Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 152:607 (Jul 1995)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

BSac 152:607 (Jul 95) p. 360

Book Reviews

No Place for Truth, or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? By David F. Wells. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993. 318 pp. $14.99,

Wells, who teaches historical and systematic theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, writes this book as a theologian frustrated with the place of theology in contemporary American evangelicalism. He argues that contemporary culture has been fragmented through a combination of technological advance and philosophical decline. The ease of modern travel means that “place” no longer has permanence and advances in mass communication have (ironically) led to the further alienation of individuals.

In his discussion of philosophy’s decline, Wells devotes much of his attention to the failed aims of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment left reason and experience as the only perceived sources of genuine authority, and Wells is observing, as others have, that the 20th century has revealed the impotence of reason, so “the only authority that now remains is that of private experience” (p. 86). While this philosophical decline may be difficult to chart historically, as Wells notes, its effect in today’s culture is hard to miss. In this experiential world it is increasingly difficult to communicate truth from a rational, traditional, or revelational perspective.

After describing these changes in present-day Western culture, Wells discusses the nature of the church’s response. He argues that the typical pastor has responded to the experiential nature of culture by becoming a professional business manager to control the outer world and a psychologist to control the inner world. Though both functions are valued, neither is grounded in confessional truth.

Wells address the response of Christian publishers to this trend, observing that many evangelical books relate to the nurture of the sell He sees a similar pattern in seminary training, arguing that seminaries have responded to this push toward managerial and counseling skills by becoming professional institutions rather than theological.

Wells seems to be on target with regard to changes in American culture, but he frequently overstates his case when addressing the church’s response. Pastors, as sincere servants of the Lord trying to meet the needs of people in a complex world, may be emphasizing

BSac 152:607 (Jul 95) p. 361

practical issues in order to gain control of an impossible task. If the seminaries have failed them, it is not because they are sending them off with too many tools, but because they are suggesting that they ought to be able to carry those tools by themselves, rather than using them with others in a corporate context.