Book Review: Retro Christianity

Have you ever wondered if you were missing something at your church? If the worship or service was shallow? If you weren't as anchored as you might have hoped into the big story?

A friend at church gave me this book to read, and I have to say its been one of the most refreshing books I've read all year. The title is intriguing, and the subtitle hints at more of what is going on here; "Reclaiming the Forgotten Faith". Michael J. Svigel writes as a man who loves the evangelical Church, but feels that we have forgotten many things. As a professor of theology at a seminary, he is well placed to reach back into time in order to inform the present. The back cover is similarly challenging, as he asks "if the church fathers or Reformers showed up at your church, would they worship... or run?". As a fan of church history and reaching people for Christ now, I was excited by his premise, his challenge, and his writing.

One of the things that marks this book out is its tone and aims. This is not a book aimed at telling off evangelicals, but rather gently encouraging them to think historically as well as biblically and theologically. This might seem obvious - as history is a key part of the Bible, and crucial to theology - but there are many churches that are so concerned with faithfulness/soundness/accessibility/movement/growth/relevance (choose your own buzzword depending on which end of the evangelical spectrum you are from) that they have forgotten where we come from. So, then, this is a book that is generous to and appreciative of what evangelical (and other modern) churches are doing, but is seeking to aid us in reclaiming the riches of church history.

Svigel divides his book into four key parts, having introduced his premise and given us a very brief but useful timeline of Church History. For the evangelical who has no idea what on earth he's on about, opening with this "Church History Time Line" is very helpful indeed. The opening part is "The Case for RetroChristianity", which is tied very closes to the question of what evangelicalism is, what it should be, and how we can reclaim it for an authentic and apostolic faith. Svigel's second chapter, "Going Retro without Going Wrong" is very helpful in reminding us that whilst there are dangers in looking back, there is more danger in blundering on unaware. This book, as you can probably tell at this stage in my review, is one aimed at a very specific audience, but those interested in the topics of evangelicalism, church history - or even concerned Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox Christians looking into whether evangelicalism has roots - would benefit from this book.

The second part of the book is the part that could prove the most divisive. Here Svigel attempts to persuade us (in my view successfully) of "RetroOrthodoxy: Preserving the Faith for the Future". He introduces the three central 'Canon's of his idea, which are actually three very useful classifying groups for discerning Doctrine, Faith and Practice. The first of these is the essentials, or in Svigel-speak; "Some Things Never Change and Never Should". This is an important fact - we do believe in a faith once delivered, there is an irreducible core and there are certain essentials. Secondly, "Some Things Have Never Been the Same and Never Will Be" - this is also true, and a confusing little statement that does require some unpacking. This is part and parcel of the never-ending discussion on unity - but also what constitutes faith. And how we should view it. The Third 'canon' of RetroOrthodoxy is interesting too; "Some Things Grow Clear through Trial and Error". This one is going to be a mixture of frustrating and liberating as an idea - personally I thought Svigel argued his case well here.

The third part of the book is at once a criticism of the different streams of modern evangelicalism, and a discussion of how to move on. Entitled "RetroClesiology: Beyond the Preference Driven Church", here Svigel gets into what can be timeless in Christian worship. He helpfully distinguishes between the Marks of the local church, and the Works of the local church. Svigel contends that 'Order, Ordinances, and Orthodoxy' are the marks of a church - and I'm inclined to agree. For the works, we turn to 'exaltation, edification and evangelism'. These three terms cover a multitude of practicalities, but it is good to see the focus on God (exalting him in worship, preaching and sacrament), believers (edifying them in teaching, training, prayer and fellowship) and evangelism (engaging the world with the Gospel, proclaiming the Gospel, living out lives of love, meeting needs). There is much in this section on running a church, and what you might want in that church.

The fourth part of the book is the most persona. Here we hear about "RetroSpirituality: Living the Forgotten Faith Today". This is a brilliant chapter, capturing the essence of both the need for a vibrant, serious personal relationship with Jesus, and the need to be part of the community of faith. There is a criticism of over-individualism here, whilst not forgetting that there is an individual element to following Jesus. The opening chapter of this section is the tantalising "From 'Me' to 'We': Growing together in Christ", shortly followed and counteracted by "From 'We' to 'Me': Nurturing Personal Christian Identity". The final full chapter is a classic 'where next' piece, seeking to look forward in faith from the Story that has been remembered here.

Ultimately, then, this is an excellent book. I hope my Catholic friends read it and realise that we evangelicals are not anti-history. I hope my low church friends will read it and be reminded of the riches of the vaults of ecclesiastical history. I hope my crusty friends will read it and be refreshed - and I hope my experiential friends will read it and be more grounded. This is a wonderful book, forward looking yet brilliantly grounded in the past. I'd highly recommend it to all Christians, and to those who would consider themselves wanting something more than mere human religion.