Book Review - Here We Stand

Here We Stand might surprise you in that it is nearly 10 years old. The book, subtitled A Call From Confessing Evangelicals for a Modern Reformation contains articles and some transcripts of lectures that in hindsight seem almost prophetic.

The editors of the book are the late James Montgomery Boice and Benjamin E. Sasse. There are contributions from the likes of David Wells, Sinclair Ferguson, R. Albert Mohler and David Wells and I found each chapter to be stimulating and focused on a reaffirmation of historic Reformed theology.

Wells' chapter, "Our Dying Culture" calls us to realize that the present culture presents both challenge and great opportunity. Mohler speaks about the weakness of a postmodern approach to Christianity, and notes:

"The absence of doctrinal precision and biblical preaching marks the current evangelical age. Doctrine is considered outdated by some and divisive by others. The confessional heritage of the church is neglected and, in some cases, seems even to be an embarrassment to updated evangelicals. Expository preaching - once the hallmark and distinction of the evangelical pulpit - has been replaced in many churches by motivational messages, therapeutic massaging of the self, and formulas for health, prosperity, personal integration, and celestial harmony."

Sounds all too familiar.

Michael Hortons's chapter on the Solas of the Reformation provides both a call to regain priority of the evangelical message and an understanding of how bankrupt the Christian faith is without these standard beliefs.

I would suspect that emerging/postmodern believers will not appreciate the book as much as I did, but if you look around you and shake your head at the state of evangelicalism, Here We Stand will both challenge and encourage you to hold the course.