Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 21:3 (Summer 2007)
Article: Book Review: The Journey Back to Eden
Author: Dawn Lindholm

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Book Review: The Journey Back to Eden

Glen G. Scorgie

(Zondervan, 2005)

Reviewed by

Dawn Lindholm

DAWN LINDHOLM holds degrees from Bethel University, Bethel Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is an itinerant Bible teacher for many San Diego County churches. She is currently teaching her series “So Many Marys: All at One Time” and “When Women Are Priests: The Implications of the Doctrine of the Priesthood of all Believers.”

One scholar stated, “You can’t learn something you think you already know.” In light of this proposal, Dr. Glen G. Scorgie’s book on relational harmony between men and women will enlighten only those who do not think they already have the right answer. The book is for those who hold Scripture in highest regard while also admitting that many issues, including gender issues, are not presented in clear black-and-white answers. Understanding Scripture and the movement of the Holy Spirit is a daunting task that Scorgie approaches with humility while admitting that, no matter how careful we try to be, our own cultural lenses may skew or blind us to the embedded and implicit truths of God. Readers who understand the complexity of the issue will appreciate how the author synthesizes the disciplines of history, sociology, and biblical hermeneutics to prove an egalitarian perspective.

With clarity, the book takes the reader on an historical journey from Bible times through church history to the present. The author does an impressive job in anticipating the readers’ concerns and questions. Every time an argument seems weak, Scorgie brings up the weakness and addresses it effectively. He convinces readers that there is a movement toward greater inclusiveness, which he calls the “trajectory of the Spirit.” With evangelical Christians arguing over what is “traditional,” this book reminds us that what we now consider “traditional” may in fact be a very modern construct. Scorgie traces the broadening movement of the Holy Spirit in relational harmony based on the Trinitarian relationship of God and how to apply that to human relations. The orthodox ontological equality within the Godhead and the temporary state of the subordination of the Son to the Father are seen as key to a true understanding of the issue.

The issue of slavery is one of the examples of the trajectory of the Spirit that Scorgie uses to justify his thesis of an ongoing movement of liberation. In Bible times, slavery was a culturally acceptable institution. Jesus did not challenge it, nor did most societies through much of history. In fact, Southern evangelical Christians fought to keep American slavery in practice through the nineteenth century using and quoting the Bible to justify their position. Now we are in the twenty-first ...

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