restless reformer

Theology in dialogue: that’s how I would describe the book Common Grounds by Glenn Lucke and Ben Young.  This is perhaps where readers might get tripped up.  It is neither a novel nor a “how-to” book on evangelism.  Indeed, there is as much for the Christian to learn as there is for the unbeliever. 

Four people are involved in the dialogue:

Brad is a Baptist who gets the notion that Jesus died for his sins, but he does not comprehend the far-reaching implications of the kingdom.  He’s got enough church to settle his conscience, but not enough understanding of Jesus to mess up his life real good.
Jarrod is a laid-back charismatic with an excitement about “the Spirit” but little biblical knowledge.  He’s also a graduate student in philosophy.
Lauren is a smart, assertive, and sexy attorney who gives every impression of having it all together and having her life under control.  She’s the skeptic of the group with a very tolerant and friendly God. 
MacGregor is a retired seminary professor who’s learned a heck of a lot in his many years, including how to disagree with people in a very kind and loving manner. 

Let me say from the outset that “God in Hitler” is a very intriguing title for a chapter.  Even if you’re not “into” the book through the first two chapters, mostly consisting of story set-up and introductions to the characters, chapter three will grab you in and keep you till the end.  In this chapter MacGregor sets the stage for the conversation by letting Lauren speak about her “god,” and then suggesting that she get to know the Christian God not through getting beat over the head with Scripture verses, but in the same way as learning about a character in a story. 

At this point I was hooked, and found the ensuing conversation fascinating and instructive.  But in order to get the book, there are a few things one must realize. 

First, as I wrote above, it’s not a book on evangelistic method, so to speak.  It is not meant to set up a new scripted evangelistic plan for us to follow.  It’s not a new Romans Road.  It is simply how one conversation “happened.”  Second, it’s not primarily a fictional novel;  don’t look for plot twists, etc; we’re not reading Dickens or Tolstoy here.  The fictional setting is utilized in order to accomplish the real point: the dialogue. 

This is why I call it “theology in dialogue.”  And the theology is not just intended to convert Lauren, mind you.  This will be to the frustration of many evangelicals who are looking for a quick gospel presentation and “decision for Christ.”  Herein lies the greatest lesson of the book, in my opinion:

It teaches us to quit compartmentalizing our theology.  What I mean is this: We evangelicals often think of the gospel message as the thing that we give to the unbelievers in hopes to convert them.  Then we can move on the “deeper” stuff.  This is way off the mark.  Lucke and Young teach us that when we talk about God, it affects us all.  Brad, Jarrod, and Lauren all get their cages rattled a time or two as MacGregor talks through the character of the God of the Bible. 

A second great lesson of the book is found in MacGregor’s approach to discussing the Christian faith: presuppositionalism.  That word has fallen on hard times due to its misuse, but in its basic form, it simply means we’re presenting God as He has revealed Himself, not submitting Him to the tests of some other supposedly neutral set of standards.  A great example is found in chapter three, where Lauren explains the futility of telling her about the Christian God, since she does not believe in the Scriptures.  MacGregor’s response is not to lay out “evidence that demands a verdict” for the accuracy of the Scriptures; he suggests instead that they simply talk about the Christian God as a character in a story.   Brad has a bit of difficulty with this in chapter 9, a dialogue that will hit home with a lot of evangelicals who will share Brad’s objections. 

A third great lesson is MacGregor’s method of discussion.  He is not forcing the conversation in any particular direction.  The conversation simply happens, and we learn a lot about God along the way.  Lauren’s concerns, and to a slightly lesser extent Brad’s and Jarrod’s, direct the conversation by and large.  This is a big one for evangelicals, who want a 5 minute Romans Road and a sinner’s prayer on the spot.  (”What if Lauren was in a car accident on the way home?”)

I recommend this book for folks who are weary of typical evidentialist apologetic method;  for Christian staff workers at secular colleges; for folks unable to get past dry systematics and into the Christian story; for folks unable to get past telling a story and into great Christian theology; for anyone working with young adults.  If you want to see the shape of theology in an increasingly postmodern culture, this book is exceedingly helpful.  It demonstrates, by example, the silliness of our debates about whether truth is propositional or found in story by balancing the two.

With four volumes to go, I am excited about where the dialogue will go from here.  When Jesus as the revelation of God becomes central to the converstaion, my guess is that Brad, Jarrod, Lauren, and many of us are in for some eye-opening moments.

Thanks to Glenn Lucke and Broadman and Holman for a copy of the book to review.