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adamrshields's review
4.0
Short Review: I am back in a season where I really want memoirs. At least the memoirs of my elders. Wisdom can be hard fought. And those that fight through pain can be some of the most helpful.
Gushee has been through a number of battles within Evangelicalism. From the battles within SBC in the 80s and 90s to ethical fights over torture and the environment in the 2000s to his recent movement on LGBT issues, Gushee has been in the culture wars. This book is part of his resignation.
I am not where he is in a number of areas, but I have sympathy. And I think that books like this that show real evidence of faith across theological divides are helpful. Gushee keeps from pointing out villains in his life. There are other christians which which he disagrees, but they are not enemies. And I think that is part of why I trust his resignation from the culture wars.
This is a brief book, but well worth reading.
My full review (nearly 1100 words with probably too much description of Gushee's life story) is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/still-christian/
Gushee has been through a number of battles within Evangelicalism. From the battles within SBC in the 80s and 90s to ethical fights over torture and the environment in the 2000s to his recent movement on LGBT issues, Gushee has been in the culture wars. This book is part of his resignation.
I am not where he is in a number of areas, but I have sympathy. And I think that books like this that show real evidence of faith across theological divides are helpful. Gushee keeps from pointing out villains in his life. There are other christians which which he disagrees, but they are not enemies. And I think that is part of why I trust his resignation from the culture wars.
This is a brief book, but well worth reading.
My full review (nearly 1100 words with probably too much description of Gushee's life story) is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/still-christian/
quitejessi's review
4.0
Rating memoirs is hard because how are you going to rate someone's life and experiences on a 5 pt scale? Nevertheless, this was an engaging and thought-provoking memoir. I did knock a star off mostly because I felt that Gushee became a little braggy by the end of the book. (That's pretty nit-picky.) It was an interesting look at modern American Evangelicalism (specifically at Southern Baptists) from someone who walked away from it while maintaining their relationship with God.
drbobcornwall's review
5.0
I am fiour years older than David Gushee, which means I've traveled similar terrain, even if we grew up in opposite sides of the country in different denominational traditions. He was raised Catholic. I was raised Episcopalian. He left the Catholics for the Southern Baptists. I left the Episcopalians for Pentecostalism. We both felt the call to ministry and academia. He went to a large Southern Baptist Seminary and then a very liberal seminary for doctoral work. I went to the largest seminary in the world, earning both my masters and doctorate at the same evangelical institution. Unlike David, I have spent most of my life as a pastor, and I took up an area of academic interest that was less likely to put me in the public eye.
I met David in 2015, after he had gotten caught in the firestorm of his coming out as an ally of LGBTQ Christians. I invited him to come to Troy and speak to the issue of inclusion to my congregation as it was considering becoming Open and Affirming. I write about that in my study guide to David's important 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://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496438349s/35288997.jpg|56651848]. So, I was eager to read his memoir, detailing his journey out of evangelicalism. Mine came a few years earlier, but his story resonates in so many ways.
The book is laid out chronologically. He takes his story in bite sized portions. He shares life growing up in the Catholic Church and finding a new version of faith -- a conversion experience among the Baptists. The story moves on to his early years as a Baptist -- as a teen. That phase gives way to his time in college and seminary. He went to a public university and studied religion, not from a confessional perspective, but a scholarly one. He didn't lose faith, but he had his intellectual concerns honed. While his professors wanted him to go to graduate school at places like Harvard and Yale, he chose Southern Baptist Seminary instead. He did so as the seminary was in the midst of transition from moderate to conservative control. He found himself unhappy, but stayed on, largely due to the influence of a mentor -- Glen Stassen.
The next phase of life took him to the opposite side of the theological spectrum. Even as Southern was becoming more conservative and the Southern Baptist Convention was in turmoil, at the encouragement of his mentor Glen Stassen, he chose to do his Ph.D. work at liberal Union Theological Seminary. He was uncomfortable there for very different reasons. He shares the story of being bluntly told by James Cone that as a white male he would need to simply sit there quietly and listen. But, he found a topic of study (the Holocaust), wrote his dissertation, and looked for a position. His first job, as he wrote his dissertation, was working for Evangelicals for Social Action, which honed his social justice instincts further.
After he finished his dissertation, he applied for teaching jobs. They were few and far between. I know, I was looking at the same time. You had few choices (it took me four years to find a teaching job that lasted but two years, before I ran afoul of the constituency). He was invited by the new dean at Southern Baptist Seminary, David Dockery, to fill a position in Christian Ethics. It was the only job offer and he took it. Unfortunately, he arrived at the same time that Al Mohler became president of the seminary. Mohler was empowered to bring the seminary into a new vision of Baptist orthodoxy, including banning support for women in ministry. He experienced a purge of faculty, including Molly Marshall, a professor of theology, who would go on to lead another Baptist seminary. He soon ran afoul of the president and the new order, due to his support of women in ministry.
He was fortunate, however, to find an out. David Dockery became the president of a Baptist College, and invited David to join him as a professor of Christian Ethics. He jumped at the chance, despite the fact that it uprooted the family. He shares his gratitude, however, for being presented with an opportunity to get out of the fire. He would spend eleven years there, but again he found himself in a difficult place as his commitments to concerns like climate change and torture, put him at odds with the constituency. While he wasn't asked to leave, it became clear that he was becoming further estranged from his Baptist context.
His last and current stop was an invitation to teach at Mercer University, a Baptist affiliated school, but one that offered full and complete academic freedom -- something he had never experienced. Now, he could write whatever he pleased, and no one would question this. This leads to an interesting reflection on the nature of Christian higher education, and the possibilities of combining a concern for faith formation and academic rigor. He doesn't reject the possibility, only raises questions about whether it is done well.
I found these chapters intriguing in part because I faced difficulties as a professor at a conservative Christian college ( I lost my job). The other reason is because at the time I was teaching at that Christian College, I got involved in a Baptist Church, became friends with Baptist pastors and professors who got caught in the middle of all of this turmoil. I watched as the congregation I worshiped at was pushed and pulled by differing factions within the Baptist community. I came to know and understand the story that David tells here.
It was during this latter stage of David's career that I came to know him. It was after he found himself in the maelstrom of the church's struggle with whether and how to include LGBTQ Christians. He doesn't tell the complete story here, but he provides the background to what he shares in Changing Our Mind. He doesn't mention my congregation specifically, but were one of the many he visited in 2015, as he fully dove into the cause.
The final chapters are intriguing, because they offer reflections on his disillusionment with both right and left. For differing reasons, during his career, he had been invited into the inner circle of the political world. As a Christian ethicist, this is not surprising. But he saw the dark side of this involvement. He found himself used by liberals who loved having an evangelical on their side (including the Obama administration). He also found himself, after his choice to enter the fray on the LGBTQ front, anathema to the evangelical world. Old friends, colleagues, and students turned their backs on him. Fortunately, he was in an academic setting where he was protected. He could speak out without fear of losing his job, but whereas his theology had never changed, he was no longer part of the evangelical movement. He discovered that white evangelical equaled GOP.
The closing chapter is thoughtful reflection on where he finds himself now -- as professor, pastor, family member. He was 55 when he finished the book. He senses that his days as an activist might be drawing to a close. A new future awaits. I'm a bit older, but I resonated with his reflection. It's time to let younger persons take the lead.
Perhaps it's because of where I find myself in life, but I am increasingly drawn to memoirs and biographies. I especially am drawn to ones like this, which tell a story similar to mine. It's not the same, but there is enough similarity to grab hold of. David is an excellent writer. He's thoughtful. He's a clear thinker. Even his book "Changing Our Mind," which was simply a gathering up of blog posts, shows deep clarity. In his reflections he shares that he wished he had spent two years researching the topic before writing, and yet the book has proven to be a powerful witness to change. Even he admits he likely would not have said anything different. This is an important story, because it reminds us of the complexity of the Christian life. Who is David Gushee? To some he is an undeeemed liberal who has given up his faith. To others he is a conservative who has gotten certain things right, but not everything. In an age of polarization, this is not an easy place to live. Yet, he does. I am grateful for his witness. I believe that those who read this book, will benefit from its wisdom. Oh, and David notes that he has been journaler since a young age, so he has record of everything that has transpired down through the years.
This is not a long book. It's only 151 pages. You can read it quickly. Yet, despite its brevity, it is full of insight, and worthy of our attention.
I met David in 2015, after he had gotten caught in the firestorm of his coming out as an ally of LGBTQ Christians. I invited him to come to Troy and speak to the issue of inclusion to my congregation as it was considering becoming Open and Affirming. I write about that in my study guide to David's important 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://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496438349s/35288997.jpg|56651848]. So, I was eager to read his memoir, detailing his journey out of evangelicalism. Mine came a few years earlier, but his story resonates in so many ways.
The book is laid out chronologically. He takes his story in bite sized portions. He shares life growing up in the Catholic Church and finding a new version of faith -- a conversion experience among the Baptists. The story moves on to his early years as a Baptist -- as a teen. That phase gives way to his time in college and seminary. He went to a public university and studied religion, not from a confessional perspective, but a scholarly one. He didn't lose faith, but he had his intellectual concerns honed. While his professors wanted him to go to graduate school at places like Harvard and Yale, he chose Southern Baptist Seminary instead. He did so as the seminary was in the midst of transition from moderate to conservative control. He found himself unhappy, but stayed on, largely due to the influence of a mentor -- Glen Stassen.
The next phase of life took him to the opposite side of the theological spectrum. Even as Southern was becoming more conservative and the Southern Baptist Convention was in turmoil, at the encouragement of his mentor Glen Stassen, he chose to do his Ph.D. work at liberal Union Theological Seminary. He was uncomfortable there for very different reasons. He shares the story of being bluntly told by James Cone that as a white male he would need to simply sit there quietly and listen. But, he found a topic of study (the Holocaust), wrote his dissertation, and looked for a position. His first job, as he wrote his dissertation, was working for Evangelicals for Social Action, which honed his social justice instincts further.
After he finished his dissertation, he applied for teaching jobs. They were few and far between. I know, I was looking at the same time. You had few choices (it took me four years to find a teaching job that lasted but two years, before I ran afoul of the constituency). He was invited by the new dean at Southern Baptist Seminary, David Dockery, to fill a position in Christian Ethics. It was the only job offer and he took it. Unfortunately, he arrived at the same time that Al Mohler became president of the seminary. Mohler was empowered to bring the seminary into a new vision of Baptist orthodoxy, including banning support for women in ministry. He experienced a purge of faculty, including Molly Marshall, a professor of theology, who would go on to lead another Baptist seminary. He soon ran afoul of the president and the new order, due to his support of women in ministry.
He was fortunate, however, to find an out. David Dockery became the president of a Baptist College, and invited David to join him as a professor of Christian Ethics. He jumped at the chance, despite the fact that it uprooted the family. He shares his gratitude, however, for being presented with an opportunity to get out of the fire. He would spend eleven years there, but again he found himself in a difficult place as his commitments to concerns like climate change and torture, put him at odds with the constituency. While he wasn't asked to leave, it became clear that he was becoming further estranged from his Baptist context.
His last and current stop was an invitation to teach at Mercer University, a Baptist affiliated school, but one that offered full and complete academic freedom -- something he had never experienced. Now, he could write whatever he pleased, and no one would question this. This leads to an interesting reflection on the nature of Christian higher education, and the possibilities of combining a concern for faith formation and academic rigor. He doesn't reject the possibility, only raises questions about whether it is done well.
I found these chapters intriguing in part because I faced difficulties as a professor at a conservative Christian college ( I lost my job). The other reason is because at the time I was teaching at that Christian College, I got involved in a Baptist Church, became friends with Baptist pastors and professors who got caught in the middle of all of this turmoil. I watched as the congregation I worshiped at was pushed and pulled by differing factions within the Baptist community. I came to know and understand the story that David tells here.
It was during this latter stage of David's career that I came to know him. It was after he found himself in the maelstrom of the church's struggle with whether and how to include LGBTQ Christians. He doesn't tell the complete story here, but he provides the background to what he shares in Changing Our Mind. He doesn't mention my congregation specifically, but were one of the many he visited in 2015, as he fully dove into the cause.
The final chapters are intriguing, because they offer reflections on his disillusionment with both right and left. For differing reasons, during his career, he had been invited into the inner circle of the political world. As a Christian ethicist, this is not surprising. But he saw the dark side of this involvement. He found himself used by liberals who loved having an evangelical on their side (including the Obama administration). He also found himself, after his choice to enter the fray on the LGBTQ front, anathema to the evangelical world. Old friends, colleagues, and students turned their backs on him. Fortunately, he was in an academic setting where he was protected. He could speak out without fear of losing his job, but whereas his theology had never changed, he was no longer part of the evangelical movement. He discovered that white evangelical equaled GOP.
The closing chapter is thoughtful reflection on where he finds himself now -- as professor, pastor, family member. He was 55 when he finished the book. He senses that his days as an activist might be drawing to a close. A new future awaits. I'm a bit older, but I resonated with his reflection. It's time to let younger persons take the lead.
Perhaps it's because of where I find myself in life, but I am increasingly drawn to memoirs and biographies. I especially am drawn to ones like this, which tell a story similar to mine. It's not the same, but there is enough similarity to grab hold of. David is an excellent writer. He's thoughtful. He's a clear thinker. Even his book "Changing Our Mind," which was simply a gathering up of blog posts, shows deep clarity. In his reflections he shares that he wished he had spent two years researching the topic before writing, and yet the book has proven to be a powerful witness to change. Even he admits he likely would not have said anything different. This is an important story, because it reminds us of the complexity of the Christian life. Who is David Gushee? To some he is an undeeemed liberal who has given up his faith. To others he is a conservative who has gotten certain things right, but not everything. In an age of polarization, this is not an easy place to live. Yet, he does. I am grateful for his witness. I believe that those who read this book, will benefit from its wisdom. Oh, and David notes that he has been journaler since a young age, so he has record of everything that has transpired down through the years.
This is not a long book. It's only 151 pages. You can read it quickly. Yet, despite its brevity, it is full of insight, and worthy of our attention.
nerdyrev's review
4.0
The wonderful thing about Still Christian is how the story is told about the shift within the Southern Baptist church from moderate to evangelical and the far right.
Most of the book is about Gushee himself and his life as a Baptist professor and leader. I was not familiar with who Gushee was, but looked him up after reading the book which gave a bit more insight. As a professor, he faced a wide variety of situations and felt safe being part of the Baptist community.
The shift happens as the church moves to a right wing, conservative, and evangelical church attacking environmentalism, the LGBTQ community, and a wide variety of topics. Gushee tells the story of how that happens gradually, yet quite intentionally. This was a planned movement that was strategically done to put the right people into leadership positions while pushing out the more moderate leaders until the church and all the colleges were taken over.
The amazing thing about the book is even though he is telling the story of his church, he is also essentially talking about the shift within the US, especially within the GOP.
I am not sure I would recommend the book to a larger group, but I found his sections on why global warming was threatening to the evangelical community was fascinating. It opened a whole new insight into an argument I do not understand how one could argue with it.
I gave this one 3.5 stars.
Most of the book is about Gushee himself and his life as a Baptist professor and leader. I was not familiar with who Gushee was, but looked him up after reading the book which gave a bit more insight. As a professor, he faced a wide variety of situations and felt safe being part of the Baptist community.
The shift happens as the church moves to a right wing, conservative, and evangelical church attacking environmentalism, the LGBTQ community, and a wide variety of topics. Gushee tells the story of how that happens gradually, yet quite intentionally. This was a planned movement that was strategically done to put the right people into leadership positions while pushing out the more moderate leaders until the church and all the colleges were taken over.
The amazing thing about the book is even though he is telling the story of his church, he is also essentially talking about the shift within the US, especially within the GOP.
I am not sure I would recommend the book to a larger group, but I found his sections on why global warming was threatening to the evangelical community was fascinating. It opened a whole new insight into an argument I do not understand how one could argue with it.
I gave this one 3.5 stars.
need_to_read's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
davidkleinhans's review
4.0
A great little memoir that gives insight not only into Gushee’s life and ministry, but also the political nature of American evangelicalism.
jtisreading's review
5.0
I really loved this book, not because it was magnificently written as a piece of literature and Christian history but because it is a simplistic memoir that represents the journey of many Christians. Christians that still view the importance of our sacred texts, that are still trying to serve and live our lives in Christlikeness, but ultimately are coming to different ideas of interpretations than what has been mainline thought. Gushee is modest, hopeful, and well-spoken. I would hang out with him any day and that is the biggest compliment I can give to an author. When their book makes me want to continue the conversation after.
birdy1luv's review
3.0
I share similar responses to evangelicalism with Gushee. Engaging, honest and offers good insight into the world of conservative Christian higher education.