John G. Stackhouse, Jr., Editor
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001)
When an editor begins an anthology by saying he doesn’t agree with much
of what is written in the essays that follow his preface, readers
immediately suspect that they are in for a rough ride. But such is not
the case with No Other Gods Before Me?,
a book that takes an initial stab at some of the primary issues facing
those who would formulate an evangelical theology of religions.
Although
the essays contained therein do express a wide divergence of views and
approaches to the topic, Stackhouse’s admission of discord between
himself and the other contributors—and between the contributors
themselves—is less a comment on the quality of the essays than on the
embryonic state of evangelical thinking in this area.
According
to Stackhouse, evangelical academic theology has long enjoyed a
“splendid isolation,” allowing it to avoid direct confrontations with
people of other faiths. But this isolation is becoming increasingly
difficult to sustain as other religions continue to flourish, both
around the world and on our own doorstep. Thus, there is a pressing
need for evangelicals to determine what we think about our new
neighbours’ religions so we are able to “represent the gospel helpfully
to them” and “love and serve them best in Christ’s name.”
As
Stackhouse makes clear, this book’s intention is not so much to put
forward a systematic theology of religions as it is to take a sounding
of current evangelical thinking in this area in order to stimulate
others to undertake the “larger project.” And there is much in this
book to both stimulate and challenge readers, no matter what part of
the evangelical spectrum you come from. From questions about the
possibility of revelation in other religions to ruminations on the
purposes of other faiths in God’s economy, this book cuts a broad swath.
However,
it is also a spotty one. Although this book purposely avoids a
systematic approach to the study, one can’t help but wish it had veered
more in that direction. That way, instead of simply offering a
potpourri of thoughts and opinions, the contributors could have moved
evangelicals even further towards realization of the larger,
comprehensive project of which Stackhouse speaks. Nevertheless, this
book—particularly Stackhouse’s afterword—still provides theologians and
others working in this area with much stimulus in the way of future
research topics.