Common Roots: Call to Evangelical Maturity

Plot

"Written by an evangelical to evangelicals, Common Roots is a strong but sincere plea for a recovery of historic Christianity. It is a guiding light for the future maturity of evangelical Christianity. Contending that the church must have a renewed perception of its role in the world, the author argues against any single branch of the church claiming to be the church. He insists that all Christians must return to the New Testament image of the church as the people of God--one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Secondly, he believes that the church must be primarily a worshiping community. Identifying the program-and-audience centered approach as a secularization of true worship, he calls for a return to worship that is centered around the word preached and then reenacted in the Lord's Supper. Thirdly, Webber asserts that evangelicals should reconsider their attitudes towards theology. He maintains that theology is human thinking about truth, but truth is Jesus Christ the person known in the teaching of Scripture and handed down in the church. In many cases, the church has made her thinking about Christ the truth; and, consequently, belief in a system replaces trust in a person. In the fourth place, the author asks for a reevaluation of the church's missions. He sets forth a fourfold mission of the church (evangelism, education, crosscultural communications, and social action) and compares what is being done in the current evangelical church to the practices of the second and third century church. In each case he calls for a return to principles evident in the practice of the early church. Finally, discussing the problem of spirituality among evangelicals, he suggests that some of the best insights of the Christian heritage have been disregarded, resulting in an alarming lack of alternative forms for spiritual growth. An eye-opening volume that demands the attention of thinking Christians everywhere!" -Publisher