A review of:

above all earthly powrs

by David F. Wells
D
avid Wells is Professor of His-
torical and Systematic Teology
at Gordon-Conwell. Tis book, whose
title is taken from the last stanza of Lu-
thers A Mighty Fortress is Our God,
is subtitled Christ in a Postmodern
World. [Eerdmans, 2005] It is a 339
page paperback with bibliography and
subject index.
Tis is the fourth volume in his series
analyzing the contemporary Evangelical
church, with its temptation to negoti-
ate the gospel in the interest of ephemeral
relevance. [Timothy George] His rst
volume in this series was: No Place for
Truth, or Whatever Happened to Evan-
gelical Teology?
Tis book is well worth reading
as Wells deals with many issues con-
fronting the evangelical church. For
example, the lack of a consistently
biblical worldview results in harm-
ful accommodation to the cultural
no truth, no purpose assumptions.
Terefore the attitude arises that there
is nothing objectively true and nothing
really matters.
Te all encompassing authority of
scripture gives way to a multitude of
experts in a particular area of thought.
Te rejection of absolute truth leaves us
with various perspectives, the self-
centered subjective way of interpret-
ing what has been said or written. Tis
is seen in the church with its multiple
views on various issues and the claim
that each one is acceptable. It is seen in
the courts where the Constitution is a
living [read subjective] document
merely reecting the older cultural
consensus of those then in power.
1965 changes in immigration laws
illustrates the deliberate movement from
a loosely Christian consensus [where
Counsel of Chalcedon Issue 3 2011
36
Review of Above All Earthly Powrs
almost everyone considered themselves
to be Protestant, Catholic, or in a few
cases Jewish] to a pluralistic society in
which all options are equally valid [un-
less they are deemed too dogmatic!]
Here are just some of the well put
statements:
If the church would perceive the
worldview that has become ensconced
in the culture, it would not be embrac-
ing with enthusiasm as many aspects of
this postmodern mindset as it is or be
so willing to make concessions to post-
modern habits of mind. For example the
modern penchant for speaking of one-
self as spiritual rather than religious
reects a shift from God-centered re-
vealed truth preserved in Scripture and
proclaimed by the Church, to an inner
subjective search for meaning or a god
of some sort. Biblical truth contradicts
this cultural spirituality. Is the Church
brave enough to contradict what has
wide cultural approval? [p 163]
Gods redemptive purposes are
made known within the framework
provided by real eventsof which He is
the cause and interpreter within the life
of His covenant people. [172]
To the question of how to present
Christ to a world that denies meaning,
Wells points us to the Reformation and
biblical truths of justication and pro-
pitiation, in contrast to the new per-
spective claims. [p 220]
What is the signicance of the cul-
tural change from speaking of provi-
dence to the poor substitutes of chance
or luck? Should we pray for grace, or
wish for luck?
Part of chapter six deals with the
sad saga of Clark Pinnock whose the-
ology has deteriorated from a semi-re-
formed Baptist and defender of biblical
inerrancy to his current Open Teism.
Tis reviewer personally heard
JI Packer warn that Arminianism (if
consistently carried out) would lead
to liberalism, and Pinnock heard that
warning, denied it, but became a tragic
example of its truth. His Arminian
denition of free will tried at rst
to preserve biblical teaching on Gods
unchangeableness, eternality, and om-
niscience but the Calvinistic challenge
was too much for him to bear. Namely,
even if God merely foreknew the future,
it would still be certainly determined.
Pinnock then had to give up either on
his false view of free will, or give up on
Gods foreknowledge. He chose badly!
Pinnock may delight in his god of ig-
norance, but Wells will have none of it,
and neither should we.
Tere is a great analysis of the pit-
falls of the mega church and its willing-
ness exchange the God-centered gospel
for a man-centered self-help program
that the non-Christian will nd enjoy-
able and uplifting. Many evangelicals
know little of biblical doctrine [=truth].
One survey said that 52% of evangeli-
cals did not believe in original sin
and that is just one example! J.I. Packer
observed Pelagianism is the natural
heresy of zealous Christians who are
not interested in theology.
Te Church must be willing to tell
Gods story in Gods terms.
Tis is a book recommended, and
not just for specialists.
Fly straight Corvus 2011