Lost in the Middle?: Claiming an Inclusive Faith for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and Evangelical

by Wesley J. Wildman, Stephen Chapin Garner

There exists a deep and broad population of Christians who feel the labels of "liberal" and "evangelical" both describe their faith and limit their expression of it. By working to reclaim the traditional, historical meanings of these terms, and showing how they complement rather than oppose each other, Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice in today's polarized society. Lost in the Middle? guides readers through a process of diagnosis and articulation, offering complementary perspectives on the phenomenon, problem, and promise of Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts. The authors show how individuals and institutions alike can reclaim and celebrate the highest virtues of both liberal and evangelical Christianity, and how doing so can lead to the creation of authentic and vibrant communities of faith. Pastors, congregational leaders, seminarians, and all thoughtful Christians will learn how truly moderate Christianity can unite the compassionate openness and social activism of liberal Christianity with the magnetism and spiritual fervor of evangelical Christianity. You may feel lost in the middle, but you are not alone there. The middle may be the place where you find yourself living most authentically.

Genres: Religion

212 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2008

About the author

Wesley J. Wildman was raised in a quiet corner of Australia, fell in love with universities, and became a professor in the United States. Dr. Wildman has been writing about philosophy, religion, and spirituality for thirty years. He is Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics and of Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University, as well as Professor II in the Institute for Global Development and Planning at the University of Agder in Norway. He is also executive director of Just Horizons Alliance and Chief Scientist of the Center for Mind and Culture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to non-partisan research on such complex social problems as social integration of immigrants and refugees, religious self-radicalization, spiraling suicide rates, and illegal child trafficking. Dr. Wildman is a well-published nonfiction writer, with titles such as Spirit Tech: The Brave New World of Consciousness Hacking and Enlightenment Engineering (with Kate Stockly; St. Martin’s Press, 2021) and Effing the Ineffable: Existential Mumblings at the Limits of Language (SUNY Press, 2018). The Winding Way Home (Wildhouse Publications, 2023), is his first novel.

Reviews

[Philip Garside · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a progressive Christian, I found the book helpful in explaining why other Christians with different approaches think like they do. However, having had it explained in great detail, I don't find the authors' suggested moderate philosophy appealing.