Book Review: Christianity’s Dangerous Idea Alister McGrath Introduction Alister McGrath is a Christian theologian, biochemist, and historian, who taught at Oxford University. He is currently the Chair in theology, ministry, and education at the University of London. He has written several books, including The Twilight of Atheism and In the Beginning. In Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, McGrath gives a history of the Protestant Revolution, ranging from the sixteenth century to the twenty first. In the book, McGrath analyzes the radical notion that Christians could read and interpret Scripture as individuals. This notion was a major theme in the Reformation and has sparked debate in churches across the world. In Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, Alister McGrath succeeds in summarizing the origin and major developments of the Reformation, while offering meaningful insight into the problem and solutions that lie ahead of the movement in the coming years and decades. Summary In Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, McGrath presents an insightful summary of the Protestant Reformation, its key developments, and its continued influence in Protestantism today. Concerning the need for and cause of the Reformation, McGrath asks whether the Reformation could have been delayed or even avoided “by some skillful footwork on the part of church hierarchy?” In other words, should the church have seen this coming and been proactive about a solution? Additionally, he asks, “What would have happened if the son of Hans and Margarette Luther had died shortly after his birth on November 10, 1483?” In other words, was the Reformation dependent upon Martin Luther himself? Or, were there significant developments that would have resulted in the Reformation whether Luther was available or not? While McGrath says that there can be no confident answer to these questions, there is an indication that a variety of factors led to the Reformation. In this presentation, McGrath argues that the historical context, the social and political situation, the issues being addressed, and the people involved all contributed to what has become the Protestant Reformation. Each of these factors influenced the need for reform and had a significant influence on the outcome. After presenting the historical situation leading up to the Reformation (see “Chapter One: The Gathering Storm”), McGrath follows the trail of the Reformation’s most influential leaders. He presents the involvement Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin as being particularly influential in the Protestant Revolution. McGrath covers the denominations that developed in the years following the Reformation and summarizes the development of the faith in various geographical locations, including its spread through Europe, to America, and beyond. McGrath gives an overview of Protestantism’s relationship to the Bible, and reveals how Protestantism had a profound impact on the organization of liturgy, worship, and preaching in the church. He also presents some beliefs that are distinct to Protestantism and shows how Protestantism has influenced the Arts and Sciences. Towards the end of the book, McGrath gives the reader an idea of what has continued to develop in Protestantism throughout recent years. He describes movements within Protestantism, such as fundamentalism, neo-evangelicalism, and Pentecostal Protestantism. During the discussion of these movements, McGrath offers new questions that have been asked about the origin of Protestantism, as well as ideas concerning the future of Protestantism. Additionally, McGrath reveals how Protestantism has become a global phenomenon, with meaningful churches in Ethiopia, Africa, Korea, and the Philippines. Finally, McGrath offers some questions facing the next generation of the Protestant Church. Of these questions, the most important seem to be the problem of Protestant identity, its changing interpretations of Scripture, and the decentralization of Protestantism in relation to its denominations. McGrath’s answer or solution to these challenges is in his final statement. He writes, “The future of Protestantism lies precisely in Protestantism being what Protestantism actually is.” Critical Interaction In Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, McGrath attempts to gain a perspective of the essence of Protestantism. Through looking at the Reformation and its influence to the present day, McGrath sees Protestantism as a continuously evolving movement of Christians relating to the world and to Scripture. He states, “It is the essence of Protestantism to reexamine and renew itself, responding to its environment, on the one hand, and its own reading of the Bible, on the other.” This analysis of Protestantism leads McGrath to investigate the Christian faith’s relationship to surrounding society and its interpretation of Scripture. Ultimately, McGrath hopes to give insight to what began Protestantism and how Protestantism should proceed in the coming years. The first major thrust of McGrath’s book is Protestant as a reaction to what is going on in its surrounding society. As a result, McGrath is particularly effective in arguing that Protestantism is a reactive process. Reaction is in its very name, of course, with “Protest” being a reaction to, first, the movement’s relationship to surrounding society and second, its interpretation of Scripture. McGrath states, “Protestantism has the innate capacity to reclaim its older self-understanding as a political as much as a religious entity. Whether that happens depends largely on whether Western culture creates the conditions that will bring it about—for it is primarily a reactive process.” Of particular interest in this statement, is that McGrath is noting both strength and weakness to Protestantism at its very core. Protestantism’s ability to reform and renew is at the heart of what makes the movement powerful and effective. McGrath argues this point very well. One such affirmation is in McGrath’s view of Protestantism as being particularly open to entrepreneurialism. McGrath writes, “Yes the voluntary society has played a particularly significant role in the shaping of Protestantism in that this form of Christianity has been particularly supportive of entrepreneurialism.” In a similar vein, McGrath likens Protestant church planting and planning to that of forming and running new businesses. In this way, with its ability to reform and renew, Protestantism has done so throughout the centuries and remains a viable movement within the Christian faith today. However, McGrath sees that renewal and reform is not always a clean process. McGrath likens this growth to that of a plant. He writes, “Like a plant, the movement has grown rapidly, and in unexpected ways. Perhaps the biological notion of mutation offers the best model for understanding the growth of Protestantism. In biological mutation, small changes in genetic codes lead to the emergence of new forms. Some of these forms prove poorly adapted to survival and die out; others prove highly adapted and flourish, transmitting their genes to future generations.” McGrath argues that Protestantism has grown in this way, where some movements have died out and some have flourished and contributed to future generations. This concept is central to McGrath’s argument that in order for Protestantism to survive, it must continue to be itself; that is, it must continue to adapt and flourish. The second major thrust of McGrath’s book is to view Protestantism in its ability to react to Scripture, which is, according to Protestantism, able to be interpreted by anyone. The heart of the Protestant view is sola Scripture, meaning “by Scripture alone.” McGrath writes, “Protestantism represents a constant return to the Bible to revalidate and where necessary restate its beliefs and values, refusing to allow any one generation or individual to determine what is definitive for Protestantism as a whole.” In Protestantism, then, the individual is obligated to return to Scripture to evaluate Biblical and theological issues. But here begs the question for McGrath. If no one generation or individual is able to determine what is definitive for Protestantism as a whole, who has governing authority for the Protestant movement in relation to Scripture? McGrath offers that the authority for the interpretation of Scripture, then, is built by belief systems, which are “created through social and cultural means.” McGrath writes, “Protestantism is adamant that the officeholders of the church are accountable to the church’s members for the interpretation of the Bible they offer in their preaching and teaching and that they may be challenged and corrected on its basis.” Authority, then, on the interpretation rests with each individual, and ultimately, is evaluated by the Scripture itself. This view of the authority for interpretation is based primarily on Luther’s claim that “there is no fundamental distinction between clergy and laity.” If Christians are a “royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9), than each believer has its responsibility within the priesthood to interpret Scripture. Thus, McGrath says, that the appearance would be that there are no authority figures in the church. However, McGrath argues that practice tells a different tale, saying, “In practice, authority figures play an important role in Protestantism.” The confessions and local leaders, then, play important roles. But, in Protestantism, true authority will always come back to the Scripture itself. In addressing these areas of reaction by the Protestant church, McGrath offers a meaningful insight to Protestantism as a movement, its strengths, and weaknesses. The strength of being able to adapt and renew in its reaction to Scripture and its surrounding, is what leads McGrath to argue that Protestantism should continue to adapt in the coming years. McGrath says that there are several problems facing Protestantism. The most glaring of these problems include a lack of identity within the Protestant church, continuously changing interpretations of Scripture, and the decentralizing of the movement into denominations. However, McGrath argues that these problems can be overcome if Protestants will continue to adapt, reform, and renew, based on continued reaction to its surroundings and Scripture. He says, “Protestantism has had its moments in the past; it will have them again in the future.” Summary of Other Reviews There are many published reviews of Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, by Alister McGrath. Picking up on the idea of mutation through circumstance, Bryce Christensen writes, “Ironically, this bold doctrine of sola Scripture loosed such powerful ecclesiastical tempests that the very Protestant leaders who articulated it when defying Rome were soon devising their own forms of church authority to reign in insurgent radicals. Yes, as he surveys its denominational diversity-Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, Anglican, Pentecostal-McGrath recognizes in Protestantism an unstoppable mutability, evident in widely varied social circumstances.” The book was also reviewed by James A. Overbeck, who says gives McGrath credit for recognizing the flaws and weaknesses in the Protestant movement. Overbeck writes, “To his credit, McGrath recognizes that the Protestant revolution unleashed chaos in the Christian church.” Ronald K. Rittgers provides a more substantial review in The Christian Century. Rittgers touches on the same subjects of reaction to society, as well as the right of the individual to interpret Scripture. He affirms McGrath’s claim that the mutable movement of Protestantism has strengths and weaknesses in its approach. He writes, “McGrath also stresses that early Protestantism was not a single, unified, coherent movement; it was a movement of movements that was characterized by conflict, tension and flux from the start. The only thing the early Protestants shared was the dangerous idea.” It is clear that those who reviewed McGrath found his work to be insightful and intellectually honest. Other Resources There are other resources that have been written on the subject of the Reformation, sola Scriptura, and interpretation of Scripture. Other resources for further reading on this subject include: MacCulloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation. New York: Viking, 2004. Marshall, Peter. The Reformation: A Very Short Book Review. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Nichols, Steven J. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007. Practical Application There are a number of ways that a person might appropriate the ideas conveyed in Christianity’s Dangerous Idea. The first is for sober reflection, if one is involved in the Protestant church. Pastors, lay readers, and scholars alike ought to be encouraged by the powerful movement that is Protestantism. Its ability to reform, adapt, and renew can be vital for the furthering of the faith in an ever-changing world. However, these same persons must also reflect on the dangers that lie in Protestantism. Questions of authority, interpretation, and unity of the church weigh heavy on the mind after considering McGrath’s concerns for the future of Protestantism. Protestant churches would do well to consider how it can go on being effectively Protestant. As denominations increasingly divide the Protestant church, is there a path towards centralization and unity? As interpretations of Scripture change from decade to decade (and sometimes day to day), how might the Protestant faith rightly divide the truth found in Scripture. Additionally, what is the essence of the identity of the Protestant church? McGrath presents significant questions with which to engage in the coming years, as Protestantism “continues being what Protestantism actually is.” In my ministry as a Pastor, I am challenged to consider what I am “reacting to” as I grow in faith with Christ. Might there be some positive aspects of looking to the tradition in the Catholic and Orthodox as beneficial? It would seem that the Protestant church could learn from McGrath in continuing to adapt as society changes, but seeking unity of the Church in the process. This may prove a difficult task, but Protestantism may need to address a growing disunity and “anything goes” approach to the interpretation of Scripture. At some point, evaluating how the church has interpreted Scripture throughout the decades must hold some value, and we must unite around some central factor. Conclusion Through an extensive and thought-provoking look at the Reformation, Alister McGrath offers a solution for continued growth of the Protestant church. McGrath succeeds in providing an accurate history of the movement and its development and impact throughout the world. Additionally, McGrath gives insight into the problems facing the Protestant church in the coming years. Not leaving the reader to worry, he offers the solution that the Protestant church continue to adapt, reform, and renew itself, holding to the positive attributes that make up the very essence of the movement. Bibliography Christensen, Bryce, Review of Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, by Alister McGrath, The Booklist, 104.3 (Oct 1, 2007): 22. MacCulloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation. New York: Viking, 2004. Marshall, Peter. The Reformation: A Very Short Book Review. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. McGrath, Alister. Christianity’s Dangerous Idea. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. Nichols, Steven J. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007. Overbeck, James, Review of Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, by Alister McGrath, Library Journal, (August 1, 2007): 93.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:52:09 +0000
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