Bruce Riley Ashford

Summary: A study of the doctrine of creation, demonstrating how this doctrine is foundational and related to everything else in Christian theology.

The doctrine of creation has often been eclipsed in various ways in recent years. It has come under attack by some scientists and the arguments about the timing and efforts to harmonize biblical and scientific accounts have overshadowed the broader implications of this doctrine. The ongoing struggle of Christianity with gnostic tendencies have led to de-emphasis on the physical creation for some spiritualized, disembodied version of Christianity. For others, a Christocentric or cross-centric approach to theology also has led to de-emphasis on the doctrine of creation.

Ashford and Bartholomew draw upon the Kuyperian tradition in which the doctrine of creation is foundational and has implications for everything else while engaging other theologians and differing viewpoints in a constructive theological approach to this doctrine. This is one of those cases where they show as well as tell, not only making the argument, but showing the connections of this crucial doctrine to our understanding of culture, of God’s providence, of redemption and our eschatological hope, centered in the new creation.

They begin by outlining the doctrine of creation as an article of faith and how this relates to our doctrine of scripture and doctrine of God, and the fundamental idea of the goodness of creation, shaping our relationship with the physical world. They then engage in historical theology, surveying all the important theologians from the church fathers up through the modern period in two chapters. Before exegeting the early chapters of Genesis, a chapter is devoted to the omnipotence of God, the nature of evil, and the implications the idea of ex nihilo creation, which the authors support.

The next four chapters (5-8) walk through Genesis 1-3. They observe that from Genesis 1 alone we learn:

the existence of light;
the reality of time, days, seasons, years, and history;
the three great places of our world: sky, sea, and land;
the distinction between birds, sea creatures, and land animals;
the extraordinary world of flora and fruit trees and their importance in the food chain;
humankind as similar to and yet distinct from the other creatures and with unique capacities;
humankind as called to responsible stewardship of the creation;
humankind as gendered and inherently relational; and
humankind as inherently religious–that is, made for God. (p. 171)

The subsequent chapters explore Genesis 2, a discussion of the “heaven” in “heaven and earth” and the fall.

The authors then turn to other doctrines and the influence of the doctrine of creation. First is the influence of creation on our understanding of culture. A highlight of this chapter included a vocational focus on the rise of modern science, the art of Makoto Fujimura, and philospher Alvin Plantinga. The chapter on providence, “Creatio Continua,” was the highlight for me in a book full of treasures. In particular, they delineate the threefold providence of God as preservation, accompanying, and ruling. They even throw in a striking insight of the providence of God in the Septuagint, which gave a whole dictionary of Greek theological terms on which the early Christian movement could draw. Creation and the new creation are vitally intertwined, not simply as the beginning and end of the story. To what degree will the new creation restore, repristinate, or replace the old? And how should what is coming shape the way the church lives as disciples in the present.

The last chapter on “Creation And…” is a tour de force as the authors offer some of the best delineations I have seen in a few pages each of creation and…philosophy, the table (thinking about the implications of creation for how we eat), time, science, the self, and human dignity. An appendix follows in which Bartholomew and Michael Goheen outline in enumerated points the contours of a missional neo-Calvinism that shows in concise form how creation and the redemptive mission of God are integral to one another.

As noted, this work shows the richness of the doctrine of creation in its implications for all of life. The insets in the text may seem distracting at first but offer crucial theological elaboration of the discussion in each chapter. This is a work to be read slowly and reflectively. In the tradition of Calvin and Kuyper, one will be rewarded with deepening wonder in the greatness of God and delight in God’s creation and its implications for all of life.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (meer)

Letters to an American Christian
Bruce Riley Ashford

ISBN 978-1535905138
Pbk, 256 pp, £12.85
Publisher’s web page: http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/letters-to-an-american-christian

In Letters to an American Christian, Ashford, professor of Professor of Theology and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has done the Christian world a great service. He has, in a clear accessible way, provided an excellent introduction to many contemporary political and ethical issues from a broadly kuyperian perspective. I say broadly because not all kuyperians - me included - would agree with all of his positions (and I’m not sure Kuyper would either).

The letter format, which Ashford adopts, is a well recognised literary trope from Diego de San Pedro’s Prison of Love in 1845 to C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape and more recently, Jamie Smith’s Letters to a Young Calvinist. Ashford has utilised this approach to great effect. Ashford’s letters are written to Christian, a (fictional) new Christian studying political science and journalism at the (left-leaning) university of DuPont. He is also an intern at a conservative news outlet.

The book has three parts thee parts. The first deals with ‘A Christian view of politics and public life’. The second with ‘A Christian view of hot-button issues’, this includes letters on religious liberty, free speech, racism, gun regulation and transgender. The final section, part three, deals with ‘A Christian hope for American politics’.

The first part is an excellent introduction to a Christian view of politics and culture. I have mapped this part: http://stevebishop.blogspot.com/2018/05/letters-to-american-christain-bh.html.

Here Ashford poses and answers some important questions. Questions such as such religion and politics mix? Is politics good? Does the gospel affect political policies? Does Christianity have anything to do with culture? Does the church have a role to play in politics? He answers all in the affirmative. He draws upon Kuyper’s sphere sovereignty and Kuyper’s distinction between the church as organism (scattered) and organisation (gathered). This section concludes with a discussion and critique of the ideologies of liberalism, conservatism, nationalism and socialism.

In Part 2 he looks at several important hot-potato issues. These include free speech, political correctness, abortion, racism, small and big government, gun legislation, homosexuality, transgender, immigration, global warming, war and fake news - the contents itemised below show the range of topics covered. Inevitably, in such a short space justice can’t be done to all these issues, nevertheless, Ashford makes as an excellent attempt at mapping the options and alternative approaches. I wouldn’t agree with all his points, particular his approach to gun legislation and to his slight reservation about global warming, for example.

Ashford is sensitive to both the scriptures and to culture - his approach is well grounded. There is, for example, no trite biblicism, such as cities had walls in the Bible, so we should build a wall across the Mexican border. Ashford’s approach is far more nuanced. For those who want to know what a Christian approach to many contemporary issues, this book will be a great place to begin.

CONTENTS
Part 1: A Christian View of Politics and Public Life
Chapter 1: No Public Nudity, Please
What is the relationship between religion and politics?
Chapter 2: The Good of Politics
Is politics a necessary evil or a positive good?
Chapter 3: Jesus Is Lord and Congress Is Not
What does the gospel have to do with politics?
Chapter 4: Christianity Is Not Our Side Hustle
What does Christianity have to do with culture?
Chapter 5: The One Political Rally American Christians Shouldn’t Skip
Where can I go to learn to be a good citizen?
Chapter 6: Swim in Your Own Lane, Please
What is the best way to think of the relationship between church and state?
Chapter 7: Let God Be True and Every Ideology a Liar
To which political ideology should I subscribe?

Part 2: A Christian View on Hot-Button Issues
Chapter 8: If You Can Keep It
What is so important about religious liberty?
Chapter 9: There Are No Safe Spaces in the Real World
Why should I value free speech?
Chapter 10: Unborn Lives Matter
Why shouldn’t a woman have the right to choose?
Chapter 11: Black Lives Matter
What should I think of the Black Lives Matter movement?
Chapter 12: Nobody Throws a Tantrum like a Politically Correct American
What’s so wrong with political correctness?
Chapter 13: Beware the Giant Octopus
Which is better: “small government” or “big government”?
Chapter 14: No Need for Mullahs at 1 First Street
What is all the ruckus about Supreme Court interpretation?
Chapter 15: Hitting the Bull’s-Eye on Gun Legislation
How do I navigate the debate about restrictions on gun ownership?
Chapter 16: The Best Education for a Twenty-First-Century American
What’s so “great” about the great books?
Chapter 17: One Man and One Woman
How should I respond to Obergefell?
Chapter 18: To Shave a Yak
Should I be concerned about the environment?
Chapter 19: What Hath Justice to Do with Mercy?
Why are Christians so divided about immigration reform?
Chapter 20: I Pledge Allegiance
What should I think about the surge of “nationalism” in the United States?
Chapter 21: Pray for Peace, Prepare for War
What does it mean to engage in a “just war”?
Chapter 22: Restoring the Self
What is a Christian view of gender dysphoria and the transgender movement?
Chapter 23: Fake News and Alternative Facts
How can I orient myself in a posttruth political environment?

Part 3: A Christian Hope for American Politics
Chapter 24: If You Can Keep It (Reprise)
If “Christian” is my primary identity, does “American” even matter?
Chapter 25: Recovering the Lost Art of Christian Persuasion
How should we relate to people who believe differently from us?
Chapter 26: Public Witness from the Political Margins
How should we respond to the marginalization of historic Christianity?… (meer)

Summary: Explores whether and how it is appropriate for Christians in the American context to engage in politics, how one brings one's faith into this, and applies this to seven contemporary issues.

Politics is front and center right now in the middle of the presidential convention season. The question of how people of faith engage in the political process is a larger question than just how we pursue electoral politics. Whether and how we engage our political processes is a question over which Christians have pondered from New Testament times down to the present. What Ashford and Pappalardo provide here is a thoughtful primer addressed particularly to the current American context that can be useful for both adult education classes in churches and as a text in Christian colleges as part of a political science reading list.

The first part of the book seeks to frame a perspective for participation in the political process. It seeks to understand politics within the framework of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation--a process that reflects us as image bearers, has been affected by the fall, and is shaped by Christian hope. The book surveys four approaches to cultural and political engagement, similar to H. Richard Neibuhr's Christ and Culture. They draw on Kuyper's concept of "sphere sovereignty" to discuss the relation of church and state under the overarching Lordship of Christ, avoiding extremes of statism or theocracy. And this part concludes with the need for wisdom and conviction as we engage a post-Christian and plural public square. We need to be skilled at articulating both "thick", biblically informed positions, and "thin" public articulations that use shared language and points of common ground to make our arguments.

The second half of this book explores seven contemporary issues of public discussion and seeks to exemplify the "thick-thin" approach to these. The issues are those of life and death, marriage and sexuality, economics and wealth, the environment and ecological stewardship, racial diversity and race relations, immigration, and war and peace. What a struck me was the inclusion of issues of race, environment, and immigration in a book published by a conservative, Baptist-based press. While still leaning toward some of the positions of "the religious right" the section on environment refuses to engage in climate-change denial but advocates creation care, the section on race admits our long and sad history and the work to be done, and the section on immigration challenges both parties for their stands and actions. Similar to Russell Moore's Onward (published by the same publisher and reviewed here), this takes a more "prophetic" prospective arguing that the church must indeed speak "truth to power" to those in both major parties without becoming captive to either.

In fact, this is the theme of the concluding chapter, which commends the example of Augustine as one who was steeped both in the scriptures and the great works of Roman culture and could speak with both "thick" and "thin" language, depending on context and need.

As noted above, this is a great introductory book for discussions on Christian political involvement. It introduces the thoughtful contributions of a wide range of people from Richard John Neuhaus and Michael Novak to Martin Luther King, Jr., Francis Schaeffer, and Rosaria Butterfield. The "issue" chapters conclude with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading. I hope this book will be widely used and might foster a more constructive engagement of Christians in politics and a more thoughtful and gracious discourse in future years.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (meer)