Abstract
The subtitle of Ben Witherington’s The Problem with Evangelical Theology narrows the focus of this timely book: Testing the Exegetical Foundations of Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Wesleyanism, and Pentecostalism. What Witherington probes are the major doctrines of contemporary evangelical theology taught, and in many instances popularized, by pastors and teachers. The book under review represents a new edition of one that first appeared in 2005. The main difference in the new edition is an added section on Pentecostalism, though Witherington has updated his work in many places.
Ben Witherington is a well-known American evangelical New Testament scholar. He has written important books on Jesus, on New Testament theology, and commentaries on all the writings that make up the New Testament. He also is a popular writer and a man of the church. He is eminently qualified to address the problems with evangelical theology.
What Witherington tries to show (and does so successfully, in this reviewer’s opinion) is that ‘all these Evangelical theological systems in their distinctives are only loosely tethered to detailed exegesis of particular texts’ (p. 6, emphasis in the original). He shows, for example, that aspects of Calvinism’s well-known TULIP acronym are not well-supported exegetically and, in places, such as election and eternal security, are simply in error. Witherington makes his case with solid, well-informed exegesis of the relevant passages of Scripture. It is time, he believes, for those who stand in the Reformed tradition to get back to sola Scriptura.
Witherington takes an especially hard look at Dispensationalism’s eschatology, especially with reference to its curious doctrine of the pre-tribulational rapture of the Church. The doctrine is completely without scriptural foundation and, in fact, cannot be traced back before the year 1830. This doctrine, along with some other distortions, encourages today’s shallow prosperity theology, so common in North America.
Witherington also subjects his own Wesleyan tradition to critical review. He rightly calls into question the doctrine of perfectionism, noting not only its lack of scriptural support but the psychological harm it often causes. With respect to Pentecostalism, Witherington flat out rejects the notion that certain spiritual gifts offer evidence of a second blessing or of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Many today will especially appreciate what Witherington has to say about egalitarianism and complementarianism. The latter, he thinks, is misleadingly named; it ought to be called ‘gender specific subordinationism’ (p. 82).
In his concluding ‘Coda’ Witherington offers a general, pastoral critique of the new fundamentalism, which, coupled with shallow theology and biblical illiteracy, leads to some very odd ideas and less than Christian behaviour. Witherington calls upon Christians to embrace New Testament theology and not the distinctive theologies of denominations and traditions.