David F. Wells: The Courage to be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World

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MP3 Available Here


David F. Wells, Ph.D., the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, will address the theme of his book: "The Courage to be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World".

Cohosting this broadcast is Pastor Jim Capo of the Massapequa Church of God, Massapequa, Long Island, NY.


As the publishers describe Dr. Wells' book:

“It takes no courage to sign up as a Protestant.” These words begin this bold new work — the culmination of David Wells’s long-standing critique of the evangelical landscape. But to live as a true Protestant — well, that’s another matter.

This book is a jeremiad against “new” versions of evangelicalism — marketers and emergents — and a summons to return to the historic faith, defined by the Reformation solas (grace, faith, and Scripture alone) and by a high regard for doctrine.

Wells argues that historic, classical evangelicalism is marked by doctrinal seriousness, as opposed to the new movements of the marketing church and the emergent church. He energetically confronts the marketing communities and their tendency to try to win parishioners as consumers rather than worshipers, advertising the most palatable environment rather than trusting the truth to be attractive. He takes particular issue with the most popular evangelical movement in recent years — the emergent church. Emergents, he says, are postmodern and postconservative and postfoundational, embracing a less absolute understanding of the authority of Scripture than traditionally held.

The Courage to Be Protestant is a forceful argument for the courage to be faithful to what Christianity in its biblical forms has always stood for, thereby securing hope for the church’s future.

Dr. Wells received his B.D. at the University of London, his Th.M. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, his Ph.D. at Manchester University, England and was a post-doctoral Research Fellow at Yale Divinity School.

Prior to coming to Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Wells taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and chaired its division of systematic theology. Since arriving at Gordon-Conwell in 1979, he has served in a variety of positions. He moved to his current position in 2008 after having served as the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology since 1991. He was also Academic Dean of the Charlotte campus (1998-2000) and Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning (2001-2003). From 2003 to 2005, he directed Gordon-Conwell’s self-study for 10-year re-accreditation.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Wells is involved with a number of ministries. He serves on the board of the Rafiki Foundation, Inc. (see http://www.rafiki-foundation.org/), whose goal is to establish orphanages and schools in 10 African countries in order to raise and train orphans within a Christian framework. Rafiki’s hope is that the next generation of leaders for these countries will come from their orphanages. Dr. Wells travels to Africa annually to visit these orphanages. For a number of years, he was a member of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, its theology working group and its planning committee for the World Congress that was held in Manila in 1989. For many years, he has worked to provide theological education and basic preaching tools for Third World pastors.

Dr. Wells was appointed as Distinguished Lecturer for the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity and was elected to the American Theological Society. He was also a recipient of a major grant for Senior Scholars from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Born in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Dr. Wells came to faith and sensed God’s call to Christian ministry while studying architecture at the University of Cape Town. He was ordained in the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference in 1965.

Dr. Wells’ scholarly interests include church and culture. Much of his time is spent researching and writing, and he is currently turning his last five books into a film project.

Dr. David F. Wells’ Publications

Books
• The Courage to be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers and Emergents in the Postmodern World (William B. Eerdmans, 2008)
• Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World (William B. Eerdmans, 2004)
• Losing our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision (William B. Eerdmans, 1999)
• Christian Faith and Practice in the Modern World: Theology from an Evangelical Point of View (Eerdmans, 1998)
• Bleeding of the Evangelical Church (Edinburgh, 1995)
• God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams (William B. Eerdmans, 1995)
• No Place for Truth or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? (William B. Eerdmans, 1993)
• The Gospel in the Modern World, co-edited with M. Eden (InterVarsity Press, 1991)
• Dutch Reformed Theology (Baker Book House, 1989)
• The Princeton Theology (Reformed Theology in America), editor (Baker, 1989)
• Southern Reformed Theology (Baker Book House, 1989)
• Turning to God: Biblical Conversion in the Modern World (Baker, 1989)
• Turning to God: Biblical Conversion in the Modern World (William B. Eerdmans, 1989)
• Christian Faith and Practice in the Modern World: Theology from an Evangelical Point of View (William B. Eerdmans, 1988)
• God the Evangelist: How the Holy Spirit Works to Bring Men and Women to Faith, general editor and part author (William B. Eerdmans/Paternoster Press, 1987)
• Reformed Theology in America: A History of Its Modern Development, editor (William B. Eerdmans, 1985)
• The Evangelicals: What They Believe, Who They Are, Where They Are Changing, co-edited with John D. Woodbridge (Abingdon Press, 1985)
• The Person of Christ: A Biblical and Historical Analysis of the Incarnation (Crossway, 1984)
• Eerdmans Handbook to Christianity in America, general editor and part author (William B. Eerdmans, 1983)
• The Prophetic Theology of George Tyrell (Scholars Press, 1979)
• Search for Salvation (InterVarsity Press, 1978)
• Revolution in Rome (InterVarsity Press, 1972)
• Toward a Theology of the Future co-edited with Clark Pinnock (Creation House, 1971)