Evangelical scholars and intellectuals especially lament the decline
of the evangelical mind since the generation of Edwards. During the
last century in particular, says Wheaton College's Noll, "Christian
reasoning as a whole, through use of the Bible, theology, and
doctrine, simply hasn't measured up. The scandal of the evangelical
thinking is that there is not enough of it, and that which exists is
not up to the standards that Edwards established."
The fundamentalist turn in evangelicalism, in Noll's view, is a wellintentioned
but inadequate response to challenges Edwards would
have met more thoughtfully, with intelligence and religious
conviction. In fact, if evangelicals had heeded Edwards's criticism of
Enlightenment science and philosophy, they would have been less
frightened by later scientific theories, like Darwinian evolutionary
theory. More theologically informed readings of Scripture might
also have discouraged the fundamentalists' use of biblical prophecy
as what Noll calls "a complete and detailed preview of the end of
the world"--often for dubious political purposes. Most evangelicals,
for instance, have sensible reasons for their support of Israel,
including respect for its democratic institutions. But fundamentalist
zealots who base their uncritical support on end-times scenarios
are so mechanistic in their use of Scripture that they view even
President Bush's effort to negotiate a peace settlement as a betrayal
of prophecy.
Didn't know about the commentary on Rev!