How to Be Evangelical without Being Conservative

Name: How to Be Evangelical without Being Conservative
Brand: Harper Christian
Availability: InStock
Author: Roger E. Olson
ISBN: 9780310772347

Author: Roger E. Olson, Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed

Narrator: Jeremy Johnson

Unabridged: 7 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 09/22/2009

Categories: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian Church, Christian Theology

Synopsis

Many people equate evangelical Christianity with conservatism in religion, politics, theology and social attitudes. Some are scandalized by any separation between them. As one evangelical pastor's wife declared to a church group "We are a conservative people!"In fact, however, evangelicals have not always been conservative; radical stances on doctrines, worship, social norms, politics and church leadership have often marked evangelicalism in the past. The 2007 movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce's protracted battle against the slave trade featured a small group of British evangelicals committed to abolition. The same radicalism characterized much of American evangelicalism in the years before the Civil War.In recent years the American media have portrayed the evangelical movement as a conservative force in society sometimes equating it with fundamentalism and puritanism. The missing piece of the story is, however, that both fundamentalism and puritanism contained radical elements that opposed the status quo.This book sets forth evidence that the link between evangelicalism and conservatism has not always been as strong as it is today in the popular mind and it will provide suggestions for contemporary evangelicals who want to remain evangelical (and not become "post-evangelical") without identifying with conservatism in every way.

About Roger E. Olson

Roger E. Olson (PhD, Rice University) is emeritus professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. He is the author of many books, including Questions to All Your Answers: The Journey from Folk Religion to Examined Faith; Reformed and Always Reforming: The Postconservative Approach to Evangelical Theology; and How to Be Evangelical without Being Conservative.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jonathan on March 05, 2009

How to Be Evangelical without Being Conservative By Roger E. Olson (A review/synopsis by Jonathan W. Lee, March 2009) The title of the book cries out for two words to be defined – evangelical and conservative. Dr. Olson defines “evangelicals” as Protestant Christians who display five characteristics: B......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on April 29, 2021

Although perhaps a 2nd edition is needed in the post-Trump era of North American Christianity, I found this book to be very encouraging and refreshing (especially coming from a historical theologian). Olson's attention to the Bible, social ethics and redistributing wealth were especially helpful. Ve......more

Goodreads review by Joseph on April 13, 2023

Olson makes some very good points. He really likes to come back to the definition of evangelical and his fifth point to Bebbington's four. A liberating point that he makes is that he thinks that being evangelical doesn't mean that one should legislate evangelical morality into the society. He also m......more

Goodreads review by Dave on February 21, 2020

This was better than I thought. Olson is not always the easiest to read on social or contemporary theological matters due to his strongly-stated opinions (however, this is admirable); however, this book was surprisingly pleasant and not unfairly critical of those evangelicals who claim conservatism.......more

Goodreads review by Nathan on January 21, 2018

There were certain aspects of this book that provided some solid insight into how a church can be forward thinking. Unfortunately, when the author sought to make an argument, he set up straw men and engaged neither with actual scripture, nor the real reasons for certain beliefs. As a result, his ass......more