Recognizing the need for an evangelically oriented book to guide believers dealing with the issue of Christianity's relation to society, educator Robert Webber has developed a unique approach to this subject that gives clear solutions to the Christ-culture problem from both a biblical and historical point of view. The biblical material in 'The Secular Saint' presents the social, moral, and cultural concerns of the Judeo-Christian heritage. The historical material then shows how the church in history has either separated from its culture, identified with it, or attempted to transform it. On the basis of these three historical models, Webber argues that there is more than one way for the Christian to live in a responsible relationship with the world. This is a book of principles, not a how-to guidebook. As the author states, My purpose is not to deal with contemporary problems themselves but to give the reader the biblical and historical tools needed to understand and deal with modern issues.
Robert E. Webber (1933 - 2007)
was an American theologian known for his work on worship and the early church. He played a key role in the Convergence Movement, a move among evangelical and charismatic churches in the United States to blend charismatic worship with liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical sources. Webber began teaching theology at Wheaton College in 1968. Existentialism was the primary focus of Webber's research and lectures during his first years at Wheaton. However, he soon shifted his focus to the early church. In 1978 he wrote Common Roots, a book that examined the impact of 2nd-century Christianity on the modern church.In 1985 Webber wrote Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals Are Attracted to the Liturgical Church, in which he described the reasons behind his own gradual shift away from his fundamentalist/evangelical background toward the Anglican tradition. Webber faced an enormous amount of criticism from evangelicals in response to this book. Nevertheless, his work was highly influential, and his ideas grew in popularity in evangelical circles. During the latter half of his life, Webber took a special interest in Christian worship practices. He wrote more than 40 books on the topic of worship, focusing on how the worship practices of the ancient church have value for the church in the 21st century postmodern era. Among his books are Ancient-Future Worship, Ancient-Future Faith, Ancient-Future Time, Ancient-Future Evangelism, The Younger Evangelicals, and The Divine Embrace.
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