Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church

by D.H. Williams

The past few years have seen a growing interest among evangelical leaders in the thought and life of the early Christian church. There is a desire to rediscover historical roots in the face of today's postmodern and increasingly post-denominational world.

Evangelicals and Tradition is the first in a valuable new series of books edited by D. H. Williams. The series seeks to help today's church leaders recover the early church fathers' ancient understandings of Christian belief and practice for application to ministry in the twenty-first century. This first book traces the development and role of tradition in the early church, what kind of authority should be ascribed to tradition, and tradition's interaction with the Protestant hallmarks of "Scripture alone" and "by faith alone."

Genres: Church History, Theology, Church, History, Christianity

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Donner Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Putting it simply, this is a book written primarily for Evangelicals showing us how to embrace Tradition (which Williams more or less defines as the collection of oral tradition, creeds, texts, doctrines and confessions of the Church Fathers in the first five centuries) without shedding our Protestant identity. Catholics may benefit as well by understanding the place of tradition from the Protestants' perspective.

Williams admits at the outset that this book was in part a response to his learned Catholic friend's remark that 'to be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.' The knee-jerk reaction of most Protestants I know when invited to consider what the early church fathers have to say was to shy away and cling on to a narrow understanding of sola scriptura or to suspect one of flirting with the Roman Catholic dual-source theory of authority where the Bible and Tradition stand on equal footing. DH Williams attempts to address these, in his view, unfounded fears by arguing how the canonization of Scripture itself grew out of the context of the patristic church that was guided by its liturgy, oral tradition, the rule of faith as well as a somewhat loose and unsettled canon of texts. The relationship between Scripture and Tradition is not a combative one but complementary, he asserts. On the other hand, neither is there any suggestion that the fathers are infallible, monolithic or on par with apostolic authority. He acknowledges too the somewhat variegated nature of the patristic opinions and that the general consensus of the Fathers on some key dogmas took several centuries to take shape in the form of the ecumenical creeds and even these are not in themselves binding on the Christans' belief and conscience! It's not a 'golden age' to go back to which yields answers to all our problems! What he is contending for is that the fathers have laid down certain fundamental statements of the Christian faith that the Church across the board subscribes to almost universally and given their proximity to the apostolic sources and privy to the oral tradition, the fathers are an indispensable guide in our interpretation of the Christian story/message.

Attention is also given to other obstacles that Protestants might have in reading the fathers such as the modern suspicion towards the fathers' penchant for allegorical interpretation and how the Protestants' sine qua non of 'justification by faith' stands up in the face of the Patristics (and vice versa). In all, the author puts together quite a good case in addressing these concerns. It certainly is not the last word on the subject and may be open to challenge and inquiry on several fronts. Nonetheless, his is an important voice in the ongoing conversation.

Finally, it includes a chapter that tantalizes us with a brief survey and sampling of the fathers' writings (creeds, rule of faith, commentaries, homilies and hymns) which showcase the spiritual depth and apostolic faithfulness that emerges from that era. The reading list appended is also quite useful as an introduction to the vast literary and spiritual reservoir of the early church fathers.

I am especially struck by his favorable reference to JI Packer, one of evangelicalism's stalwarts, who 'declares that the Reformation is over, by which he means that the forging of our Protestant identity should no longer be done in the furnace of heated anti-Catholicism.' Amen! I am immensely thankful for the Evangelical Ressourcement series that invites us back to the rich fountainhead of early Christian tradition that all Christian communions stand on.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This topic has always interested me. There is so much to glean from the early church. The problem I have with many titles, including this one, is the way many of them ignore many of the differences that exist between the different branches of faith (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant). It often seems that the books are written from a Protestant perspective but the author almost overcompensates and ends up chastising evangelicals. This book, like others, never seems to really mention what the "tradition" really is in these different strains. If it is simply the very core beliefs of the Christian faith it would seem to me ALL of these branches may claim the tradition. But if we are talking about later doctrines and dogmas, we may no longer agree with labeling them tradition in the sense that many of these doctrines may NOT be what the early church believed and taught.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Williams attempts to set the record straight, when it comes to Tradition in the Church. Although many evangelicals use tradition as a indictment against the Roman Catholic church, Williams argues that the apostolic fathers and patristics have significant things to say to the modern Church. Why is it that many churches misunderstand the Reformation? Why is it that when we hear catch words and/or phrases, we accuse those with whom we disagree with of being shallow at best to being heretics at worst? Perhaps we're as close-minded as we accuse others to be.

Read Williams with a motivation to appreciate the early theologians and the necessity of councils and creeds. This is a great read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it wasn't a perfect book, I am inclined to give it 5 stars because it is one of the most accessible, readable, yet academically sound accounts of the concept of the "tradition," its confluence with the Bible and the church, and its relationship to Protestantism that I have read. I'm not exactly new to this material, and, being that I'm something of a "high church evangelical" (make of that term what you will), Williams is largely preaching to the choir in my case. Yet I still learned a lot and was introduced to a ton of helpful resources. I do have some questions as to how effectively his approach speaks to the segments of the church he's trying to reach; occasionally I didn't love his tone or know what to make of his stance toward his own free church tradition. Still a great book, one that I will undoubtedly return to in my studies.

[Brian Randall LeCompte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the reason so many evangelical churches are experiencing decline. They think it’s because the culture is perverse. The culture has always been perverse, since Jesus founded the church. It’s actually because evangelicalism has almost nothing interesting to offer since they have abandoned their historic witness as inherited through the great tradition. If evangelicals want their churches to survive a “post-Christian” world they should read this beauty from Dan Williams.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected to find this book dull and ho-hum. I was surprised by how much I got out of it, even being in a liturgical tradition with an already deep seated appreciation for the early church. My biggest takeaway was understanding the value of the patristic era in addition to the apostolic era.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for evangelicals who have never understood the importance of tradition for articulating a coherent theology for the church and the world.