Restless Faith by Richard Mouw

Restless Faith
Holding Evangelical Beliefs in a World of Contested Labels
Richard J. Mouw
Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press
ISBN: 9781587433924
192 pages, paperback, £12.99

Mouw is no stranger to writing great little books. These include:

Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction
Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport
When the Kings Come Marching In
Political Evangelism

Restless Faith is a very welcome addition to these other great little books. Mouw is a philosopher, an academic, a former president of a prestigious evangelical seminary - it is this that has kept him grounded and in touch with the younger more radical evangelicalism.

Here Mouw examines a series of fascinating topics all exploring evangelical identity. He begins by reexamining the label evangelical. Unlike others, he reluctantly affirms the use of the label - despite the recent politicisation of the term.

What does it mean to be an evangelical in a world of drones and clones? This is the issue that Mouw examines. Unlike Russ Douat he doesn't see a split between the elite (the evangelical academics) and the pew.

He sees a restlessness in many younger people's evangelicalism - this he sees as a good thing. Particularly, as Mouw's background was one where thinking was not encouraged and there was a climate of anti-intellectualism, where the refrain you don't need exegesis you need Jesus was heard.

Mouw draws upon his own experiences to provide wisdom and insight into new issues and problems that face contemporary evangelicals. He shares insights he received from Carl Henry, Edward Carnell, Billy Graham.

Through it all Mouw still holds to the age-old fundamentalist adage: if the Bible says it,  I believe it. But he does so in a post-critical rather than a naive form. Mouw may have a child-like faith but it is certainly not childish.

Mouw is never pompous, pontificating or patronising. He listens, affirms, critiques and then enriches others' views. This is seen particularly in his examination and discussion of Robert Schuller, the Mormons, Rob Bell and several others in the fringes of evangelicalism. His use of xxx's notion of bounded and unbounded sets is helpful.

The book bleeds insight. Mouw helps us see the grey in the black and whiteness of evangelicalism. It provides a good justification for the continued use of the evangelical label.