chapters ostensibly meant to be focusing on sexual ethics ‘post-evangelical,’ it felt very light on the actual topic. It felt like there was more to cover around intersectional issues related to sexual ethics and Christianity and how to repair past mistakes/move forward.
My biggest issue came up at the end of the sexual ethics chapter. Gushee says, “…I would counter that embracing polyamory on this basis will weaken the case for LGBTQ equality.” p135 This comment is referencing Brandan Robertson’s endorsement of polyamory. I find it fairly rich that a straight white guy, who has spent 100+ pages talking about the failures of theology and how to move forward, feels it necessary to draw a line around which gays are allowed to be part of the inclusion club. This follows the issue of the ‘good gay’ and I’ve got to say I’m sorely disappointed. For the queer community, we have to have solidarity with our community. It’s also frustrating that little to no time was spent on trans folks and the devastation wrought upon our siblings at the behest of white evangelicalism.
Overall Gushee clearly knows a lot and has consulted a wide range of theologians. I feel like there’s maybe some decolonization and intersectional work to be done. Maybe I am not the right audience for the book? It certainly felt more like it would be geared towards people more invested in Christianity than I think I currently am.
jenni_r's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
bookswithmaddi's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“After Evangelicalism” was a powerful and moving book. It shined a light on many of the contradictions and errors of evangelicalism and white Christianity. As someone who grew up in an Anglican, white, conservative church much of this book reflected beliefs that I had been taught growing up: women are less than men, the Bible is flawless, LGBTQ+ individuals are sinners and dirty. These mindsets were inundated so thoroughly into me that I had no doubt that they were the truth, I never heard anything contrary.
It took a lot of bravery to start to inch myself outside of the box that was built around me. I started little by little as I grew older, as I began to feel unsatisfied with the version of Christianity I was being sold. It didn’t feel right. I was being taught to hate people because they didn’t look like me, or dress like me, or talk like me, or love like me. I am now the opposite of who I ever thought I would become and most parts of that don’t align with the version of Christianity I was brought up with.
It has been a long time since I have felt comfortable with my faith, since I have felt settled. I am thankful to this book for helping me navigate this confusion, for allowing me solid ground. I have always wanted Jesus to be my foundation and this book allowed me to realize that the prejudices I was told to adopt are what is keeping me from Jesus being that foundation.
As for the book itself, it is extremely relevant to right now especially because we are in the middle of an election. It speaks knowledgeably on sexism, racism and homophobia and where churches and Christians fail in those regards. It teaches us how to do better, and how to heal. There were certain parts of this book I found inaccessible, where I felt lost and confused. In addition, there were parts I wish had been expanded, had been more thorough not so much with historical information but new ways to see the old things we were taught. But these aspects don’t take away from the overall importance and relevance of this text.
I thoroughly encourage you to read this book if you are any sort of believer. It will no doubt change your perspective. In these polarizing times it is important that we find a compass, a space of solid ground on which we can root ourselves and our beliefs. This book will point you in the right direction and guide you back to that solid spot.
“After Evangelicalism” was a powerful and moving book. It shined a light on many of the contradictions and errors of evangelicalism and white Christianity. As someone who grew up in an Anglican, white, conservative church much of this book reflected beliefs that I had been taught growing up: women are less than men, the Bible is flawless, LGBTQ+ individuals are sinners and dirty. These mindsets were inundated so thoroughly into me that I had no doubt that they were the truth, I never heard anything contrary.
It took a lot of bravery to start to inch myself outside of the box that was built around me. I started little by little as I grew older, as I began to feel unsatisfied with the version of Christianity I was being sold. It didn’t feel right. I was being taught to hate people because they didn’t look like me, or dress like me, or talk like me, or love like me. I am now the opposite of who I ever thought I would become and most parts of that don’t align with the version of Christianity I was brought up with.
It has been a long time since I have felt comfortable with my faith, since I have felt settled. I am thankful to this book for helping me navigate this confusion, for allowing me solid ground. I have always wanted Jesus to be my foundation and this book allowed me to realize that the prejudices I was told to adopt are what is keeping me from Jesus being that foundation.
As for the book itself, it is extremely relevant to right now especially because we are in the middle of an election. It speaks knowledgeably on sexism, racism and homophobia and where churches and Christians fail in those regards. It teaches us how to do better, and how to heal. There were certain parts of this book I found inaccessible, where I felt lost and confused. In addition, there were parts I wish had been expanded, had been more thorough not so much with historical information but new ways to see the old things we were taught. But these aspects don’t take away from the overall importance and relevance of this text.
I thoroughly encourage you to read this book if you are any sort of believer. It will no doubt change your perspective. In these polarizing times it is important that we find a compass, a space of solid ground on which we can root ourselves and our beliefs. This book will point you in the right direction and guide you back to that solid spot.
need_to_read's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
mstine's review against another edition
5.0
Really solid work. Quite compatible with the revised theology I've been building up over the last few years, and definitely fills in some important gaps. David Gushee, to me, represents the very best in post-evangelical thought from my former tradition (SBC).
dbg108's review against another edition
4.0
Gushee is a reliable guide into a thoughtful, fruitful approach to the Bible, theology, and church. Those with an evangelical background will find this book especially helpful.
drbobcornwall's review against another edition
5.0
I was once a white evangelical. I'm still white, but I'm now a post-evangelical living among liberal Protestants. There are parts of me that still reflect that evangelical period of my life. I have a high Christology, am Trinitarian, and love the Bible. At the same time, I long ago rejected the anti-science part as well as the political and social elements of that past reality. At times I've identified as post-liberal, but I was never so fully committed to the liberal cause that I could truly be classified as post-liberal. It's just that my post-evangelical self had a lot in common with some parts of the post-liberal movement -- mostly the influence of Karl Barth on my theological development.
I am not alone in my migration out of white evangelicalism. My journey began long ago, while a student at a leading evangelical seminary (Fuller). It was there that I imbibed Barth and Liberation Theology. It was there that I came to support egalitarianism when it came to male-female roles as well as the full inclusion of women in ministry. I worked for evangelical institutions until being fired as a theology professor for being too liberal. It was then that my move into post-evangelicalism really began to take shape. The final straw that broke my connection with white evangelicalism came with the reealtion on my brother's part that he is gay. That led to a soul-searching moment and a realization that I had crossed a rubicon into the post-evangelical world. I could still value elements of that previous formation, but I couldn't go back.
I write this lengthy preface to my review of David Gushee's latest book "After Evangelicalism." What he writes here describes much of my own journey, though my break with evangelicalism came earlier than did his. Nevertheless, considering that he has been a leading evangelical ethicist teaching at Baptist institutions, his break has proven ground-breaking for so many. It is in this book that Gushee fully expresses his reasoning behind this break from the past. In many ways, the cause of his break is similar to mine. Like me, it was the realization that to follow Jesus meant embracing the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the church. That vision was expressed in his book [b:Changing Our Mind: Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics|35288997|Changing Our Mind Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics|David P. Gushee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496438349l/35288997._SX50_.jpg|43010309].
"After Evangelicalism" is in many ways a polemical work. I don't mean that in a pejorative way. In this book, Gushee answers critics, reveals the negative elements of white evangelicalism, and offers a way forward out of evangelicalism. He wrote this in large part because he was encountering so many ex-evangelicals who didn't know what to do next. They no longer embraced evangelicalism but weren't sure about other options other than simply walking away from Christianity as a whole.
Gushee divides the book into three parts. First, he focuses on the question of authorities, beginning with Scripture and then exploring other authorities, including Tradition, Reason, and Experience. What he offers is often known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, though these four elements are embraced by many outside the Wesleyan movement (including my own Disciples movement). Considering that evangelicals are rooted in the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura, this is an important starting point.
Part 2 is an exploration of theology, with chapters dealing with doctrines of God, Christology, and church. He explores these doctrinal concepts in conversation with the biblical narrative. In the chapter on the church, he offers post-evangelicals some guidance on the question of the nature of the church. Since many evangelicals' experiences are highly parachurch, they often don't have a strongly developed ecclesiology. He seeks to offer some guidance as to how they might go about doing this.
The final part has to do with ethics, and this is where Gushee feels most at home since he has been teaching Christian ethics his entire academic career. The chapters deal with matters of behavior and character in relation to sex, politics, and race. It is the first that was the true sticking point for Gushee since he decided to fully embrace the cause of LGBTQ persons. The section on sex reveals his own changes in viewpoint, recognizing that the cultural changes require adaptation, though he still holds out the premise of covenant marriage as the long-term place of sexual expression (for both straight and gay folks). Regarding politics, he addresses the unfortunate alliance of white evangelicalism with conservative Republican politics, such that the politics tends to drive the religious expressions (as seen in the alliance with Donald Trump). Finally, there is the matter of race, which is truly sad. He addresses each of these areas with great care and seriousness.
He notes that when it comes to the three sections of the book, it is the first two sections that exhibit the newest ground for him, as he has been teaching ethics for years. But, it's the wrestling with authorities and theology that pushes him into new areas of exploration. That being said, he does an excellent job laying out a foundation for the Christian humanism he is offering to post-evangelicals as a way forward.
In his epilogue, he writes that the purpose of the book isn't simply to "dissect what I believe to be the failures of white evangelicalism," though he does that with great precision. Rather, he offers the book as a path toward clarity of understanding so that he and others like him might find solid ground upon which to build "a Christ-honoring life as a post-evangelical" (p. 170). That is the key, he writes this as a means of reaching out to those who aren't sure there is Christian life after evangelicalism. Some of us found that life in other places (for me that was Mainline Protestantism). Hopefully, this book will be a welcome guide to those seeking a way out of the maze that they've been caught in so they can find new life in Christ.
I am not alone in my migration out of white evangelicalism. My journey began long ago, while a student at a leading evangelical seminary (Fuller). It was there that I imbibed Barth and Liberation Theology. It was there that I came to support egalitarianism when it came to male-female roles as well as the full inclusion of women in ministry. I worked for evangelical institutions until being fired as a theology professor for being too liberal. It was then that my move into post-evangelicalism really began to take shape. The final straw that broke my connection with white evangelicalism came with the reealtion on my brother's part that he is gay. That led to a soul-searching moment and a realization that I had crossed a rubicon into the post-evangelical world. I could still value elements of that previous formation, but I couldn't go back.
I write this lengthy preface to my review of David Gushee's latest book "After Evangelicalism." What he writes here describes much of my own journey, though my break with evangelicalism came earlier than did his. Nevertheless, considering that he has been a leading evangelical ethicist teaching at Baptist institutions, his break has proven ground-breaking for so many. It is in this book that Gushee fully expresses his reasoning behind this break from the past. In many ways, the cause of his break is similar to mine. Like me, it was the realization that to follow Jesus meant embracing the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the church. That vision was expressed in his book [b:Changing Our Mind: Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics|35288997|Changing Our Mind Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics|David P. Gushee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496438349l/35288997._SX50_.jpg|43010309].
"After Evangelicalism" is in many ways a polemical work. I don't mean that in a pejorative way. In this book, Gushee answers critics, reveals the negative elements of white evangelicalism, and offers a way forward out of evangelicalism. He wrote this in large part because he was encountering so many ex-evangelicals who didn't know what to do next. They no longer embraced evangelicalism but weren't sure about other options other than simply walking away from Christianity as a whole.
Gushee divides the book into three parts. First, he focuses on the question of authorities, beginning with Scripture and then exploring other authorities, including Tradition, Reason, and Experience. What he offers is often known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, though these four elements are embraced by many outside the Wesleyan movement (including my own Disciples movement). Considering that evangelicals are rooted in the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura, this is an important starting point.
Part 2 is an exploration of theology, with chapters dealing with doctrines of God, Christology, and church. He explores these doctrinal concepts in conversation with the biblical narrative. In the chapter on the church, he offers post-evangelicals some guidance on the question of the nature of the church. Since many evangelicals' experiences are highly parachurch, they often don't have a strongly developed ecclesiology. He seeks to offer some guidance as to how they might go about doing this.
The final part has to do with ethics, and this is where Gushee feels most at home since he has been teaching Christian ethics his entire academic career. The chapters deal with matters of behavior and character in relation to sex, politics, and race. It is the first that was the true sticking point for Gushee since he decided to fully embrace the cause of LGBTQ persons. The section on sex reveals his own changes in viewpoint, recognizing that the cultural changes require adaptation, though he still holds out the premise of covenant marriage as the long-term place of sexual expression (for both straight and gay folks). Regarding politics, he addresses the unfortunate alliance of white evangelicalism with conservative Republican politics, such that the politics tends to drive the religious expressions (as seen in the alliance with Donald Trump). Finally, there is the matter of race, which is truly sad. He addresses each of these areas with great care and seriousness.
He notes that when it comes to the three sections of the book, it is the first two sections that exhibit the newest ground for him, as he has been teaching ethics for years. But, it's the wrestling with authorities and theology that pushes him into new areas of exploration. That being said, he does an excellent job laying out a foundation for the Christian humanism he is offering to post-evangelicals as a way forward.
In his epilogue, he writes that the purpose of the book isn't simply to "dissect what I believe to be the failures of white evangelicalism," though he does that with great precision. Rather, he offers the book as a path toward clarity of understanding so that he and others like him might find solid ground upon which to build "a Christ-honoring life as a post-evangelical" (p. 170). That is the key, he writes this as a means of reaching out to those who aren't sure there is Christian life after evangelicalism. Some of us found that life in other places (for me that was Mainline Protestantism). Hopefully, this book will be a welcome guide to those seeking a way out of the maze that they've been caught in so they can find new life in Christ.
jtisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Gushee is always worth reading. He is an influential scholar whose voice must be read in conversation. This book, however, is the weakest of his writing. It is still worth reading but read Gushee's work elsewhere first. This book feels shallow and almost a survey of evangelicalism. Though I suppose that is part of the point of the book. But still, there should be a deeper level.