Finishing and reviewing Uncompromised Faith, written by S. Michael Craven, president of the Center for Christ and Culture, and published by Navpress, has taken me longer than usual. Not because it was difficult to read or any reason of that nature, but because there is so much there that honing a review down to a few hundred words is difficult. The subject of religion and culture has been increasingly covered recently, edging toward a time when it seems there is little new left to say on the subject.
Uncompromised Faith, however, comes closer than most to intelligently and theologically dissecting the problems and implications of concepts such as modernism, postmodernism and cultural engagement, among others, in regard to the Christian church. Craven does not, as many writers do, bow to postmodernism as a concept we must embrace to move forward. Rather, he points out the flaws that arise from misconceptions about what modernism and postmodernism are.
The author correctly points out the mistake in considering the emerging church and church going habits – or lack thereof – of the younger generation by stamping on the label of postmodernism and sealing the envelope. He also reveals the problems caused by the misinterpretation of postmodernism, its implications, and applications to the church. Postmodernism assumes facts not in immediate evidence and cannot be generally applied to all aspects of the church – or the younger generations for that matter.
For example, strict adherents to postmodernism at face value assume that young people no longer want or need apologetics or theological depths to their faith. As Josh McDowell, who wrote the forward for Uncompromising Faith, and his son Sean, have argued – and Craven demonstrates – that is not the case. The new contemporary services may be dramatic and spiritual ways to worship, but they do not answer the tough questions. And young people today have many questions. But we need to be able to help answer those questions on their terms.
But before we answer those questions – or in order to answer those questions – we must understand our relationship with the cultures around us. Which is where Craven shines. Beginning with the state of the church today and how it is affected by culture, the author moves through chapters discussing the challenges and problems of modernity, modernism, and postmodernism, to the clashes between religion and culture. Which he illustrates in the second, and final, section, “social ideas that hinder belief and adversely influence the Christian life and witness.” The social ideas he considers are those based around the “sexualized” culture, homosexuality, marriage, feminism, and new age spirituality.
Craven wraps it all up with a fitting epilogue in which he sums up the struggle between Christianity and culture, discusses the church’s weaknesses and challenges, and finishes with ideas on how to move forward. Engaging with the culture with a Christian worldview and the flexibility that comes with understanding. Uncompromised Faith is a must read for anyone interested or concerned with moving the church forward in seemingly compromising times and understanding the influence of cultures that surround us.
Tags: Center for Christ and Culture, Christian, cultural engagement, culture, faith, God, life, modernism, modernity, Navpress, postmodernism, Religion, S. Michael Craven, Theology, Uncompromised Faith, witness
