Robert Webber, Ancient Future Series, Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community. Baker Books, 2003.
Prequel: Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World (1999)
Sequels:
- Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year (2004)
- Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God’s Narrative (2008)
Referenced in:
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
As the title of the series suggests, Webber suggests that the path for the church’s future, or the effectiveness of the church as it transitions from the modern to the current era, is to go through the past. And by the “past,” he means ancient paths of the first few centuries of Christian faith and practice, often referred to as classical or historic Christianity. Webber suggests that going back to these roots of the Christian faith helps guard against the polarizing reactionary tendencies of our time that either hold tenaciously to the remnants of modernism or surrender entirely to the postmodern ethos.
Webber reflects the thinking of many Younger Evangelicals who seek points of contact between classical Christianity and postmodern thought. The church during this ancient period, he argues, was less conditioned by accommodating to culture (which evangelicals have tended to do), but was more interested in presenting a biblical alternative way of life. As such, the wisdom of the ancients is uniquely suited to equip the postmodern church to succeed, “not by watering down the faith, but by being a counter cultural community that invites people to be shaped by the story of Israel and Jesus.” Webber draws from ancient writers, and also garners insights from all the major epochs and Christian traditions – Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, evangelicals, etc. – to address the challenges of our era.
The four books of the Ancient-Future series translate wisdom from these ancients into four areas of ministry: faith, worship, ministry, and spirituality.
Ancient-Future Evangelism follows Webber’s well-received Ancient-Future Faith, Robert Webber presents a new model for evangelism and discipleship, the first in a series of four books applying his theoretical ideas to practical situations. Part 1 of Ancient-Future Evangelism surveys evangelism and Christian formation throughout the church and then translates the process for twenty-first-century Christians. Webber presents evangelism as four distinct stages (conversion, discipleship, spiritual formation, and Christian vocation) and suggests three accompanying rites of passage (rite of welcome, rite of election, and rite of initiation/baptism) that can be easily adapted to any church tradition.
Part 2 underscores how the four-fold process of faith formation is interwoven with three theological principles: Christ as victor over evil (Christus Victor), the church as witness to God’s salvation, and worship as a witness to God’s mission accomplished in Jesus.
Ancient-Future Evangelism will appeal to both emerging evangelicals as well as traditional church leaders. It relates faith to Christian practice by drawing wisdom from the past and translating those insights into the present and future life of the church.
Follow the links to each of the other volumes in the series:
- Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World (1999)
- Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year (2004)
- Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God’s Narrative (2008)
About the Author
Before his death in 2007, Robert Webber was the William R. and Geraldyn B. Myers Professor of Ministry at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. He was also the President of the Institute for Worship Studies and Professor of Theology Emeritus at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. Dr. Webber authored or edited more than forty books on worship and other ministry-related subjects.
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